JD.com hopes the Year of the Tiger will prove auspicious: The ecommerce giant gave away JD.com hopes the Year of the Tiger will prove auspicious: The ecommerce giant gave away RMB1.5 billion ($232.5 million) in a bid to attract users to its payment services. in a bid to attract users to its payment services.

Monzo hangs with a younger crowd: The UK-based neobank won’t join a postal-banking deal that will help older Britons, but it will expand into an investing space that attracts younger consumers.

Because the system can’t turn a profit, it can offer more competitive pricing, which may help spur adoption when it launches in 2023.

Solarisbank, Contis wrap up BaaS bulk-up: The newly merged European banking-as-as-service providers now have a scale that will help them compete in a crowded regional field.

As part of a broader push toward liquidity assistance, checking customers will get a $100 cushion for certain transactions. Alternatives like this are becoming a must-have in a post-fee landscape.

US shoppers saw more out-of-stock messages this past holiday season than in previous years, per an Adobe index that tracks this activity. The index rose to 4.0 during the 2021 season, when US ecommerce consumers received more than 6 billion out-of-stock messages. That’s about an 8% increase year over year and a 264% jump from the pre-pandemic 2019 season.

Chip shortage caused, in part, by lack of manufacturing of older processors: Investors focusing on premium 16 nm chips or smaller results in shortages of cheaper but necessary silicon chips but could lead to continued scarcity of low-cost semiconductors.

Walmart is partnering with AI platform Health at Scale to connect its associates with a doctor that’s the best fit as more workers say they’d give up flexible hours for better health benefits.

The key to mental healthcare access is actually affordability: Talkspace’s new feature makes it easier for patients to receive reimbursement for telemental health claims. But telemental health that alone won’t be enough to break down the cost barrier to mental healthcare.

SXM Media brings addressability to audio advertising: While adoption of universal IDs has stalled elsewhere, the company hopes its AudioID solution will break through the noise.

Sony to buy Bungie for $3.6B in latest gaming mega-deal: Acquisition looks to be a long-term play to secure future exclusives, but consolidation could stifle future innovation.

Spotify confronts brand safety issues amid Joe Rogan dispute controversy: The podcasting giant is adding content warnings as it stands by its popular, controversial host.

Sony announces acquisition of Halo, Destiny developer Bungie: The $3.6 billion deal is the second historic video game industry merger in under a mont

On today's episode, we discuss how buy now, pay later (BNPL) adoption will continue to evolve and what's next for these services. We then talk about what retailers' first step into the metaverse should look like and what retailers should be doing with their avalanche of returns. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Sky Canaves.

$1.2 billion in rural broadband funding is on its way: Access could open up in 32 states, but the FCC will strictly monitor the expansion to ensure it serves communities that need it most.