The pandemic was disastrous for many retailers; we estimate that total retail sales worldwide plunged 2.8% in 2020. Though, while many physical stores were shuttered, digital retail sales soared by over 25% in a single year.
Splitit partnered with UAE-based BNPL provider tabby, and Singapore-based fintech Fave launched its BNPL service in Singapore and Malaysia as global appetite for installment lending services increases.
Mastercard will bring FinGo’s vein-scanning payments solution to more markets, and Visa is working on a biometric authentication solution for online transactions with the UAE’s Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank.
he US tech giant won’t offer its VPN-like feature in China despite its stated commitment to user privacy. This Janus-face approach to privacy risks creating an intractable privacy paradox in China, one of its fastest-growing markets.