Since we started AI & Finance, sometimes it feels like we’re talking up artificial intelligence too much, that we may be overly enthusiastic or optimistic about the impact of the technology within financial services and the larger world.
To be honest with you, dear readers, we constantly doubt, question and double-check our thinking regarding AI. But maybe we’re not overly enthusiastic and optimistic. Maybe we’re actually being conservative and cautious.
Welcome to another AI & Finance, which caps off a huge week for AI in general, and we have plenty of headlines to suggest it was no different for artificial intelligence specific to the financial world.
You know, when technologists and financial services incumbents have argued that AI will not lead to significant displacement, job losses, the ultimate demise of entire professions, we’ve always felt a huge twinge of doubt. In fact, we’ve argued in this very column that AI is probably going to be a bigger disruptor than many if not most people thought.
We were wrong. It’s probably going to be a bigger disruptor, and faster, than even we thought.
So, what happened? On February 5, OpenAI and Anthropic dropped two new AI models: GPT-5.3 Codex (OpenAI) and Opus 4.6 (Anthropic). And they work beautifully.
So beautifully, in fact, that an AI CEO, Matt Shumer of autocomplete specialists OthersideAI, decided to write an opinion piece warning the world of the potential impacts of these cutting-edge models—arguing that the disruption they are causing resembles that of Covid-19 in early 2020.
Shumer writes that AI has become not only a dependable tool for generating code, but an expert software engineer, to the point that AI is now being used to build itself and its successors, potentially displacing large segments of workers in the technology industries. This capability will move to encompass more thinking professions — law, finance, medicine, writing, consulting, and more — with entry-level white-collar jobs especially vulnerable. Measured data shows the length and complexity of tasks AI can complete independently is doubling in months, not years, suggesting major economic disruption could arrive within one to five years — possibly sooner.
We often dismiss AI based on somewhat recent experiences with generative AI, notes Shumer, but models are now evolving and improving so quickly that our experiences may not jive with reality. And while AI may really be a long way off from competently replacing human empathy, people are already turning to the technology for “emotional support, advice and companionship,” noted Shumer.
Shumer gave a lot of pointers about where AI disruption is going to move next (and us editors are definitely in the crosshairs, as are huge swaths of the financial services industry), he also offers ways we can effectively respond and evolve to account for the rise of AI. It’s a fascinating read—and it’s not all apocalyptic fear and loathing.
If all of this comes to fruition—if there is rapid disruption across the white-collar economy over the next one to five years, policymakers are going to feel pressure to respond. What happens next, from a policy perspective, depends greatly on who is in office.
Responses from the left are typically some sort of income support or universal basic income (UBI) and increased social services to deal with displaced labor. Responses from the right usually involve job retraining and educational opportunities, but otherwise little in the way of direct financial intervention. Neither typical partisan response may be realistic in the face of AI.
Let’s get to your headlines…
1. ACA Group
ACA Group (ACA), the leading governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) advisor in financial services, today announced the launch of Encore AI for Marketing Review, an AI-powered enhancement to the ComplianceAlpha® Marketing Review module. The new capability embeds intelligent automation directly into ACA’s existing marketing review workflow, helping firms accelerate reviews, reduce manual effort, and strengthen regulatory oversight while maintaining transparency, auditability, and human control.
ACA is introducing the new capability as firms produce more content across more channels at greater speed, while facing increased regulatory scrutiny. Compliance teams are expected to enforce updated guidelines under evolving regulatory requirements such as the SEC Marketing Rule, FINRA advertising standards, and global regulatory expectations. Traditional manual review processes are increasingly strained by the volume and complexity of today’s marketing activity.
ACA’s Marketing Review module already supports marketing and financial promotion reviews at scale, having served nearly 1,300 clients, processed over 143,000 submissions, and reviewed approximately 8.9 million pages of content. Encore AI for Marketing Review builds on this foundation, augmenting compliance expertise with purpose-built AI.
2. Addentax
Addentax Group Corp. (Nasdaq: ATXG) (the “Company”, “ATXG”, “we”, “us” or “our”) today announced that on February 9, 2026, it entered into separate memorandum of understanding (each, an “MOU;” together, the “MOUs”) with two institutional investors, backed by a Middle Eastern royal family, setting forth a preliminary understanding regarding a potential strategic equity investment totaling US$200 million to support the Company’s business growth in artificial intelligence (“AI”) and cryptocurrency financial services. Pursuant to the MOUs, subject to the negotiation and execution of definitive agreements, each investor intends to invest up to US$100 million by acquiring newly issued shares of common stock of ATXG at a fixed price of US$1.50 per share. The Company and the investors have agreed to work in good faith to negotiate and execute definitive agreements within six months, which would include, among other things, a share subscription agreement, disclosure schedules, and related corporate approvals. Any potential transaction remains subject to the completion of customary legal and financial due diligence, receipt of all necessary corporate, regulatory, and stock exchange approvals, execution of definitive agreements, and other customary conditions precedent. There can be no assurance that definitive agreements will be executed or that any transaction will be consummated.
In addition to the potential capital investment, the Company and the investors are in discussions regarding a potential strategic collaboration focused on advancing the Company’s core initiatives in AI and cryptocurrency financial services. These discussions reflect a shared interest in leveraging ATXG’s technological expertise and market presence, including its presence in Hong Kong, combined with the investors’ industry resources, regulatory insights, and global market experience to support potential product development and market expansion in AI and cryptocurrency-related solutions.
If consummated, we believe that the potential US$200 million strategic investment would strengthen ATXG’s balance sheet and could provide additional capital to support its key growth priorities, including scaling its AI-driven financial technology platforms, expanding its compliant cryptocurrency financial services portfolio, deepening market penetration in Hong Kong and the Asia-Pacific region, and continued investing in research and development. The proposed fixed per-share price of US$1.50 was discussed as part of the parties’ preliminary understanding and reflects the Company’s view of the potential investors’ interest in ATXG’s business model, long-term growth strategy, and the management team.
3. Addentax
Addentax Group Corp. (Nasdaq: ATXG) (the “Company”, “ATXG”, “we”, “us” or “our”) today announced the proposed strategic acquisition of the offshore wealth management and integrated cross-border service business of Hong Kong-based Riches Group, a provider of global asset allocation and cross-border services. The Company believes that, if completed, the proposed acquisition would support the Company’s global expansion strategy by facilitating the integration of Riches Group’s offshore business ecosystem, AI-enabled financial solutions, and digital currency/crypto service offerings. Based on preliminary internal estimates and subject to final closing and integration, the Company anticipates that the proposed acquisition could contribute approximately HKD 300 million in annualized revenue.
Riches Group, headquartered in Hong Kong, has built a diversified service ecosystem, which includes global wealth management, international education, immigration consulting, and cross-border healthcare services. Riches Group has historically served high-net-worth clients across multiple jurisdictions. Subject to the completion of the proposed acquisition, the Company would gain access to Riches Group’s core business assets, including its full suite of wealth management services, which range from private banking and fund custody to global fixed-income products and offshore/US dollar insurance. Based on information provided by Riches Group, these services have historically generated monthly transaction volumes exceeding HK$100 million. The proposed acquisition would also include Riches Group’s cross-border lifestyle services, such as global property investment and management, international education planning, investment residency and citizenship, and medical travel services. Additionally, the acquisition is expected to cover Riches Group’s corporate and fiduciary services, including offshore company registration, tax planning, and global trust establishment services, which have historically supported over 1,000 high-net-worth families and more than 10,000 households worldwide.
The proposed acquisition is expected to provide the Company with access to Riches Group’s AI-enabled wealth advisory capabilities. Riches Group has developed proprietary algorithms designed to support data-driven, personalized asset allocation strategies, real-time risk assessments, and market insights. The Company believes that, if integrated following completion of the acquisition, these capabilities will enhance the precision and efficiency of the Company’s global wealth management services. In addition, subject to completion of the acquisition, the Company would obtain access to Riches Group’s experience in regulated digital asset-related services, including compliant digital currency custody and investment solutions operating within Hong Kong’s regulatory framework. The Company believes that these capabilities could support the offering of regulated digital asset exposure as part of diversified offshore investment portfolios, consistent with applicable regulatory requirements and evolving market demand.
4. Barclays
Barclays US Consumer Bank is leveraging generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to create comprehensive summaries of interactions with customers across its contact centers to drive efficiencies and transform customer experience.
Using GenAI, customer service calls are summarized by capturing key details such as the reason for the call, actions taken, and next steps. This AI-generated information gives agents the context needed to make quick, informed decisions, resolve issues faster, and reduce call times for complex issues, enabling our agents to focus on improving customer experience.
This is part of a broader global strategy by Barclays to harness new developments in agentic and generative AI to drive innovation, improve decision making, and increase efficiency in its operations.
5. Cleo
Cleo, the world’s first AI financial assistant, today announced the launch of Autopilot, technology that maps out your long-term financial goals and helps you take meaningful action to reach them.
Most financial apps tell you what to do. Autopilot does it for you. It takes action within the guardrails you set, handling previously approved decisions automatically. It learns your patterns, predicts expenses, and makes financial moves in real-time, so you don’t have to. The result is daily money decisions handled automatically, turning financial stress and decision fatigue into effortless progress.
This is especially relevant as new research from Cleo shows that more than a third of Americans struggle with self-discipline when it comes to money. At the same time, trust in automation is growing — 53% of Americans say they would trust AI to advise them on disposable income, and more than half are open to AI automatically moving money to avoid overdrafts (52%) or managing routine bill payments (48%).
6. Duck Creek Technologies
Duck Creek Technologies, the global provider defining the future of property and casualty (P&C) and general insurance, today announced Anchor Group Management Inc. (AGMI) has selected Duck Creek Payments Facilitator to modernize its payments ecosystem, empowering more streamlined, secure, and technology-driven operations.
AGMI specializes in providing commercial auto insurance for niche markets including passenger transportation, local delivery, and more—across multiple states. AGMI is a technology and analytics focused managing general agency with an emphasis on delivering prompt quotes, flexible payment options, and tailored liability and physical damage coverage. AGMI supports both single-vehicle operators and entire fleets. The Duck Creek Payments Facilitator solution will support AGMI’s goals of delivering superior digital payment options, improving cash flow processes, and offering a faster, more seamless experience to policyholders as well as retail brokers.
Launched in October 2024, Duck Creek Payments Facilitator is designed to handle insurance-specific payment flows, including instant claim payouts and premium collections, across a wide range of payment methods such as digital wallets, push-to-card, and FedNow. Duck Creek Payments Facilitator enables fast and secure integration into AGMI’s existing technology environment, accelerating time-to-value and reducing operational costs.
7. ElevenLabs
ElevenLabs, the leading AI audio research and product company, has rolled-out a first-of-its-kind AI insurance policy – becoming the first company to go live with the AIUC-1-backed insurance policy covering AI voice agents.
ElevenAgents powers over three million voice agents deployed by enterprises worldwide for customer support, sales, scheduling, and other business-critical workflows. ElevenLabs’ technology is used by employees at more than 75% of Fortune 500 companies, including Cisco, Square, Revolut, and MasterClass. For the first time, these AI agents and their actions can now be insured, just like any other employee.
To roll-out this insurance provision, ElevenLabs has secured AIUC-1 certification: a process which subjects AI systems to more than 5,000 adversarial simulations spanning data & privacy, safety, security, reliability, accountability, and societal impact. Test scenarios are modeled on documented real-world AI failures, from hallucinations to prompt injection attacks, generating the empirical risk profile insurers need to underwrite AI.
8. FinLink
Today, FinLink, the leading networking and growth platform for financial professionals, announced a strategic partnership with Rafa.ai, the leading AI transformation partner in Fintech, to rebuild its platform as an AI-native marketplace. This transformation is designed to generate measurable economic outcomes for every user on the network.
Most professional networks in financial services have become graveyards. Thousands of profiles, but almost zero transactions. Advisors sign up, scroll, and leave because the platform never delivers a single dollar of new business or valuable relationships.
The financial services networking category has followed a pattern that Andreessen Horowitz recently documented in its research on AI-era marketplaces: platforms acquire users but fail to generate sufficient value to retain them. Customer acquisition costs run high. Lifetime value stays low. The marketplace stalls.
9. Fireblocks
Fireblocks, the enterprise platform securing more than $5 trillion in digital asset transfers annually, today announced an expanded collaboration with Thales, a global leader in cybersecurity and trusted provider of Luna Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), to deliver institutional-grade digital asset security architecture for financial institutions.
The collaboration integrates Fireblocks’ digital asset platform with Thales’ Luna HSMs, enabling institutions to extend their existing certified hardware infrastructure into digital asset operations without re-architecting security models or compromising regulatory compliance.
The architecture supports a wide range of institutional use cases, including custody, trading, tokenization, and onchain settlement, while integrating with existing security, governance, and audit processes. Organizations can securely manage cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, security tokens, and tokenized real-world assets across major blockchain networks – with support for multiple elliptic curves enabling broader cross-chain coverage and deeper liquidity.
10. Leah
Leah, a leading Agentic AI company and the pioneer behind Leah Agentic OS, today announced a new partnership with PwC UK. The partnership brings together PwC UK’s industry expertise and function excellence alongside Leah’s Agentic OS to power the design, deployment, and scaling of coordinated AI agents in the design and stand up of new-age operating models across Global Business Services (GBS). Leah’s Agentic OS leverages enterprise-grade, domain-native agentic AI to re-architect how core business work gets done.
Global Business Services have traditionally focused on standardization and cost efficiency. Leah Agentic OS enables a fundamentally different approach centered on outcomes, adaptability, and continuous improvement. Leah Agentic OS brings together orchestrators, intelligent flows, and domain-specific agents that can reason, act, and collaborate across end-to-end enterprise processes.
For PwC UK clients, the collaboration goes beyond incremental efficiency gains. By coordinating intelligent agents across functional domains, organizations can reimagine how shared services are designed and run, shifting from fragmented, task-based approaches toward operating models built around end-to-end outcomes and consistent decision-making.
11. ManageMy
ManageMy, the Intelligent Orchestration Platform transforming how insurers sell, service, underwrite, and manage policies, today announces it has raised $45 million, $20m of which was secured in its recent Series B round, co-led by Ventura Capital and OCVC, with backing from BNF and a consortium of strategic leaders in both traditional insurance and InsurTech.
ManageMy was founded by Sean O’Connor, Co-Founder of the FinTech unicorn Zilch, through his investment operator vehicle OCVC.com, alongside a team of insurance, technology, and data specialists with deep experience across carriers, reinsurers, and distribution, led by Co-Founder and CEO Stephen Collins.
Created to simplify complexity across the insurance value chain, ManageMy provides insurers with a modular, composable platform that spans customer engagement, automated underwriting, and intelligent claims decisioning.
12. Nuuvia
Nuuvia, the leading provider of youth banking solutions for community banks and credit unions, announced today that United Financial Credit Union (UFCU) selected its youth banking engagement platform to power SmartStart, the credit union’s new youth banking program. Headquartered in Saginaw, Mich., with more than $340 million in assets and 22,000 members, the credit union successfully deployed SmartStart to help younger members develop healthy money habits and build financial confidence.
The launch of SmartStart reinforces United Financial Credit Union’s commitment to supporting the financial well-being of its community through innovation, education, and empowerment. The initiative was made possible in part by a grant from the Michigan Credit Union Foundation (MCUF), which supports credit unions in delivering innovative programs that promote financial education and community enrichment.
United Financial Credit Union sought a comprehensive solution that would enable families to start financial conversations early, while providing real-world banking experiences tailored specifically for children and teens. The credit union’s vision was to create an engaging, educational program that would support its mission to invest in the future of the community, one family at a time. With SmartStart, the credit union is giving parents a unique opportunity to have important financial conversations and encouraging families to learn, save, and grow together.
13. omnispray
omnispay, a UAE-based fintech innovating SME payments, announced the closing of a $2 million Pre-Series A funding round led by Infinity Value Capital Group.
The funding accelerates omnispay’s evolution from rapid merchant settlements into an AI-native, all-in-one finance platform designed to solve persistent SME cash-flow challenges. The company gained early traction by eliminating the industry’s standard 5–7 day settlement gap with a 24-hour payout model. It is now expanding into integrated Collect, Pay, and Borrow workflows, enabling SMEs to manage liquidity and access embedded credit as they scale.
Over the past 12 months, omnispay doubled its customer base and quadrupled processing volumes. Revenue increased 5.5x while operating expenses grew only 2.2x, reflecting strong monetization and disciplined execution. This performance is supported by ARIES, omnispay’s proprietary AI risk engine, which applies real-time transaction monitoring and dynamic decisioning. The platform also reports a Net Promoter Score exceeding 60.
14. ProCap
Artificial intelligence is a supersonic tsunami hurling towards the U.S. economy. Upon impact, millions of jobs will be destroyed. Financial security will disappear. And economic despair will be pervasive. We don’t have to accept this fate.
ProCap Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: BRR) (“ProCap Financial” or the “Company”) today announced its plan to become the first publicly traded agentic finance firm and unveiled its mission to “help independent investors make money.” ProCap Financial believes it is imperative to harness the power of artificial intelligence to create financial abundance for every human on earth before artificial intelligence creates financial pain for those same people.
ProCap Financial’s solution to the existential threat of AI is to build the most accurate and valuable AI models and agents for finance. With an army of efficient AI agents, rather than thousands of human employees, the Company will be able to offer unique products and services to help independent investors create personal wealth. To execute on this plan, ProCap Financial has entered into an agreement to acquire CFO Silvia, Inc. (“Silvia”), a leading AI agent lab exclusively focused on finance. Silvia’s consumer product is free for all users and currently has proprietary AI agents answering queries from digital-native, wealthy users.
15. RPAG
Retirement Plan Advisory Group (RPAG) today announced the launch of Auto Assistant, an AI-powered answer engine. Through its on-screen avatar, Otto, Auto Assistant provides instant, contextual responses to advisor questions, enabling faster decision-making and more responsive client service.
As part of substantial, ongoing investments in innovation and technology, RPAG and its parent company Great Gray Group are committed to driving better outcomes across the US retirement plan ecosystem. Auto Assistant strengthens RPAG’s platform capabilities while maintaining the member-focused approach that defines RPAG’s service model.
16. TaxStatus
TaxStatus, a secure, personalized data solution for verified financials used by financial professionals and their clients, today announced their integration in Jump, a leading provider of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for financial advisors and other financial services providers. Through the integration, Jump users will be able to access IRS-verified financials in their advisor platform, marking the first time that IRS-verified financials have been integrated into an AI advisor platform.
TaxStatus connects directly to the IRS to pull verified financial information, analyzing over 3,000 data points per taxpayer to uncover held-away assets, business ownership, real estate holdings, retirement accounts, and other financial details that advisors typically spend hours trying to collect. The platform then monitors clients’ IRS accounts in real-time for three years, alerting advisors to tax liabilities, refunds, audits, or filing discrepancies before clients receive official notices from the IRS.
Through the integration, Jump users will have IRS-verified financials seamlessly incorporated into their pre-meeting briefs, saving advisors time by removing the need for manual data collection and entry, increasing accuracy and allowing advisors to find new opportunities for their clients.
17. UiPath
UiPath (NYSE: PATH), a global leader in agentic automation, today announced the acquisition of WorkFusion, a pioneer in AI agents for financial crime compliance. The acquisition expands and strengthens the UiPath portfolio of agentic AI-powered industry solutions for the financial services and banking industries, including processes and workflows for financial crimes compliance such as anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) operations.
WorkFusion’s pre-built library of AI agents automates the most labor-intensive aspects of financial crime compliance, from customer screening to investigations. Coupled with UiPath’s agentic automation and orchestration platform, banks and financial institutions can automate intricate workflows, analyze complex patterns, and help prioritize cases requiring human expertise, while maintaining the security, governance, and regulatory controls they require to reduce operational costs and improve compliance effectiveness.
18. Una Software
Una Software, the AI-powered FP&A software built for the pace of modern business, today announced it has closed its seed financing, bringing total funding raised to $13 million.
The company also announced the appointment of Michael Morrison, former CEO of Fluence Technologies and Jirav, as Chief Executive Officer. Co-founder Clayton Ramnarine, having led the company from inception to its current high-growth phase, will assume the role of Chief Revenue Officer, focusing on global go-to-market expansion and customer success.
With a track record spanning six high-growth FP&A companies, Una’s leadership hasn’t just entered the market—they’ve spent decades defining it. Leveraging that deep-seated expertise, Una has emerged as a fast-growing leader in the modern FP&A space, delivering adaptive planning and intelligent forecasting for midmarket and enterprise organizations. This dual announcement comes on the heels of a record-breaking year for Una Software.
19. Upstart
Upstart Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: UPST), the leading artificial intelligence (AI) lending marketplace, today announced that Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Paul Gu will become Upstart’s Chief Executive Officer on May 1, 2026. At that time, Co-founder Dave Girouard will remain Executive Chairman of Upstart’s Board of Directors and serve as a special advisor to the company’s CEO and leadership team.
Paul and Dave co-founded Upstart in 2012 along with Anna Counselman. Paul’s responsibilities at Upstart have grown significantly since then, currently encompassing all product, engineering, and machine learning functions as well as general management of the emerging auto and home businesses. Paul has served on Upstart’s Board of Directors since 2015.
20. Zest AI
Today, Zest AI announced that Cornerstone League and GoWest Credit Union Association have become the first credit union leagues to adopt LuLu, its GenAI-powered Lending Intelligence solution that gives financial institutions instant analytics, reporting, and insights. Together, the leagues represent more than 900 credit unions serving roughly 30 million members nationwide, significantly expanding the role of generative AI in delivering credible, data-backed advocacy and proposed policy changes to their members and communities.
The adoption comes as the financial sector rapidly accelerates its AI investment. According to a recent Celent study, 83% of lenders plan to increase their GenAI IT budgets in 2026, signaling a shift toward more advanced, data-driven tools that improve risk visibility, market understanding, and operational efficiency.
LuLu allows advocacy groups like Cornerstone and GoWest to super-charge their research, policy work, and member education, strengthening their influence at both the state and federal levels, and ultimately helping to shape policies that create a better financial ecosystem for everyone.
