Author: TheWireHub.net

Mercury has applied for a national bank charter with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the San Francisco-based fintech announced Friday. Mercury, geared toward startups and venture capitalists, appointed Jon Auxier as the fintech’s chief banking officer and as president and CEO of the proposed bank. Auxier served as CFO of SoFi Bank, where he helped the company in its own journey toward becoming a bank. Auxier left SoFi in 2023, according to his LinkedIn profile. “Few fintechs have reached the level of financial strength and operational discipline to pursue a charter at this scale,” Auxier said in…

Ken Colburn  |  Special for The RepublicWatch out for telemarketing scams, Arizona Republic reporter warnsArizona Republic investigative reporter Richard Ruelas warns about phone calls from telemarketers. They may be scams.Question: What are these Bitcoin ATM scams targeting the elderly, so I can warn my parents?Answer: Bitcoin ATM scams are one of the fastest-growing ways criminals are stealing money, especially from older adults. Despite the name, these scams have nothing to do with investing in cryptocurrency. The Bitcoin ATM is simply the final step in a pressure-driven con designed to move money somewhere it can’t be recovered.The luresIt usually starts with…

What Is Wearable Technology? Wearable technology is known as wearables, and is a category of electronic devices worn as accessories, embedded in clothing, and even tattooed on skin. Wearables incorporate microprocessors and internet connectivity. They’ve evolved from items like eyeglasses and wristwatches to advanced devices like fitness trackers and virtual reality headsets. They have significant applications in various fields, particularly in medicine. Noteworthy examples include Google Glass, microchip implants, and medical monitoring and other healthcare devices. Key Takeaways Wearable technology includes devices worn as accessories or embedded in clothing, with practical, hands-free uses.Modern wearables incorporate microprocessors and internet connections for…

You may have heard of bottom-up and top-down investing approaches, but do you understand how these approaches or investing strategies really work? If not, read on to find out.  Key Takeaways Bottom-up investors focus on individual company fundamentals, like management and P/E ratios, regardless of market conditions.Top-down investors start with macroeconomic factors and then drill down to sectors and individual stocks.Bottom-up strategies emphasize long-term company performance, whereas top-down strategies capitalize on market trends.Top-down investors may shift focus across regions depending on economic conditions. Bottom-Up Investing: A Detailed Analysis Using a bottom-up investing approach, a money manager will closely examine the…

Despite the common advice to start a budget, many people find it difficult to stick to a budget or feel like budgeting just doesn’t work for them. Rich & REGULAR, a popular money podcast by Kiersten and Julian Saunders, recently shared a fresh perspective on why most budgeting advice falls short.For You: 6 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000Learn More: 8 Frugal Habits Americans Are Ridiculed for — and Why You Shouldn’t CareLet’s explore why most budgeting advice doesn’t work and how a more flexible, realistic approach can help you take control of your finances and actually…

OpenAI Group PBC today released a new version of GPT-Codex, its agentic artificial intelligence coding model that’s designed to automate complex software engineering tasks. The latest version, GPT-5.2-Codex, builds upon the capabilities of GPT-5.2, adding improvements in context compaction, large code refactoring, Windows environment performance and cybersecurity, the company said. According to OpenAI’s blog post, GPT-5.2-Codex achieved an unmatched score on the SWE-Bench Pro benchmark, with 56.4% accuracy, besting all other coding models launched so far. It also racked up a score of 64% on the Terminal-Bench 2.0 benchmark, outperforming earlier versions of Codex. It’s aided by stronger vision capabilities…

Nvidia, Google and OpenAI were among a handful of tech companies that met with White House officials Thursday morning to coordinate on President Donald Trump’s executive order directing the Department of Energy and various science agencies to adopt artificial intelligence. The roundtable brought together representatives from 24 tech companies to meet with Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Michael Kratsios, and DOE Undersecretary for Science Darío Gil, according to the White House and a person familiar with the meeting. Also in attendance were representatives from xAI, Anthropic and AMD, among others.…

Robotics manufacturing is transforming modern factories by combining advanced machines with human operators to improve efficiency, precision, and safety. Collaborative robots, or cobots, now assist workers with repetitive or dangerous tasks, increasing productivity by up to 30% while reducing workplace injuries significantly. Automation technology integrates AI vision systems, predictive maintenance, and digital twins, allowing factories to operate lights-out, producing millions of units daily with minimal human intervention.High-precision robots like Tesla’s Optimus and Fanuc arms achieve near-perfect welding and assembly accuracy, surpassing traditional labor. From assembly lines to material handling, robotics and automation enable faster production, reduce downtime, and maintain consistent…

Commercial trucking insurance startup Nirvana Tech Inc. said today it has raised $100 million in a late-stage round of funding that will fuel its expansion into new industry segments. The startup has built what it describes as the world’s first artificial intelligence-native operating system for insurance, combining telematics data with specialized large language models that help to assess drivers’ risk and provide personalized safety insights. The software aims to help trucking fleets to drive more safely and therefore reduce the cost of their insurance premiums. Nirvana’s platform provides real-time insights on various aspects of a fleet’s operations, with telematics capturing…

The Pepeto ecosystem includes zero-fee PepetoSwap, a cross-chain bridge in development, and a verified meme exchange designed to host future meme tokens. Every swap, trade, and listing routes activity through the $PEPETO token, creating a built-in demand loop.

Most gaming laptops at this price ask you to compromise somewhere: either a great screen with mid-tier specs, or strong internals with a dull panel. This Legion Pro 5 deal is appealing because it gets the balance right. You are getting a 2025 AMD Ryzen 7 processor, RTX 5060 graphics, 32GB of RAM, and a 2.5K OLED display for $1,299.99, which is $360 off the regular $1,659.99 price. What You’re Getting This configuration of the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 centers on a 16-inch 2.5K OLED display, which is a big step up from the washed-out 1080p panels you still see…

Key Takeaways Internal rate of return (IRR) involves guesswork and trial and error in calculations.IRR is the discount rate that makes the net present value (NPV) of cash flows zero.Unlike return on investment (ROI), IRR considers the time value of money in investment analysis.The IRR formula requires estimating random discount rates and their NPVs.IRR has limitations, such as not accounting for the cost of capital or reinvestment rate assumptions. Internal rate of return (IRR) is the discounted interest rate that will bring the net present value (NPV) of a series of cash flows to zero. IRR is important in assessing…

The traits that make a money management firm stand out in a crowded industry are various and sundry. They can range from excellent company leadership and employee benefits to unusual perks like allowing dogs in the office or providing subscriptions to meditation apps. Even office decor can be a differentiator. And when talent is in short supply, small differences matter. Ranking the best U.S. money management workplaces is no easy task. To do it, Financial Planning collaborated with HR research firm Best Companies Group. First up, establishing definitions. For the purposes of this list:A money manager handles the portfolios of institutional investors…

When you think of focus apps, your mind probably jumps to heavyweights like Notion or Todoist since these feature databases, daily planners, and dashboards. Meanwhile, it’s easy to overlook Google Keep because it doesn’t resemble a focus app. However, after trying and abandoning numerous productivity apps on my phone, I realized that I always return to Google Keep when I need to think clearly or jot down my thoughts. With the right mix of reminders, labels, checklists, and widgets, it’s become the app I rely on when I need to stay organized without overthinking it. Here’s how I use Google…

Key Takeaways Proprietary technology includes tools and systems owned by a business for competitive advantage.Intellectual property, like patents and copyrights, safeguards proprietary technology.Proprietary technology can be developed in-house or acquired at a higher cost with restrictions.Examples include unique software and systems used internally or licensed to others.Protecting proprietary technology involves securing data and using non-disclosure agreements. What Is Proprietary Technology? Proprietary technology consists of exclusive tools, processes, or systems that give a company a competitive edge, often protected by patents or copyrights. It’s especially important in industries like biotech and software, and while firms can develop such technology themselves or…

Chef+ is an AI-enabled meal-0assembly robot for food manufacturing facilities. | Credit: Chef Robotics Chef Robotics Inc. yesterday introduced Chef+, which it said is its most advanced meal-assembly robot yet. The San Francisco-based company said it is an innovator in artificial intelligence-enabled meal assembly for the food manufacturing industry. Built on insights from more than 80 million servings in production, Chef+ delivers reliability, double the ingredient capacity, a reduced footprint, improved food safety, and enhanced usability and performance compared with previous models, said Chef Robotics. The company raised $43 million earlier this year in Series A funding. It has used…