South East Asian ride-hailing firm Grab has moved deeper into financial services with the launch of a dedicated unit and the introduction of micro-loans and insurance products. Grab Financial will encompass all of Grab’s fintech offerings, including payments services, rewards and loyalty services, agent network services and now also financial services. Grab has been progressively […]
Ola, Uber’s key rival in India, has taken its first step overseas after its service officially went live in Australia via a launch in Sydney. The company announced its plans to go Down Under at the end of January and in Sydney, which is its first full launch, Ola said it has signed up over […]
iPrice Group, a meta-search engine in Southeast Asia, has released its 2017 State of eCommerce report, to shed light on some of the area’s most important eCommerce metrics. The research leverages iPrice’s proprietary data from over 1,000 eCommerce players operating in the 6 of the largest Southeast Asian markets (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and […]
The Japan Consortium is set to launch a revolutionary smartphone app called ‘MoneyTap’, which will allow customers to settle transactions instantaneously, 24/7. The app is powered by Ripple’s blockchain technology. According to an announcement on Ripple’s official website, this is the first time in Japan a mobile transaction settlement app has been developed which will […]
For International Women’s Day Uber has launched a campaign film to celebrate its female drivers, while at the same time battle unfair stereotypes of women behind the wheel. The campaign is dedicated “To all the women who challenge the status quo and press for progress everyday.” Developed by Uber’s in-house creative team, CreativeX, the campaign […]
A week after Google announced deeper integrations and additional languages to Assistant, Adobe has announced an update that promises to personalise voice interactions. Enhancements in the Adobe Experience Cloud will let advertisers and agencies plan scenarios in responses to queries directed at Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. “Imagine searching for a flight on an Amazon […]
Kakao, the Korean internet firm that operates the country’s largest messaging app, is moving deeper into crypto after it revealed plans to launch a blockchain-focused business unit. A Kakao representative confirmed the plans and that the company has hired Han Jaesun, CTO of gaming startup FuturePlay, to head up the business. The company isn’t commenting […]
Chinese social media network WeChat, which is used for everything from chatting with friends to booking travel and making payments, has reached a billion user accounts globally, reports the Financial Times. The sheer number of accounts demonstrates the app’s dominance, though it’s important to note that user accounts means the number of accounts, not individual […]
New Worldpay research reveals India is global capital of mobile apps Indian consumers lead the world when it comes to their affinity for apps, with 82 per cent preferring this method to mobile browsers when shopping on their smartphones. This is far ahead of the global average of 71 per cent. Consumers are also seeking […]
Online advertising, including interactive and mobile, accounted for 55% of advertising budgets in Hong Kong in 2017, according to a new survey which suggests online channels will continue to drive ad spend growth in 2018. The Advertising Spending Projections 2018 survey, conducted by research firm Nielsen on behalf of the Hong Kong Advertisers Association, also revealed that […]