Cryptocurrency volatility has tempered expectations for crypto payments. But it hasn’t erased them: Retail, remittance, and cross-border B2B payments remain in growth mode.

As the so-called AI arms race heats up, US site visit data from digital intelligence platform Similarweb reflects early changes in consumer behavior.

Search is positioned to be generative AI’s first major consumer-facing playground. This is unexplored territory, and advertisers are bracing for big changes.

Generative AI is poised to reshape the search advertising market. With a significant first-mover advantage, will Microsoft grow its share of search ad budgets? How can advertisers stay ahead of the curve?

The EU is ramping up its efforts in an antitrust probe into Apple Pay. But the Big Tech firm’s loyal customers should shield it from potential fallout.

US digital ad spend growth will return to double digits next year at 11.2% growth, following 2023’s slower growth of 7.8%. Growth certainly won’t return to the 37.6% growth we saw in 2021, but it will increase steadily. Come 2025, US digital ad spend will pass $300 billion and keep climbing to nearly $400 billion by the end of 2027.

Google turns to generative AI to give shoppers a helping hand: The search engine aims to simplify consumers’ purchase decisions by arming consumers with more information.

Microsoft makes bold, highly speculative agreement with Helion Energy: The tech giant is likely taking a leap of faith that AI will yield a nuclear fusion breakthrough in five years.

Microsoft’s new Bing has had a persistent hold over headlines. Combine this with a third consecutive quarter of ad loss for YouTube and the picture for Google may look less than rosy. But the company remains in good shape, with overall earnings beating expectations. It remains dominant in search, and YouTube use is still remarkably high. Here’s a closer look.

Digital ad spending will increase slightly faster this year than in 2022, but the bump will be minimal. Total media ad spending growth will roughly hold steady. But there are parts of the world where spending is surging.

Digital will help keep total media ad spending buoyant this year, just. A rebound is expected for 2024, with video advertising growing faster than any other format. Proportionally, though, video spend will remain relatively small in France and Germany.

Google and Meta’s combined share of the US digital ad market dropped below 50% in 2022, and in just a few years that figure will be down to 43.0%. The triopoly is losing share now, as well; Amazon’s ascent will not be fast enough to offset the weakness of the other two giants.

Pending legislation may require Meta and Google to pay domestic news publishers for linking to articles. Both companies say they will block news content if it passes.

D2C brands facing the declining effectiveness of search and social ads must use new strategies outside of the traditional D2C growth playbook.

Last month, Meta said it would use generative AI in ad creation by the end of the year. Not long after, Google announced generative AI ad plans of its own in the form of tools that will “remix” ads based on client goals. Neither company has released details of what these AI updates will look like, but the changes are big news for advertisers, agencies, and everyone in between.

D2C ecommerce will continue to grow at above-average rates. But that growth will be driven by established brands selling directly—not digitally native brands.

Ad spending is looking shaky for many of the legacy formats across digital and traditional. New channels have arrived, however, and there are bright spots. This year could be rough, but 2024 is looking better.

Gaming on smartphones saw declines for key metrics in 2022, putting a wrinkle in a growth trend that nearly dates back to the launch of app stores. Read on for figures that highlight what’s changing, and how these changes might impact user acquisition.

Mobile and video formats will be key to a recovering ad market in the years ahead.

On today's episode, we discuss how Spotify beat expectations, why a price hike is inbound, and the audio streaming company's relationship with artificial intelligence (AI). "In Other News," we talk about AI-powered ads for Google and whether Peacock can survive the streaming wars. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Daniel Konstantinovic.