About Karen Joy
Karen Joy Bacudo
Finance Editor
Karen wears two hats at TechDay, balancing her role as an editor while assisting with finance tasks. She bridges writing content and reconciling numbers to support the team, with the same level of accuracy and precision.
Stories by Karen Joy
CIQ launches Linux compliance platform ahead of deadlines
Today
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hybrid cloud
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digital transformation
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application security
CIQ rolls out Enterprise Linux compliance stack as federal cryptography, defence contractor and post-quantum rules tighten from 2026.
Companies change incentive plans faster, report finds
Today
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data analytics
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digital transformation
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planning
CaptivateIQ survey finds 91% of firms changed incentive strategy in the past year as AI, budget pressure and wider plan use speed up redesigns.
Mastercard & Lobster.cash team up for AI agent payments
Today
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fintech
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risk & compliance
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open source
Mastercard and Lobster.cash to let OpenClaw users authorise AI agents to spend on existing cards, backed by Verifiable Intent.
Slash raises USD $100 million at USD $1.4 billion valuation
Today
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saas
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gaming
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fintech
Slash lands USD $100 million Series C at USD $1.4 billion valuation as Ribbit backs its rapid expansion into broader business finance.
Lua raises USD $5.8 million seed round led by Norrsken22
Yesterday
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digital transformation
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fintech
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partner programmes
London's Lua secures USD $5.8 million seed backing from Norrsken22 as it expands its platform for businesses to manage AI agents.
spektr raises USD $20 million to expand AI compliance
Yesterday
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digital transformation
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fintech
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rpa
Spektr lands USD $20 million Series A from NEA as Copenhagen AI compliance platform targets manual checks at banks and fintechs.
Tether backs Drift Protocol relaunch with GBP £150m
Yesterday
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crypto
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blockchain
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risk & compliance
Tether leads USD $150 million recovery plan as Drift Protocol seeks to restore user balances and restart trading after April exploit.
Blackhawk launches digital wallet for unified stored value
Yesterday
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fintech
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cx
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martech
Blackhawk Network has unveiled a Digital Wallet API that lets brands pool gift cards, refunds, loyalty rewards and promo credit into one spendable balance.
Global study finds 78% use AI for investment insights
Yesterday
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digital transformation
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fintech
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genai
Study finds AI now shapes investment research for 78.3% of users, with strongest enthusiasm in the Middle East and Latin America.
Maestra posts USD $833,000 in new ARR on demand shift
Yesterday
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data analytics
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cx
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martech
Maestra says brands are ditching fragmented marketing stacks as quarterly new ARR more than doubled plan, with inbound sales topping half of new business.
Neato raises USD $25 million to expand beyond Amazon
Yesterday
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data analytics
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martech
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commerce systems
Neato secures USD $25 million in growth funding to open new operations centres and push its second-party marketplace model into more sales channels.
Gr4vy launches toolkit for ChatGPT agentic payments
Yesterday
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crypto
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fintech
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cx
Gr4vy unveils Agentic Development Kit to help merchants sell inside ChatGPT and other AI platforms without overhauling their payment systems.
Aryza acquires Umbrella Tech in AI collections push
2 days ago
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saas
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uc
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devops
Aryza buys Toronto-based Umbrella Tech to add voice AI, speech analytics and autonomous agents to its collections and recoveries software.
WealthArc launches AI agent to structure portfolio data
2 days ago
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digital transformation
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fintech
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it automation
WealthArc unveils AI Agent to turn messy custodian records into structured portfolio data for wealth managers, backed by human review.
Banks test stablecoins for faster cross-border payments
2 days ago
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crypto
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fintech
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supply chain
Banks and multinationals trial tokens to slash cross-border settlement times, as clearer rules and backing bolster wider business use.
Tether backs USD $134 million Stablecoin Development
2 days ago
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crypto
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fintech
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blockchain
Tether invests USD $134 million in listed stablecoin platform as stablecoin use surges past USD $300 billion and eyes public market access.
Visa launches Tempo validator node in blockchain push
3 days ago
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firewalls
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network security
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crypto
Visa takes a direct stake in Tempo's blockchain operations, joining an early group of outside validators as it deepens its stablecoin and payments push.
Primitive launches AI agent system for banks & credit unions
3 days ago
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saas
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digital transformation
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fintech
Primitive unveils bank-grade AI agent operating system with MX tie-up as banks seek tighter oversight, while Fin Capital and Pelion back launch.
SoFi joins first banks to offer FedNow send & receive
3 days ago
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fintech
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cx
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blockchain
SoFi and Galileo expand FedNow access with instant transfers both ways, as Bill Kennedy says the platform could open the same service to partners.
Backbase, Ninth Wave unlock ERP banking connections
3 days ago
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dr
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digital transformation
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fintech
Backbase and Ninth Wave have teamed up to let banks plug corporate clients' ERP and accounting systems straight into account data and payments.