Europe, Middle East, Africa rise in consumer tech: Brands must pivot as regional trade-up demand and connected living drive growth beyond North America.

Klarna rolled out tap to pay on iPhones and Androids across 14 European markets, expanding its reach for in-store purchases, per a press release. Rolling out tap to pay in Europe shows the Klarna’s ambition to secure seamless ways to check out for its users. With Klarna and Affirm already available in-store through Apple Pay in the US, BNPL providers have to weigh how much in-app tap to pay rollouts could gain traction among US consumers who are already accustomed to Apple Wallet—and what incentives could entice them to leave the Apple ecosystem.

As the market for personal luxury goods emerges from a prolonged period of recalibration, growth hinges on fostering innovation and engagement with core consumers across the globe.

Adidas raised its full-year earnings guidance to about €2 billion ($2.32 billion) after stronger-than-expected global results. Currency-neutral sales rose 12% year-over-year, led by double-digit growth across all major regions, while operating profit surged 58%. Gross margin improved to 51.7% despite currency and tariff pressures. The company is countering headwinds through pricing strategies and supply shifts, gaining ground as Nike continues its turnaround. With demand for its Samba and Gazelle lines boosting apparel and accessories sales, Adidas appears to be solidifying its momentum and strengthening its competitive position in key markets.

In-store retail media has the “reach, quality, rent, safety, and cultural relevance that marketers traditionally want,” said Andrew Lipsman, founder and chief analyst, media, ads, and commerce at Colosseum Strategy, during IAB’s Connected Commerce Summit.

The news: Klarna is seeking a valuation of up to $14 billion in its coming IPO, per filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The BNPL provider will list with the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol KLAR. The stock price at IPO is anticipated to be between $35 and $37 per share. Our take: Klarna is hoping its IPO can capture investors’ hunger for high-growth tech stocks after a period of uncertainty. Fueled by its partnerships and card launches, Klarna is setting itself up to challenge Affirm on US BNPL spend.

In-store retail media is Europe’s next big ad opportunity. But as retailers digitize stores, standardization and measurement challenges are dragging advertiser adoption.

TikTok’s 2024 revenues in the UK, Europe, and Latin America surged 38% to $6.3 billion, more than doubling 2022 levels, per filings cited by Forbes. The growth underscores TikTok’s strength outside the US, where a divest-or-ban standoff continues. Yet regulatory scrutiny in Europe looms large, with over $1 billion reserved for fines, ongoing probes across multiple countries, and potential penalties under the EU’s Digital Services Act. TikTok’s UK penetration tops 32%, with ad revenues projected to triple by 2027. Still, layoffs in trust and safety roles and a pivot to AI moderation could test regulators and user trust.

This will leave a gap that its competitors can now fill, but they’ll first need to win over its customers.

Global B2B digital ad spending to reach $48 billion by 2026: Growth driven by digital adoption and emerging market expansion.

Mercado Libre is beating Amazon at its own game in Latin America: The former is expected to represent more than half of all retail media ad spending in the region, while the latter continues to lose share to local players in Brazil and Mexico.

Although regulators believe big banks will stay safe, they expect some other lenders will shut down.

Social commerce has yet to reach its potential in the UK. Social buying is still on the rise—and there is plenty of headroom to grow spend.

Banks around the globe are watching closely as new ESG reporting requirements reshape the EU's financial landscape.

What were the three biggest ad-related takeaways from Meta’s stellar Q2 2023 earnings report? Reels’ revenues, AI ad products, and a return to ad growth in Europe.

Amazon looks to its B2B ecommerce division for growth: The retail giant sees significant opportunities to expand Amazon Business into new markets in Europe and elsewhere.

The retail landscape in Europe looks bleak: Retail sales in Europe fell at the highest rate since July 2021. That’s a sharp contrast to the US, where consumers keep spending.

Intel is planning for its future as a key EV chip supplier: A $19B investment in Germany brings it closer to a burgeoning automotive industry looking to pivot into EVs in the next decade.

Podcast listening is gaining popularity in Europe. Almost 70 million people in the pre-Brexit EU-5 (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK) will listen to podcasts this year, per our estimates. However, the combined number of listeners in those countries is still much lower than the total number in the US (117.8 million).