SmartBear DEVIES Awards, Ozone API $10.7M, Mercedes-Benz Exposed Private Key
The API Changelog issue 2024.05
This is issue 2024.05 of the API Changelog, a mix of API news, commentary, and opinion. In this issue, you'll get to know the most relevant API-related information from the week of January 22, 2024. Subscribe now, so you never miss an issue of the API Changelog.
During the last quarter of 2023, we published 11 newsletter editions with a curated list of announcements, news, and articles ranging from AI to security. With a total of 235 articles hand-curated from over 400 items. We write to people like yourself, who find value in API-related news and opinion.
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Announcements
SmartBear won two DEVIES Awards in the Microservices and API Management categories, showcasing their PactFlow and SwaggerHub tools. The company announced plans to merge its offerings into three hubs, with their API Technical Evangelist to accept the awards. See additional coverage on ChannelLife.
AgentSync launched ProducerSync API, providing real-time insurance data management to streamline licensing and appointments. The API offers modular access to NIPR data, enhancing decision-making and reducing inefficiencies for the insurance industry. See additional coverage on Fintech Global and Yahoo!finance.
Nuvei Corp. integrates with Adobe Commerce to offer 680+ regional payment methods via an API, enhancing B2C and B2B online payment flexibility. Citicorp's Citi Shop extension aids cardholders in finding deals across 5,000+ merchants, compatible with major browsers, and offering rewards.
Wolters Kluwer integrates CCH SureTax with SAP's compliance solution, enabling U.S. tax automation within SAP S/4HANA. The alliance allows multinational firms to manage state and local tax duties, boosting operational efficiency and compliance.
Diversiview partners with SnapTrade to integrate analysis tools with brokerage account APIs. This union simplifies user access to investments directly through Diversiview's platform. See additional coverage on Cision PR Newswire.
SilverDoor's new API integrates serviced apartments with hotel listings, enabling comparisons of rates, facilities, and carbon emissions. The tool provides access to global accommodations, instant booking options, and real-time analytics for travel managers and clients. See additional coverage on BTN Europe and TravelDailyNews.
APIMatic published a webinar recording where you can learn how to set up and launch an SDK program. The webinar covers topics such as OpenAPI definition documents, code generation, linting, and documentation.
Funding
Ozone API has secured £8.5 million ($10.7M) in Series A funding from Gresham House Ventures to boost its global expansion of open banking solutions. The investment will be used to grow the team and support emerging open banking standards, reinforcing Ozone API's mission to lead the shift towards open finance. See additional coverage on tech.eu, ThePaypers, Fintech Global, Finextra, and Tech Market View.
ModernFi raised $18.7 million in Series A funding led by Canapi Ventures to expand marketing to community and regional banks. The company offers API-driven solutions for efficient deposit management.
Bitbot, a self-custodial trading bot on Telegram, raised $345K in presale, offering secure, institutional-grade trading features to all investors. It ensures user control and security using MPC technology, attracting both novice and experienced crypto traders.
AI
ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, announced its LLM, LEGO, amidst controversies including using OpenAI tech to build a rival and its close ties with Beijing. OpenAI suspended ByteDance's account for policy violations, while ByteDance denied misuse and promoted its own AI tools.
Baichuan Intelligence Technology's Baichuan2-192K large model surpasses predecessors in handling Chinese characters, with a focus on search enhancements. The combination of LLMs with search technologies offers improvements in retrieving accurate answers from extensive enterprise data.
Sounder, an AI-powered audio intelligence platform, has opened its APIs publicly to fuel innovation and collaboration in the podcast industry. This initiative is intended to allow developers to create tools, enhance content accessibility for creators, and promote overall industry growth. See additional coverage on InsideRadio and podnews.
OpenAI introduced new text embedding models with enhanced performance and lower costs and upgraded GPT models with extended capabilities. They also announced API management tools, moderation model updates, and a future price reduction for GPT-3.5 Turbo. See additional coverage on Tokenhell, The Byte, Infoworld, readwrite, ars Technica, Geeky Gadgets, tech.co, Yahoo!finance, SiliconAngle, OpenAI, TechCrunch, and SD Times.
Fintech
Timechain Labs, founded by Rohan Sharan, introduced Neucron, a BaaS API suite facilitating custom blockchain solutions and smart contracts integration. Neucron Pay, a BSV blockchain-based payment system, targets international markets, acknowledging India's prevalent UPI system.
OnGrid has launched a Criminal and Court Record Verification API to aid NBFCs and FinTech's underwriting processes. The API enables comprehensive checks on court records, reducing lending risks and enhancing financial trust and safety.
Cybrid has expanded its API to offer advanced B2B payment solutions, including seamless cryptocurrency transactions with BTC and USDC. The update enhances transaction speed, raises limits for large payments, and streamlines record-keeping, reinforcing Cybrid's innovative role in FinTech.
Torpago and Marqeta have teamed up with Sunwest Bank to launch the Sunwest Visionary Card, a new credit card and expense management solution. Torpago's platform provides a comprehensive package of services, including card issuing through Marqeta's APIs, aimed at improving efficiency and customer experience for community banks.
Security
Trello suffered a data breach, with 15 million users' details sold on the Dark Web; Atlassian updated their API to prevent a recurrence. Security experts criticize Atlassian's response, arguing they downplayed their responsibility and ignored API vulnerabilities. See additional coverage on SecurityBrief, techradar, DarkReading, and TechZine.
Cequence Security teams up with Vercara to enhance API protection. This collaboration is set to strengthen defense against cyber threats. See additional coverage on Yahoo!finance, businesswire, SecurityBrief, and Help Net Security.
Mercedes-Benz left a private key online, allowing access to its source code, with the exposure discovered by RedHunt Labs. The company confirmed the mishap and revoked the key after TechCrunch informed them. See additional coverage on autoblog.
Good read, thanks for this article! Excited about all the developments in open banking - I'm optimistic about the opportunity in this space.