Walmart Expands Tap to Pay as Amazon Builds Its AI Capacity

Amazon Leo, a division of Amazon, signed six more Ariane 64 launches with Arianespace, totaling 24 missions through 2031. The deal was announced at the International Space Summit in Paris, which Blue Origin and other US aerospace companies boycotted due to White House discouragement. Amazon Leo's reliance on European launch infrastructure contrasts with Blue Origin's absence, highlighting commercial dependencies. The summit also saw €20 billion in investments and contracts, with discussions on E

AI agents are increasingly involved in commerce, with companies like FICO, Shopify, Visa, Amazon, and Affirm playing key roles. FICO's Q3 revenue grew 41%, Shopify's AI-driven orders tripled, Visa's net revenue rose 14%, Amazon's Alexa interactions jumped 5x, and Affirm's GMV surged 35%. These companies are positioned to benefit from the trust and infrastructure needed for agentic commerce, with shares showing mixed performance year-to-date.

Amazon raised £4.25B ($5.76B) in its first sterling bond sale, exceeding initial expectations. The deal included four parts with varying maturities. Demand was lower than Alphabet's previous sterling bond sale, reflecting investor concerns about hyperscalers' sustained borrowing for AI investments. According to Bloomberg, the sale highlights questions about investors' capacity to absorb more debt from tech giants.

Amazon's AWS grew 37% YoY, its fastest pace in 18 quarters, with a $496B backlog. Anthropic researcher Evan Hubinger estimated a >10% chance of AI causing human extinction this decade, admitting no clear alignment plan. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy confirmed the company is building its own AI model and committed to 5 GW of Trainium chips for Anthropic's Project Rainier. Amazon's stake in Anthropic resulted in a $53.4B gain in Q2 FY2026, boosting GAAP EPS to $5.75.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced a $1.5 billion investment in Africa by 2029, bringing its total to $2.3 billion. The company aims to expand cloud and AI infrastructure, train developers, and support local businesses. AWS sees Africa as a key market for AI growth, with a projected $16.5 billion market by 2030, according to Mastercard. Examples include fintech, insurance, and agritech companies using AWS technologies.

The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating eight grocery chains, including Kroger, Walmart, and Amazon, for potential beef price-fixing. The probe follows claims of inflated meat prices. The average ground beef price rose 10% to $6.89 per pound. The Trump administration plans to ease tariffs on imported ground beef to lower prices, but ranchers express concerns about the impact on their businesses.