E-payments

Jack Ma-backed Ant Group set for high-stakes overhaul of billion-user Alipay

The company’s impending update reflects a broader trend sweeping the AI arena

Ant International’s 2025 Sustainability Report outlines how the firm is integrating AI, digital payments and risk governance into its vision for a more inclusive digital economy.
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Corporate responsibility and the trust challenge in the age of AI

In its 2025 Sustainability Report, fintech firm Ant International shares progresses on its 6T framework linking cross-border payments, versatile agentic solutions, SME access and stronger safeguards t...

A recent survey finds that only 42% of Germans have heard of the digital euro.

Europe needs the digital euro

The EU’s current push for strategic autonomy means little if it does not extend to payment systems

Digital payment methods are expected to account for 97% of total e-commerce transactions by 2029, the study has found.

South-east Asia’s e-commerce market to hit nearly US$290 billion by 2029: study

But as digital payments dominate, ‘uneven digital maturity’ is preventing SMEs from capitalising on growth

Founded in Curitiba in the early 2010s, Ebanx reached ‘unicorn’ status in 2019 – a label for startups valued at more than US$1 billion.

Brazilian payments unicorn Ebanx makes South-east Asia push

Investments for this year’s expansion will be financed by the firm’s cash on hand

PayPay has been stepping up efforts to expand overseas ahead of the global offering.

PayPay, SoftBank raise US$879.8 million in payments firm’s US IPO

As at December, the number of digital payment users exceeds 72 million in a country of roughly 123 million

The company has played a role in Japan’s push towards cashless payments, using rebates and other incentives to encourage consumers to use its mobile app.

SoftBank-backed PayPay targets up to US$13.4 billion valuation in US IPO

IPO activity is typically strongest during periods of market stability and risk-on sentiment

The possibility that companies are spinning employees and investors and using AI as a shiny excuse for ugly layoffs has become widespread enough that it has a nickname: AI-washing.

Jack Dorsey’s 4,000 job cuts at Block arouse suspicions of AI-washing

The company’s recent history suggests that AI adoption is not the only factor influencing its staffing decisions

Block has been restructuring its business model and staffing since 2024 as the company’s stock has lagged.

Jack Dorsey’s Block slashes nearly half its staff in AI bet

The reduction in force comes after rolling job eliminations that have often been tied to annual performance reviews