Snippings

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A better regulatory regime would give payments companies access to the Fed’s payment rails without allowing them to take and invest deposits, rather than creating a new, narrower, less-regulated form of deposit-taker — based on only one of many possible technologies — just for the sake of facilitating payments.

From: Still more on stablecoins.

This is an argument for a US equivalent to the European Payment Institution (PI), something I have argued for many times before. A Federal Payment Instutiton charter that 

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Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol (MCP) focuses on connecting AI models to external tools and data. Google’s Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol aims to standardize communication directly between agents. The AGNTCY collective is building a comprehensive infrastructure suite, envisioning an “Internet of Agents”.

From: Comparing MCP, A2A, and AGNTCY in the AI Agent Ecosystem | by Omar Santos | May, 2025 | Medium.

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Davis build apps that would regularly execute a method called “IsDLEnabledinAD” which stands for “Is Davis Lu enabled in Active Directory”. Once that method failed, his apps would wreak havoc on the systems of his employer.

From: Fired “Kill Switch” Programmer Faces 10 Years In Jail: What Went Wrong? | by Jan Kammerath | Medium.

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At this year’s Davos — or more properly the 54th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland — it was impossible to escape AI. Every conversation — whether it was about hydrogen production or loyalty schemes, horse training or ethical investment — touched on AI. Central to these discussions was the shift toward “agentic AI,” which has real implications for the world of fintech.

From: A-Commerce Is Coming: Agentic AI And The “Do It For Me” Economy.

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The UK’s stance on encryption and data access could influence its reputation as a tech-friendly hub. The government’s actions may deter tech companies from investing in the UK, potentially slowing down the growth of the country’s digital economy. However, if the UK can strike a balance between security and privacy, it could position itself as a leader in responsible tech innovation. This could attract investments from companies looking to operate in a regulatory environment that values both security and individual rights.

From: UK’s Apple Encryption Battle Pits Privacy vs. Security, Shaking Tech Investments – The Financial Analyst.

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The answer to that question is that the ownership and disposition of stablecoins, unlike the ownership and distribution of bank deposits, is anonymous. This is a highly valuable feature for those who want to engage in money laundering, extortion, purchase of illegal drugs, and so on. In other words, the only economic reason for stablecoins is to facilitate criminal activity.

From: (6) Digital Corruption Takes Over DC – Paul Krugman.

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While stablecoins present novel tech, the notion that they will supplant established retail banking relationships is a bunch of “hooky”. Big banks aren’t just watching from the sidelines; they are best positioned to integrate this new rail, much like they’ve absorbed countless payment innovations before.

From: Stablecoins: Bank Strategy – Just Another Rail | Noyes Payments Blog.

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That escape from accountability is one of the most valuable services that management consultancies provide.

From: Will A.I. Become the New McKinsey? | The New Yorker.

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Spraying is believed to have originated among the Yoruba people in the 20th century and is now a mainstay of the country’s culture, a symbol of ostentation and a practice that unites an ethnically fractious nation.

Politicians have been known to spray crowds with cash. There’s a cottage industry of vendors offering fresh banknotes to partygoers looking to spray their hosts. And some Nigerians have taken to spraying with dollars since the naira crackdown began.

From: Nigeria cracks down on ‘spraying’ money at parties to defend currency.

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UK Banking-as-a-Service bank Griffin is opening up access to a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, providing a way for AI agents to autonomously perform tasks on behalf of customers.

From: Griffin begins build of agentic bank.

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