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The news: Credit unions—especially smaller ones—are rapidly advancing their digital capabilities. Small credit unions have drastically reduced their innovation lag rate in just the past year. Our take: The progress made by credit unions shows that they are serious about appealing to younger customers. With digital expectations rising and innovation showing no signs of slowing down, credit unions will need to maintain this momentum to stay relevant and meet the evolving needs of future members.
The news: Deutsche Bank plans to launch a digital asset custody service next year, which would allow clients to securely store cryptocurrencies and tokenized assets. It initially announced its custody plans in 2022. Our take: These two German banks’ announcements signal growing confidence among European financial institutions in embracing digital assets. We expect more of them to follow suit in the coming year.The trend could also pick up pace in the US amid a favorable environment: Several major US banks already offer crypto asset services, but recent developments like the withdrawal of previous cautionary guidance by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency could spur more major US banks to jump in.
The news: Stablecoin issuer Circle has applied for a US trust bank license, less than a month after its IPO launch. It had planned to make this move before the launch. Our take: We’ve recently covered multiple fintechs launching IPOs, and moving toward traditional banking—including acquiring licenses. Its decision which aligns with both of these trends signals how stablecoins become more mainstream in the banking world. Plus, Circle’s status as a national trust bank could enhance trust among customers who are still on the fence about investing.
The situation: A perfect storm of consumer pullbacks, rising prices from new tariffs, and the suspension of the de minimis tax exemption will drag US ecommerce sales growth this year to its weakest pace since the Great Recession in 2009. We expect US online sales to grow just 5.0% this year in our moderate tariff scenario, which reflects the current policy landscape. That’s a 3-percentage-point drop from last year. Looking ahead: We expect ecommerce growth to experience a modest rebound to 5.3% growth in 2026. But more headwinds are on the horizon. The tax-and-spending package known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill” will close the de minimis loophole that lets most packages under $800 enter duty-free from countries outside China and Hong Kong. While that will eliminate the possibility of some workarounds, it could also reshape the economics of cross-border ecommerce—and place even more strain on platforms, suppliers, and price-sensitive consumers alike.
The news: Gander Social is an upcoming Canadian social platform built on the decentralized AT Protocol, similar to Bluesky. Gander rejects algorithmic feeds, ad surveillance, and dark UX patterns, per Metricool. As an alternative to networks like X, Meta’s Threads, and Bluesky, it offers user-controlled content, privacy by design, and community-first tools—hosted entirely within Canada. It will be available as a closed beta in August. Our take: As algorithmic fatigue and platform distrust grow, demand is rising for community-driven, ad-light spaces. Marketers should watch Gander as a testbed for the next wave of privacy-first, hyper-local platforms.
The news: Faceless creators and VTubers are gaining momentum as brands look for cost-effective, scalable influencer marketing options. Networks like AffiliateNetwork are growing rapidly, with top earners bringing in $30K–$40K monthly using AI-powered tactics. Creators run multiple accounts, post hundreds of videos, and rely on formats like AI-generated texting stories to deliver results. Our take: This shift marks a new phase in creator marketing—one defined less by personality and more by production speed and performance. As AI tools improve and creator skepticism fades, brands will increasingly work with digital personas that deliver value at scale—regardless of whether there’s a human on camera.
The news: Credit card delinquencies have sunk to their lowest levels in two years, within striking distance of pre-pandemic levels, per data from VantageScore’s Credit Gauge. Our take: Fewer issuers are tightening their credit card lending standards, but those looking to gain sign ups face troubled waters—consumer demand for credit cards fell in April by the most since the early days of the pandemic, per the Federal Reserve’s Senior Loan Officer Survey.
The news: Wegmans added Instacart’s Caper Carts—AI-powered smart carts—to a store in Syracuse, New York. Our take: Wegmans has staked its brand on exceptional customer service.
The news: Changes to Amex’s and Chase’s credit card welcome offers do away with guaranteed points for new cardholders, per CNET. Our take: Amex and Chase are trying to maximize their marketing appeal while also limiting their rewards costs.
The trend: Pharma field teams saw 2.5 times more new patient starts if they used marketing content during healthcare provider visits, according to the Veeva Pulse Field Trends Report for Q1. The takeaway: Pharma marketing teams should focus on how the content they’re creating can boost field teams’ engagement with healthcare providers and advise reps on how and when to use materials.
The trend: Consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands and other companies are expanding their size offerings to stay relevant with increasingly cost-conscious shoppers, per The Wall Street Journal. Our take: Offering more packaging options is a smart way for CPG brands to stay competitive in a value-focused environment. Offering more pack sizes is a smart move given consumers’ razor-sharp focus on value. But execution matters. If consumers perceive downsized offerings as shrinkflation rather than value, the strategy could backfire. Brands that use size variety to attract new shoppers, price with precision, and win at the shelf will be best positioned to turn flexibility into both loyalty and margin.
The news: Spain is investigating Novo Nordisk over a controversial obesity awareness ad campaign tied to its weight loss drugs. Our take: GLP-1 weight loss drugs are in demand, but drugmakers can’t afford any trust gaps with health systems and physicians in the competitive race for customers.
Get the correct answers to our Big Question quiz in the eMarketer Daily newsletter from Insider Intelligence.
The news: Netflix is deepening its investment in unscripted TV as it aims to expand its user base and gain ad-supported subscribers, per The Wall Street Journal. The streamer reportedly spoke with Spotify about partnering on live events, including live concerts and music awards shows. Our take: Netflix’s unscripted push is a strategic move that will solidify it as a destination for high-quality originals and reality programming alike, where ad inventory is ripe, costs are low, and audiences come from all walks of life.
The news: Consumers are increasingly taking brands’ values into account when they shop, according to a survey by the Kearney Consumer Institute. Our take: Brands can take solace in knowing that while consumers are increasingly using their spending to make a political statement, product quality, pricing, and reliability still matter. Cost concerns can outweigh dissatisfaction with retailers’ policies. But companies that stay true to their values have the opportunity to win lasting loyalty.
The news: Anime is gaining popularity across the globe, per a recent Dentsu report highlighting anime viewership trends, proving that marketers who haven’t yet paid attention to the medium need to tap in. 50% of Gen Z watches anime weekly, with 14% watching daily. Millennials also tune in frequently, with nearly half (48%) watching daily or weekly. Our take: Savvy marketers will pay attention to anime as a prime chance to reach the demographics driving the future—but going beyond a surface-level understanding of the medium will determine which marketers succeed and which fall behind.
The news: Google is launching Offerwall, a new Ad Manager tool that lets users unlock publisher content through ads, surveys, or payments—part of a broader effort to mend relationships with publishers facing traffic loss from AI Overviews and eroding ad share. Publishers say Google pays less than rivals like PubMatic and Magnite, and AI-driven zero-click searches have dropped site traffic significantly. Our take: With a DOJ remedies trial looming and ChatGPT traffic rising fast, Google’s publisher outreach isn’t just damage control—it’s existential. If AI is to remain useful and ethical, supporting the content it’s trained on is a must.
The news: Amazon is shutting down its standalone free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) platform Freevee in August. All Freevee content—including original series and live TV—will migrate to Prime Video. Advertisers take heed: As streaming giants consolidate, ad buyers might see fewer platforms but more fragmented audiences. This centralization of inventory boosts scale but narrows options for niche targeting. Our take: Amazon and its rivals are bundling content into fewer apps to boost ad revenue and reduce churn. But for advertisers, viewer behavior is splintering as audiences jump between services each month, chasing new shows, deals, and lower costs.