Microsoft acquires Activision Blizzard, publisher of Call of Duty and World of Warcraft: The $68.7 billion deal will create a gaming behemoth but could face regulatory roadblocks.

TikTok is the fastest-growing social platform amid slow overall social network user gains in the UK. Facebook remains the dominant force, but as its user base ages, its grip will begin to slip.

Google buys UK offices for $1B: As the rest of the world works remotely, Big Tech continues buying up real estate in preparation for growth and expansion.

Both countries are researching the regulatory nuances for a potential CBDC while China and India push ahead with their own CBDCs.

Its plan to significantly reduce its presence in Mexico is just one example of how scale could be a double-edged sword for banks.

Two fintechs powering circularity and resale of fashion and luxury items pitch sustainability while also edging their users into a tokenized economy.

Apple’s record App Store payouts reveal thriving app economy: Developers earned an unprecedented $60 billion in 2021, even as regulators targeted unfair app commission structure.

Digital assets’ recent plunge in value underscores the need for risk management and regulation. Bit by bit, the pieces are coming together.

The smashed record shows that investors have fully recovered their confidence in the sector and aren’t ready to shut off the tap.

The UK-based neobank’s founder and CEO Anne Boden outlined plans to offer banking as a service globally in 2022, giving Starling a potential opening into embedded finance.

The offering gives small merchants an affordable digital payments tool and could complement existing POS tech for large businesses.

Did Google pay Apple to stay out of the search game? A new lawsuit claims so: Antitrust scrutiny heats up on Big Tech ballooning unchecked into trillion-dollar firms.

Our most recent forecast shows that conversational AI adoption is growing. In 2021, 64.2% of US adults between the ages of 25–34 used a voice assistant. Overall, 46.9% of US adults will use a voice assistant in 2022, 48.2% by 2025. Conversational AI is on track to become a mainstream technology in practically every vertical.

A Bankrate survey found it’s the main reason why US consumers don’t switch their accounts to another bank. Regulatory action could help, but marketing and product differentiation remain critical.

Shake-ups in the new year will include hyper-personalization, tech companies venturing further into embedded finance, and the prospect of super apps in Western countries.

Lockdowns in the UK drove up video consumption, and multiperson households made good use of their multiple screens. Advertisers now need to adapt to an audience that is more device-agnostic and content-hungry than ever.

Neobank funding bonanza shows promise still outweighs profitability—for now: Globally, challengers brought in large funding hauls that signaled investors’ continued confidence in the space. But their patience in the face of commoditization and unprofitability won’t be endless.

JPMorgan kept its eye on technology and the crypto trend—no matter what Jamie thought personally: The banking giant’s 2021 featured a UK digital-only launch, fintech acquisitions, crypto offerings for retail clients, and advocating for staff in branches to become licensed advisors.