Archive for May 4, 2026

Wise introduces first-of-its-kind multi-currency Interest feature in Canada

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 4, 2026 by itnerd

Wise today announced the launch of its new Interest feature for people and businesses in Canada. Wise is the first provider in Canada to enable customers to earn a return on balances held across multiple currencies within one consolidated account.

Millions of Canadians send international payments each year, with outbound remittances and cross-border commercial activity steadily increasing, according to public data from Payments Canada. However, options for holding and growing money across multiple currencies have historically required opening separate accounts with financial providers in each currency. These accounts often come with minimum balance thresholds and promotional rates that get more expensive over time. Wise Interest removes these barriers for Canadians.

Eligible customers can now opt into the new Interest feature to earn a market-leading return on balances held in CAD, USD, EUR and GBP from the convenience of their Wise multi-currency account. Once opted in, customers can continue to hold, spend, send and convert their money internationally from their balances with no penalties or minimum balance requirements.

Key features of the new feature include:

  • Earn market-leading returns across currencies: Opt in to Interest and earn 2.22% in CAD, 3.14% in USD,  0.8% in EUR and 2.21% in GBP from the convenience of the Wise multi-currency account
  • Instant access to your funds: Continue to hold, spend, send funds internationally with no minimum balance requirements or lock-up periods
  • Simple opt-in: Activate the feature in just a few taps within the Wise app

This launch builds on Wise’s growing momentum in Canada, where its active customer base grew by more than 30% in FY25. As Wise continues to scale in the market, it is investing in local infrastructure to better serve its growing customer base. Wise became a member of Payments Canada earlier this year, making it eligible to apply for direct participation in Canada’s national payment systems, including ACSS, Lynx and the forthcoming Real-Time Rail. Over time, this direct access to local payment infrastructure would enable Wise to move money faster and reduce costs further for Canadians and people sending to and from Canada.

To find out more about Wise’s Interest feature in Canada, please visit http://www.wise.com/ca/interest

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Built-in security overtakes traditional antivirus in the US, and trust in AI threat detection falls sharply, a new survey finds

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 4, 2026 by itnerd

The way Americans protect their devices is undergoing a quiet shift. According to the second annual Antivirus Market Report 2026 from cybersecurity news portal Cybernews, built-in operating system tools have overtaken traditional third-party antivirus software as the primary line of defense for the majority of US internet users, while smartphones remain dangerously underprotected.

The study, based on a survey of 1,005 US adults conducted between March 30 and April 10, 2026, also shows a sharp drop in consumer enthusiasm for AI-powered security and a measurable rise in cybercrime.

Key findings:

  • 53% of US PC users and 51% of mobile users rely on built-in OS security (such as Microsoft Defender or Apple’s native tools) as their primary protection, which is roughly 139 million and 134 million Americans, respectively.
  • Only 18% of mobile users invest in third-party antivirus, compared with 41% on computers; 14% of mobile users use no cybersecurity tools at all.
  • Favorability toward AI-powered threat detection fell from 77% in 2025 to 47% in 2026.
  • The share of Americans who reported experiencing cybercrime grew by 14% year over year.
  • McAfee and Norton remain the leading third-party brands for the second year in a row; AVG dropped out of the rankings entirely.
  • Paid antivirus has overtaken free versions: 68% of PC and 66% of mobile antivirus users now hold a premium subscription.
  • Data breaches were named the single greatest personal cybersecurity threat by 36% of respondents.

Smartphones are severely underprotected

Smartphones are the most-used personal device as 85% of respondents use one outside of work, yet they receive the least investment in security. Beyond the 14% of mobile users who report no protection at all, another 16% are unsure what protection they have, leaving a substantial share of the US smartphone population effectively unguarded.

Compared with the 2025 report, third-party antivirus use on mobile devices fell by roughly 10 percentage points, while computer protection inched up by two.

AV market consolidates around two names

Among third-party antivirus users on computers, McAfee leads with 40% market share, followed by Norton (37%), Malwarebytes (19%), and Bitdefender (9%).

On smartphones the order flips: Norton takes 42%, McAfee 39%, Surfshark 16%, and Bitdefender 15%.

The strong showing of Surfshark and Bitdefender on mobile points to growing traction among multi-tool security users. AVG, which appeared in last year’s report, was not used by survey respondents at all in 2026.

Consumers are okay with paying more for protection

Among users who do choose third-party antivirus, paid subscriptions are now clearly preferred:  68% of PC antivirus users and 66% of mobile antivirus users hold a premium plan, a notable jump from the 32% in 2025.

The data suggests that the segment still actively purchasing antivirus is increasingly willing to spend more for stronger protection, while everyone else is migrating to whatever ships with their device.

Antivirus is becoming one tool among many

Americans are no longer relying on antivirus software in isolation. VPNs are now used by 62% of PC and laptop users and 65% of mobile users, ahead of ad blockers and password managers.

The AI hype in cybersecurity is fading

Enthusiasm for AI-based security has collapsed in just twelve months. Favorability toward AI-powered threat detection dropped from 77% in 2025 to 47% in 2026, and 9% of users said AI features would actively make them less likely to use a given antivirus product.

Cybercrime keeps climbing

The share of Americans reporting personal experience with cybercrime rose by 14% year over year. Among those affected, 74% said the experience directly influenced their decision to start or continue using antivirus protection, meaning that, for many US consumers, security upgrades still tend to follow a harmful experience instead of preventing it.

Trust is now a huge competitive differentiator

Forty percent of respondents had heard of antivirus-related controversies, including Kaspersky’s US ban over national security concerns and Avast’s case for selling user browsing data. Among those aware, 82% said the information influenced their trust or purchasing decisions. The effect was strongest among users aged 18–24.

Demographic differences persist

Women are less likely than men to fall victim to cybercrime and tend to rely more on built-in tools and free antivirus software. Men are more likely to invest in paid third-party antivirus and additional security tools. Among non-users, men also showed higher levels of distrust toward antivirus software overall.

Data breaches are the biggest cybersecurity fear 

When asked to identify their greatest cybersecurity concern, 36% of respondents named data breaches at companies that store personal information, followed by phishing (31%), accidentally downloading malware (24%), and being specifically targeted by hackers (24%).

Notably, AI-related threats such as deepfake scams entered the top five, ranking ahead of the long-standing concern of unsafe public Wi-Fi.

The full report is available at: https://cybernews.com/best-antivirus-software/antivirus-market-report

Methodology

The survey was conducted online via the Cint panel between March 30 and April 10, 2026, among 1,005 US respondents aged 18 to 74. Quotas were applied to ensure balanced representation across age, gender, and region. Margin of error: ±3.1% at the 95% confidence level. Population estimates referenced in the report are based on US Census Bureau 2026 data.

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Brands Shift Back to Human Creators as ‘No AI’ Signals Grow Says Report

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 4, 2026 by itnerd

A new report on the state of AI in technology marketing, released by Callan Consulting in April 2026, shows that artificial intelligence has moved beyond experimentation and is now embedded across most marketing operations.

The report identifies more than 70 distinct AI applications: from lead generation and personalization to sales forecasting, market intelligence, and content creation.

According to the findings, two-thirds of respondents, who were senior marketing specialists and organizations, say AI has a “strong” or “very strong” impact on their marketing teams, double the level reported a year earlier. At the same time, half of the organizations have already restructured their marketing functions around AI, integrating it into content, research, campaign execution, and analytics.

However, creator economy experts warn that rapid adoption may have come without fully considering long-term implications, and that the first signs of backlash are already visible.

“The ad industry became a playground for AI tools,” said Donatas Smailys, CEO and co-founder of Billo, one of the largest creator marketing platforms.

The report itself highlights a growing downside: overreliance on AI-generated content. Large volumes of similar outputs are already entering the market, increasing noise and reducing differentiation.

It warns that repeated reuse of AI-generated material risks creating “copies of copies,” gradually lowering content quality and originality across the ecosystem.

Some brands have already begun responding to this shift by explicitly positioning themselves against AI-generated visuals.

In a recent example, Aerie, a brand owned by American Eagle Outfitters, stated in a campaign that it would not use AI-generated bodies or people.

The report also points to structural challenges. While marketers report improvements in speed, output, and cost efficiency (in some cases up to 2-3x productivity gains), few are able to measure AI’s direct impact using standardized metrics.

The report concludes that while AI will continue to expand across marketing, its long-term effectiveness will depend on how organizations balance automation with human expertise, as differentiation increasingly shifts away from technology itself and toward how it is used.

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TELUS Friendly Future Foundation announces landmark gift from Darren and Fiona Entwistle to fuel the next generation of Canadian technology innovators

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 4, 2026 by itnerd

In a seminal boost for Canada’s future innovators, TELUS President and Chief Executive Officer Darren Entwistle and Fiona Entwistle, who was a volunteer director of the TELUS Vancouver Community Board and the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation Board of Directors for a combined 12 years, have announced a landmark $1 million personal donation to the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation that will significantly expand the TELUS Student Bursary program. This transformative gift will officially launch the Entwistle Technology Bursary, designed to open doors for underserved youth pursuing post-secondary education in science, math and technology, and who are committed to making a positive difference in their communities. The new fund aims to level the playing field for young people who are committed to making a real difference in their communities but face financial hurdles impeding the realization of their post-secondary and technical vocation education ambitions.

This seminal gift builds on Darren’s long-standing dedication to supporting underserved citizens, including donating 50 per cent of his salary to support TELUS-designated COVID relief efforts across Canada in 2020. Moreover, this generous donation arrives just as the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation prepares for its annual gala on June 18, inspiring further community support to help Canadian youth reach their full potential. Applications for the 2026/27 academic year have surpassed past years, and the Entwistles’ generosity will enable the Foundation to support even more students starting in Fall 2027. Based on the Foundation’s long-term investment strategy for the gift from the Entwistle Family, it is anticipated that the resulting endowment will provide at least 15 additional bursaries annually (and indefinitely), creating an ongoing legacy of support for the next generation of technology leaders. 

Learn more about the TELUS Student Bursary and how you can also support the next generation of Canadian leaders at friendlyfuture.com/Bursary. 

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Penske Logistics Introduces Supply Chain Insight 

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 4, 2026 by itnerd

Penske Logistics today announced the launch of Supply Chain Insight, a secure technology platform and mobile application that provides its customers with a robust real-time view of their supply chain operations across transportation and warehousing.

Supply chain leaders are under increased pressure to drive greater operational efficiency in the face of rising fuel costs, evolving regulations and economic challenges. Organizations are looking for a competitive edge to navigate uncertain times and achieve measurable cost savings and efficiencies.

Supply Chain Insight is built from the ground up to help simplify and streamline operational data across systems into a single dashboard to allow leaders to manage loads, orders and inventory more effectively with real-time insights for continuous operational improvements. Penske is dedicated to empowering its customers with the right tools to address today’s challenges while future-proofing their operations to achieve long-term growth with measurable impact.

Supply Chain Insight is built on a modern, cloud-native architecture designed for seamless integration and enterprise scalability. Developed on Microsoft Azure with Snowflake as the core data platform, the system combines secure, scalable and high-performance cloud services to meet the demands of complex logistics networks.

Engineered for reliability and data protection, Supply Chain Insight delivers enterprise security, high availability and strong performance – even while processing vast volumes of operational data – empowering businesses with the visibility and agility required to succeed in today’s market.

By unifying data, intelligence and automation, the platform enables organizations to enhance visibility, improve decision-making and achieve measurable performance gains across their supply chains.

Key Features of Supply Chain Insight

  • End-to-end visibility: A unified data layer connects transportation, warehousing and third-party systems to deliver a complete, real-time view of the supply chain. Customers can proactively manage exceptions, eliminate handoff blind spots and minimize delays caused by fragmented systems.
  • Performance intelligence: Moving beyond “Where is my shipment?” the platform reveals “How is my supply chain performing?” through more than 85+ pre-built and customizable metrics. Leaders can track long-term trends while frontline teams gain operational visibility to address issues as they arise. All within a single platform.
  • AI-powered decisions: An embedded AI assistant enables instant, natural language queries for loads, orders and performance data. No dashboards or analysts required. This capability speeds decision-making and expands access to insights across the organization.
  • Visibility beyond managed operations: Unlike traditional systems, the platform integrates data from external warehouses, carriers and partners to provide a single, comprehensive view of a customer’s full network. The result is greater control, collaboration and optimization across every link in the supply chain.

Penske Logistics customers can learn more about the advanced new platform’s capabilities by contacting their account representative or request access at penskesupplychain.com.

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