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As Salesforce advances its AI agent strategy, it announced that starting August 1, it will raise list prices by an average of 6% for several core products, including Sales Cloud and Service Cloud Enterprise. Slack's Business plan price will increase by 20% to $15 per user per month (billed annually) starting June 17. New Agentforce pricing takes effect simultaneously, with the add-on starting at a minimum of $125 per user per month.

Judge Ada Brown of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas has preliminarily approved AT&T's $177 million data breach settlement. The agreement aims to resolve consolidated class-action lawsuits arising from two data breaches disclosed in 2024. Of this amount, $149 million addresses claims related to the breach disclosed in March 2024, and $28 million covers another breach disclosed in July 2024. The court has scheduled a hearing for December 3 to consider final approval of the settlement. AT&T denied the allegations in a statement but agreed to the settlement to avoid the costs and uncertainties of prolonged litigation.

A U.S. Senate proposal aimed at freezing state-level artificial intelligence regulations for 10 years has passed a key procedural hurdle in the budget reconciliation process, but faces opposition from bipartisan lawmakers.

Last week, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) received key support from a Senate parliamentarian, who ruled that a provision to abolish the board and merge its functions into the SEC violates budget reconciliation rules. However, accounting experts note that the fight over the PCAOB's future is far from over, with supporters and opponents still contending on multiple fronts.

Wiley appoints former Xerox executive Craig Albright as CFO, succeeding interim CFO Chris Caridi. The company's AI licensing revenue doubled to $40 million in fiscal year 2025 and launched an AI partnership initiative.

Payment infrastructure is shifting from traditional bank counters toward instant, digital, and decentralized systems. It is projected that by 2028, at least 32% of global transactions will be completed through instant payments, electronic money, and direct debits. AI technology both enhances fraud protection and introduces new risks; blockchain and stablecoins are reshaping cross-border payments. This article explores the strategic implications of these trends for businesses and financial institutions.

Private enterprises are transitioning from the early exploratory phase of AI adoption to a new stage, with the challenges and obstacles they face changing significantly. KPMG research shows that data security and privacy issues have replaced ethical concerns as the primary obstacle for financial reporting leaders in adopting AI. Meanwhile, business leaders hold divergent views on the core value of AI and recognize the importance of building end-to-end AI strategies.

The Senate Finance Committee released a 549-page tax and spending bill to make Trump-era corporate tax cuts permanent, including 100% bonus depreciation, R&D expensing, and interest deduction benefits. The bill is undergoing a "Byrd Bath" review, cost estimates have not yet been released, and passage is not expected until after July.

Ciena, a high-speed optical network equipment maker, announced on June 18 the appointment of former Intel executive Marc Graff as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective August 1. Graff will receive a $1.9 million cash signing bonus and a one-time equity award valued at $10.4 million to compensate for incentives forfeited from his previous employer, Altera. Former CFO James Moylan, who is retiring after 18 years in the role, will remain until August 28 to assist with the transition.

Software maker SolarWinds announced on Wednesday that it has promoted finance veteran Tim Karaca to Chief Financial Officer, effective June 16. Karaca previously served as Vice President of Strategic Finance and Investor Relations for three years. This finance leadership change comes as the company addresses a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over a 2020 cybersecurity breach and completes its privatization through a $4.4 billion acquisition by Turn/River Capital.