Fear is a great motivator, even in the metaverse: Accenture has launched a business group aimed at brands that don’t want to miss out on the metaverse’s commercial opportunities.
“The Batman” is the latest superhero flick to soar domestically: The film brought in $300 million in North America and had an underwhelming Chinese release.
New challenges for Russia’s tech émigrés: Big Tech closed its offices, and thousands in the industry have fled. Financial isolation and anti-Russian sentiment could impede their attempts to restart businesses.
Being offline can be deadly: The coronavirus pandemic showed just how high the stakes are when it comes to internet access. To end digital disparities, the internet must become a public utility.
Funding continues to pour into ecommerce technology providers: CommerceIQ, which automates retail ecommerce management, raised $115 million less than a year after raising $60 million.
H&M is turning its website into a fashion marketplace: The fast-fashion retailer wants to compete with Asos and Amazon to become a go-to destination for shoppers.
Bank of Canada and MIT do a CBDC collab: The 12-month partnership through MIT’s Digital Currency Initiative (DCI) could help both parties better understand technical aspects and risks of a Canadian central bank digital currency (CBDC).
Chinese authorities are reportedly considering roping WeChat Pay into the spin-off, which may further complicate regulatory matters for Tencent.
Meta puts control in advertisers’ hands as it seeks to rebuild trust: The social media giant is hiring a third-party firm to verify a new feature’s effectiveness.
CFPB’s exam manual update covers discrimination: The US regulator’s update is part of a larger push against discriminatory conduct under the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA).
Rising volume and employer interest in equity compensation for workers attracts big players: Fidelity struck a partnership with Capdesk while JPMorgan plans to acquire Global Shares.
Chainalysis recommended steps for fighting sanctions evasion and long-term measures to revamp how the government addresses crypto-related crime.
In a study of select countries, adults favored in-store over online shopping everywhere except China. There, 54% would rather shop digitally and only 16% preferred physical stores, while the rest had no opinion.
Digital-native retailers struggle to turn a profit: Rockets of Awesome and Warby Parker demonstrate the challenges upstarts face when they attempt to pivot from fast-paced growth to profitability.
New chips, same old supply chain: Light’s speed and efficiency make it a powerful foundation for semiconductor innovation, but swapping old chips for new ones won’t solve tech’s systemic challenges.