A spike in consumer interest, changing social expectations, and perception has brands and retailers leaning into men's fragrances. "The days of guys only wanting a classic, masculine scent are gone," said Sarah Armstrong, associate content manager at Axe US."Guys are looking for excitement in the fragrance category, wanting to explore new scent cues," she said. "For example, we've seen more gourmand, sweet fragrances come to market over the last few years."
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Become a ClientCryptocurrency exchange Kraken announced the public launch of Kraken VIP, a service akin to a private crypto bank for investors with a $10 million average balance or $80 million in annual trading volume. Crypto is tapping the ultra-luxury market with benefits and exclusivity that have been the domain of private banks and high-end credit cards. This new frontier for crypto should incite traditional financial providers to evolve their UHNW offerings to meet rising experiential expectations.
The share of rental applicants who are more than 90 days delinquent on student loans increased from 15% in January 2025 to 32% in May, according to a just-released TransUnion report. Credit score data reflects these delinquencies, with lower-scoring consumers faring the worst. Consumers’ struggles with student loan repayments highlight a problem for financial institutions (FIs) on the hook for private-loan defaults. And as consumers delay expensive financial decisions like buying a house in favor of reducing student loan debt, demand for credit like mortgages and auto loans will suffer.
Canada’s big banks exceeded expectations for the 2025 fiscal year as capital markets and wealth management carried results. But economic uncertainty loomed over results. Adverse trade policy and a cooling labor market were hot topics, and there are risks of consumer credit stress. Threats to Canada’s economic wellbeing abound, which will trickle down to banks’ businesses. In the meantime, restructuring will likely distract management teams, slowing response to changing business conditions.
Nearly one-third (64%) of SMBs cite social as their No. 1 traffic source, topping organic search at 52% and reflecting a broader move in how buyers discover brands, per WordStream by LocaliQ. SMBs are embracing social platforms as a remedy for increasing volatility from genAI search updates. Brands looking to reach SMBs should prioritize Instagram and TikTok, where engagement and creator ROI lead. Short-form, tutorial-style content that tackles real SMB pain points performs best on these platforms. SMBs should double down on social strategies while strengthening content so AI summaries surface their brands before competitors’.
Amazon, Target, and Walmart are stepping up their holiday fulfillment efforts to reassure late shoppers that gifts will arrive before Christmas. Amazon is adding clear “Arrives before Christmas” messaging and enabling delivery or pickup on many items through Christmas Eve, while Target is extending store hours and leaning on rapid curbside, in-store pickup, and same-day delivery. Walmart is expected to match or exceed last year’s Christmas Eve express cutoffs. These moves highlight how crucial last-minute reliability has become, as faster delivery speeds increasingly shape where shoppers spend and give retailers with strong fulfillment networks a powerful competitive edge.
Gap’s new AI chatbot was quickly coaxed into discussing intimacy products and other off-limits topics after launch, revealing a misconfiguration in the guardrails set by its AI partner Sierra, according to The Information. Sierra said a bad actor attempted to jailbreak more than a dozen client agents, and Gap’s was the only one that slipped past detection due to the setup error, which has since been fixed. The incident underscores how easily brand safety can be compromised when safeguards aren’t airtight, highlighting the need for companies to rigorously vet vendors and ensure robust protections before deploying AI tools.
Cash App and Binance are targeting teen and pre-teen engagement with payments and crypto, per press releases. Emphasizing safety and financial education will be critical for any youth financial product to get off the ground. Streamlining parental controls through easy-to-monitor features like push notifications can win over parents of Gen Alpha, who are more likely to be millennials who favor mobile- and app-first financial experiences.
Bank of America debuted an exclusive FIFA World Cup 2026 custom card design and ticket opportunity for applicants, per a press release. Cardholders can choose between two FIFA-themed card designs. New applicants for BofA’s Customized Cash Rewards or Unlimited Cash Rewards Visa credit cards can also buy two tickets to select FIFA World Cup matches starting February 10, 2026. Leaning into sporting events for marketing and rewards can connect issuers with young consumers who are passionate about exclusive, memory-building experiences. Hosting on-site events and spaces during the matches could draw in even more potential cardholders.
Revolut launched “street mode,” a security feature designed to thwart transfer mugging, per a press release. Revolut users can set up “trusted locations” within their banking apps where they can transfer funds without additional security measures. Protecting users’ money should be top-of-mind for payment providers and banks. But there are key security features that banks still fail to offer—despite strong consumer demand. Twenty-eight percent of consumers in our benchmark said that blocking contactless payments was “extremely valuable,” but just one bank—Truist—delivered. Similarly, alerts for SSN breaches were the most-demanded feature (53%), but only Chase and Capital One offer it.