TikTok is developing a feature that would allow users to send each other money via direct messages, according to a new report from Bloomberg. If rolled out, the feature would use the social media service’s TikTok Pay offering, which is already available in Southeast Asia for TikTok Shop purchases.

References to the potential feature were found in code hidden within the current version of TikTok’s U.S. iPhone app, according to the report. The code indicates that recipients would be able to “tap to accept” payments, while senders could include messages with their payments, similar to Venmo.

TikTok told Bloomberg that the feature is not being tested, which suggests that it’s in early development. Given that the feature is still under development, it’s unknown when or if TikTok plans to widely release peer-to-peer payments.

TikTok did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time TikTok has tried to push further into financial services. Reuters reported earlier this year that TikTok had applied to Brazil’s central bank for approval to operate as a financial technology company offering lending and payment services. 

Although TikTok is widely described as a social media giant, it has gradually expanded beyond that category thanks to additions such as robust search, TikTok Shop, a local discovery map, games, hotel bookings, and more. By introducing peer-to-peer payments, TikTok would be competing with services like Venmo and Zelle.

TikTok isn’t the only social network pushing into financial services, as X, formerly known as Twitter, recently launched X Money to allow users to send each other money.

On Tuesday, OpenAI announced a new batch of new security policies focused on containing security incidents while models are being tested. The new safeguards include more detailed monitoring of models during the development process, as well as greater emphasis on alignment and security during the post-training process.

“As models become more capable, the risks associated with developing and testing them internally also grow,” the company said in a blog post. “Our standards for monitoring, alignment, and security must stay ahead of those risks.”

The new measures are one of the first public changes in OpenAI’s safety practices since the immediate aftermath of the Hugging Face incident, which was disclosed on July 26th.

OpenAI representatives emphasized that the measures are not a direct response to the Hugging Face incident, but were also provoked in part by the cybersecurity capabilities of the forthcoming Astra model, as well as the overall pace of progress in AI development.

In the same post, OpenAI disclosed that it had freezed reinforcement learning for two weeks following the Hugging Face incident, but had since restarted many of the less risky models.

“Our largest planned frontier RL run remains on hold while we conduct smaller-scale training and evaluations to assess model behavior, validate our safeguards, and establish more evidence of alignment before proceeding,” the post reads.

Speaking to reporters, OpenAI’s VP of research Amelia Glaese emphasized that the strictness of the controls would increase as models became more capable, with the largest models facing the greatest scrutiny.

“We have put in place requirements and expectations for safe development,” Glaese told reporters. “Those requirements and expectations vary with the level of risk that we that we see.”

OpenAI has been criticized for poor network security practices in the wake of the incident, which saw models escape their training environment by compromising a packet-installation utility that retained access to the internet. The new safeguards include stronger network isolation practices, although the specifics remain vague. Under the new system, the post says, “a single compromise of a workload or supporting service does not, by itself, allow for unauthorized access to the Internet, or other internal networks.”

The strongest safeguard is the monitoring system, which will examine tool actions, available reasoning traces and activity logs for a variety of unauthorized behavior. OpenAI says they aim to issue alerts within 30 minutes of the concerning activity.

OpenAI estimates that the compute burden of that monitoring will be roughly 20% of whatever process is being monitored. The company promised further details on the system in a forthcoming blog post. OpenAI’s official post-mortem analysis of the event is also still pending.

The lowest prices for TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 end in just a few days, this Friday, August 21 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Once that window closes, your chance to save up to $300 on your pass, or get an even larger discount on group pricing, will come to an end.

If you’ve been circling around Disrupt, then now’s the best time to lock in your pass and start getting ready to join the rest of the startup community gathering in San Francisco from October 13-15 at Moscone West!  

If Disrupt has been on your radar, now is the time to lock in your pass before Friday’s deadline.

TechCrunch Disrupt: Where the startup ecosystem moves forward

Each year, TechCrunch Disrupt brings together more than 10,000 founders, investors, and startup community members, driving innovation forward. And for our event this year, you’ll find a keen focus on building and developing in the AI era across all of our stages of programming. If you want to be on the cutting edge running into 2027, this is the event for you.

And you don’t have to be a founder to get value out of Disrupt. Whether you’re raising capital, scouting investments, hiring talent, launching a startup, or building strategic partnerships, Disrupt puts you in the middle of the conversations shaping what’s next and can help you make the connections that propel your next year of growth.

Here’s just a glimpse of what you gain by attending:

• Actionable insights from founders, operators, and VCs actively building and investing in today’s market. Our agenda features a wide range of topics, curated to focus on insights that lead to action.
• Direct access to investors looking for their next portfolio company and founders seeking the right partners. Plus, you can get AI-powered networking opportunities through our app or take deeper dives through our many Side Events.
• Early visibility into emerging technologies and startups before they break into the mainstream through our Exhibit Hall.
• High-value connections that lead to funding, partnerships, customers, and career opportunities. Disrupt is about growth, both for startups and yourself!

What’s new at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

Keeping that focus on building companies in the AI era in mind, we have a great slate of new stages and programming to inspire and educate:

• Real World AI Stage: AI is moving beyond the screen and into the physical world. Explore how robotics, autonomous systems, manufacturing, healthcare, and defense are turning AI breakthroughs into real-world products and businesses.
• Smart Money Stage: Follow the money. From fintech to stablecoins to payments, embedded finance, and AI-driven financial services, this stage explores how technology is reshaping the movement of capital.
• Smart Systems Stage: Every AI breakthrough depends on the infrastructure behind it. Discover the innovations in chips, compute, energy, networking, and data centers that will determine the next generation of technology companies.

Our Disrupt, AI, and Builders Stages are also returning this year, and we have excellent speakers joining us across them all: 

You can explore the rest of our extensive speaker lineup right here! 

Don’t miss out on the best TechCrunch Disrupt’s prices!

This is your last chance to save before rates increase, so lock in your pass before Friday, August 21 at 11:59 p.m. PT to get the best prices, whether you’re a student looking to get their introduction to the community or an established investor in search of an untapped opportunity.