Block

Earlier this month, Square hosted a roundtable with Enterprise Nation and EDF at Bocca Di Lupo – convening a dozen Square sellers down with the Small Business Minister, Lord Leong, and the officials drafting the government's High Streets Strategy. At the lunch, we launched our new joint research with Enterprise Nation and EDF. ‘Growth on Hold’ surveyed 526 UK small businesses on the cost pressures they're carrying all at once – VAT, wages, employer NI, supply costs, rates, energy and rent – and what would actually help. The headline numbers: 77% of high street businesses have delayed or cancelled a growth plan this year to cover rising costs 31% have considered closing altogether Thank you to the Square sellers who took a lunchtime out of their kitchens, counters and roasteries to be there: Bocca Di Lupo, Perky Blenders Coffee Roasters, Kaffeine, TOAD Bakery, Miel Bakery, Lulu's, Broken Eggs, Bunhead Bakery, Abuelo, Old Spike, Mr Bao and TRAMPOLINE Cafe / NEMI Teas Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eJk362_5

The concept of money has been around for at least 5,000 years. Yet, the topic of money brings up more questions than answers for many. From how it works, how it doesn't work, to what is within reach for people. That makes no sense. Maybe that's why Bitcoin has opened up new conversations about money. Our new awareness campaign, Bitcoin Does, is to help Americans understand money, Bitcoin, and what it can do for them in everyday life. For the curious: https://lnkd.in/ejtSH4Ch

How we build.

One thing I've come to appreciate working at Block — the culture of access. We're encouraged to sit in rooms with high-level thinkers, absorb information, and then come back to our own corner and build with a plethora of tools. No gatekeeping. Just trust that when you give people context, they'll create something meaningful with it. Lately I've been thinking about efficiency from three angles: the team I work with and support internally, the BPOs we work with across the world, and the customers we ultimately serve. Each layer has friction points. Each layer has an opportunity to build something that makes the whole thing move better. That's the work I'm focused on right now — not just resolving cases, but thinking about the infrastructure behind the resolution. The tools. The systems. The training that makes everyone sharper. Grateful to be somewhere that lets a specialist think like a builder. More to come. 🛠️ #block #cashapp #fintech

The future of work is multiplayer. Bradley Axen, Block’s Head of AI Capabilities, joined The AI Report to discuss AI memory and taking shared context to the next level with Buzz. Watch here: https://lnkd.in/ecu_RBwn

Leave space for humans to imagine. Block’s Chief Design Officer Brooke Ellis joined Fast Company to discuss The New Rules of Great Design. Watch in full: https://lnkd.in/gEZqCJm3

Square Savings now earns up to 4.25% APY on balances of $10,000+ — more than 11x the national average. Because Block owns both its bank (Square Financial Services) and its processing platform, we can move rates, capital, and products at software speed. Bank + acquiring under one roof means a Square seller's money works harder everywhere it sits: sales land instantly, savings earn real yield, and loan offers are built on real-time sales data. The benefits will keep compounding. Savings accounts provided by Square Financial Services, Inc. Member FDIC. 4.25% APY applies to total savings balances of $10,000 or more. APY subject to change. https://lnkd.in/gE2VERdV

Block has joined the x402 Foundation, an open standard for agentic payments, to help build the rails that will let people, businesses, and agents pay and get paid.  We’ve also contributed Bitcoin Lightning payments, which is purpose-built for the instant, low-cost, high-volume payments that agentic commerce will depend on.  Learn more: https://lnkd.in/edWAViJ6

AI is making individual work faster. The next opportunity is helping people and agents coordinate at the same pace. Bradley Axen, Block's Head of AI Capabilities, joined The AI Report to discuss AI memory, shared context, and why the future of work is multiplayer. He also explains the thinking behind Buzz, our open source workspace for people and AI agents to collaborate in the same chat. Watch the conversation: https://lnkd.in/ecu_RBwn