News digest 18.07.2022
Disney strikes a big adtech deal with The Trade Desk as Disney+ expands into ads
Disney struck an advertising agreement with The Trade Desk, making it possible for brands to target automated ads across Disney’s linear and streaming properties — Hulu, ESPN+, ABC, Freeform, ESPN, National Geographic and FX. The news comes in advance of Disney’s launch of an ad-supported tier for its flagship service, Disney+, which would likely be another such target of such a deal.
Shopify introduces POS Hardware for Singapore merchants
Shopify Payments is now available for retailers selling in-person, along with a new fully integrated card reader - the WisePad 3. Retailers will now be able to accept all major payment methods, use all the benefits that unified commerce with Shopify has to offer, and be able to leverage key Shopify POS features including a single back office, checkout anywhere, integrated Payments and others.
PicPay becomes a bank
LATAM’s largest digital wallet with over 62 million customers in Brazil, PicPay, has become an official bank. PicPay now offers debit and credit cards, personal credit, and a P2S lending club through which users are encouraged to lend money to each other. Furthermore, it wants to IPO as well as become Latin America’s first super app.
Netflix partners with Microsoft to provide cheaper streaming plans, but it won't be ad-free
Netflix on Wednesday announced that it has joined hands with Microsoft as its partner for its ad-supported service. The streaming giant has been struggling to retain and add subscribers for a while now. With this new partnership, Netflix will be able to provide streaming services at a cheaper price to users who can't afford the platform's current subscription plans.
India’s central bank wants to ban cryptocurrencies, the government says
Nirmala Sitharaman, the minister of finance in India, said Monday that the Reserve Bank of India expressed concerns about the “destabilising effect of cryptocurrencies on the monetary and fiscal stability of a country”. The Financial Stability Board, a body of regulators, treasury officials and central bankers from the Group of 20 economies including India, said earlier this month that it would propose “robust” global rules for cryptocurrencies in October this year. The FSB said crypto assets were predominantly used for “speculative purposes” and didn’t operate in a “regulation free space.”
KitaBeli is bringing e-commerce to Indonesia’s small cities
Complicated supply chains mean that consumers in Tier 1 and Tier 2 Indonesian cities often end up paying more for goods than their peers in large cities, like Jakarta. KitaBeli is on a mission to change that, with its own distribution network and a direct-to-consumer social commerce app. Recently the startup announced that it has raised $20 million in fresh funding. The funding will be used to expand into more small cities in Indonesia, and add new product categories like beauty, personal care and mother and baby products.