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  • Key Insight: Americans are increasingly overwhelmed by all their digital subscriptions, leaving an opening for banks to help organize and save money on them.
  • Supporting Data: In 2022, the average U.S. consumer thought they spent $86 per month on their subscriptions, but actually spent $219 per month.
  • Expert Quote: “We all have so many subscription services, it becomes largely unmanageable,” said Paul Larbey, CEO of Bango. “There’s a massive value in being able to bring all those together.”
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  • Key Insight: Recruitment processes at investment banks have shifted earlier, often beginning during college students’ sophomore year.
  • What’s at Stake: The intense competition for young talent has made it unlikely that banks will ease up on recruitment practices.
  • Supporting Data: Investment banking jobs have increased at a far faster clip than overall employment.
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  • Key insights: Visa is launching a stablecoin prefunding pilot for accounts-based transfers through Visa Direct.
  • What’s at stake: Payment companies have been rushing to identify the first scalable use cases for stablecoins following the passage of the GENIUS Act. 
  • Forward look: The pilot is expected to be available on a limited basis in April 2026.
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  • Key insight: The European Central Bank is building a centralized fraud detection system to support payment providers and secure every digital euro transaction.
  • What’s at stake: Establishing widespread user trust and security in a potential digital euro is paramount for digital euro adoption and success.
  • Forward look: Development of the newly awarded functions is expected to take approximately two years, after which a phased rollout will begin.
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  • Key insight: Firms are using AI adoption to justify large-scale workforce exits.  
  • What’s at stake: Institutional knowledge loss, culture erosion and competitive agility are all at risk.  
  • Forward look: Expect mandatory AI training and role redesigns to proliferate industry-wide.
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