Hello Readers, It’s that time of the year again – Earnings Season! The nation’s top banks, airlines, and insurance companies will be reporting their earnings this week. As always, we will report them here. Netflix will also release its Q4 earnings this week. The streaming platform recently hiked up its subscription prices effective immediately for new subscribers. Current subscribers will be given a 30-day heads-up before the new charges take effect. Whose earnings are you looking forward to this week? Let me know! Email at vanessa@inside.com or on Twitter @Ms_Omeo. Fun Fact: Jan. 17 is also known as “Ditch New Year’s Resolution Day.” Hope your New Year is off to a great start! | |  Vanessa |  |
| |
Ford Motor Company has signed a five-year deal with online payment processing company Stripe. Ford’s financial services arm, Ford Motor Credit Company, will incorporate the fintech’s digital payments technology to process its online transactions in Europe and North America. This is part of the automaker’s strategy to revamp its e-commerce payment infrastructure. This is Stripe’s largest partnership to date; Ford is planning to release the technology in H2 of 2022 starting in North America. More: - Stripe’s other clients include Salesforce and Shopify; last October the fintech giant signed a deal with Swedish “buy now, pay later” company Klarna.
- Stripe helps companies accept online payments. As part of the partnership with Ford, Stripe will manage the automaker’s customer digital payments to dealerships, ordering, reservations, and other digital services.
- Terms on the partnership were not disclosed, but Stripe earns revenue by taking a small percentage of each transaction it processes.
- Ford was the best-performing automobile stock in 2021. The company crossed the $100B market cap milestone for the first time in its history last Thursday.
- Ford closed at $25.19 today, up less than a percent for the day.
- Stripe is a private company; it was last valued at $95B in April.
| |
 Image: South China Morning Post China’s GDP grew 8.1% in 2021, according to data from the country’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). This marks the country’s slowest growth in 18 months. Asia’s largest economy saw a 4% increase YoY in its GDP in Q4, surpassing economists’ forecasts. The country reported a 1.6% increase in QoQ growth. Ning Jizhe, head of the nation’s NBS, stated the country maintained its steady economic recovery and COVID-19 prevention and control in 2021. More: - Industrial production increased 4.3% in December compared to a year ago, particularly in the automobile production sector, which increased for the first time since April.
- Real estate investments grew 4.4%, while investments in fixed assets rose 4.9%.
- Manufacturing investments grew 13.5% YoY, particularly investments in special-purpose machinery, which saw a 24.3% increase YoY.
- Retail grew only 1.7% in December; however, it saw a 12.5% increase in 2021 compared to 2020.
In related news… - On Monday, the People’s Bank of China, the country’s central bank, announced it will cut the interest rate by 10 basis points (from 2.95% to 2.85%) on ~$110.19B worth of medium-term lending facility loans.
| |
 A message from KINTONE When you’re working on a task, odds are you rarely stay in one program. You’re constantly jumping between emails, instant messages, spreadsheet files, and more. But all this jumping around has a price: you’re losing an average of 5+ hours each week searching for info instead of getting the job done. Gulp! Good news! There’s a way to get your work done with minimal platform switching. Download our free eBook The Workflow Trap and learn how to: - Map out the way you currently complete tasks
- Identify steps that cause friction and eliminate them
- Choose tools that give you visibility into your work
- Create workflows built for efficient info sharing
Download the eBook
| |
Walmart has filed several new trademarks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office noting plans to create and sell virtual items. The retailer also filed to develop its own virtual currency and NFTs. Walmart did not disclose specifics on the filings, which totaled seven applications. The retailer, however, noted in a statement that it continuously explores emerging technologies that could shape the future of retail. More: - This is the retailer’s first venture into digital currencies and developing virtual goods for the metaverse.
- Walmart joins a growing list of companies that are incorporating the “metaverse” into their long-term strategy and planning.
- In November, Nike filed several trademarks detailing plans to develop and sell virtual sneakers and apparel.
- The shoemaker also announced a partnership with online gaming platform Roblox to create a virtual world called Nikeland.
Zoom out: - Metaverse is a sci-fi term popularized by Meta (Facebook) ’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg last fall as he used it to explain Facebook’s rebrand to Meta and the company’s new ambition of developing virtual spaces and experiences beyond its current social media offerings.
- Want to learn more about the metaverse? Join Inside on Jan. 27 at 11 a.m. PT for a free webinar titled “Understanding the Metaverse,” where we will explore the next iteration of the internet with amazing guests who are building and investing in this space. Click here to register.
| |
 Image: 9to5 Mac Apple will allow developers in the Netherlands who create dating apps to offer alternative payment options to their users on the company’s app store. The decision comes following a ruling by the country’s Authority for Consumers and Markets in December, which stated Apple abused its market position by preventing dating app developers from offering non-Apple payment options. The ACM had given the tech giant until Jan. 15 to comply with the new ruling or face fines. More: - The ruling only applies to dating app developers and only in the Netherlands.
- In a post on Apple’s developer news site, the company stated it will introduce two optional new entitlements exclusive to applicable dating apps on its Netherlands App Store.
- The new options will provide additional payment processing options for users.
- The option to use Apple’s in-app purchase system will still be available to users.
Zoom out: - Apple has been facing challenges to its requiring app developers to use its in-app payment system exclusively. Apple earns between 15% to 30% on commission on in-app purchases.
| |
 A message from ADOBE COMMERCE Your prescription for growing pains? The right commerce platform. Growing your business is never easy but struggling site performance is more than just a learning curve — it’s usually a sign you need a more powerful commerce platform. In this eBook, Turn Growing Pains into Commerce Gains, learn the five signs your business may be ready to migrate to Adobe Commerce. Read Now
| |
Spain’s national securities market commission has been granted authority to regulate crypto advertising in the country. From February on, influencers and advertisers promoting cryptocurrencies will be required to notify the commission prior to posting ads about cryptocurrencies. They are also required to include warnings about the risks associated with crypto investments. Failure to do so would generate fines. More: - The commission hopes these rules will bring some order to how cryptocurrencies are marketed and promoted to people.
- The rules, which are new in the EU, came about following a Twitter dispute between the country’s football star Andres Iniesta and the commission in November.
- Andres Iniesta shared a paid promotion of Binance on Twitter.
- As part of the new rules, influencers are also required to disclose if they were compensated for promoting the cryptocurrency.
- Influencers or pages with over 100,000 followers are required to notify the commission 10 days before posting any crypto promotional content or face fines of up to €300,000 (~$342,260).
| |
 Image: Getty Images Amazon has backtracked on its Visa credit card ban in the U.K. The e-commerce giant stated it will no longer stop taking Visa credit cards on its U.K. site on Jan. 19, as previously announced. The company said it is working with Visa on a solution to the dispute over the payment processor’s fees. More: - In November, Amazon announced it would stop taking Visa credit cards as a form of payment on the company’s U.K. site, citing high transaction fees.
- Visa responded to the action, calling it a threat to restrict consumer choice and noting its disappointment with the e-commerce giant.
- Customers could still use Visa debit cards as well as debit and credit cards from Mastercard, American Express, and Eurocard.
- Following Brexit, an EU law that prevented card issuers from charging fees above a certain cap was no longer in effect in the U.K.
| |
Quick Hits - The #1 play-to-earn blockchain game is free to get started. Sign up for Splinterlands now to get daily airdrops and earn tokens for every win.*
- A snowstorm in the northeast has left over 200,000 homes and businesses without power and over 4,000 flights canceled. The National Weather Service reported about 20 inches of snow had fallen in parts of the northeast and mid-Atlantic.
- Credit Suisse Chairman Antonio Horta-Osorio resigned from the role following reports that he ignored COVID-19 quarantine rules twice in 2021. Horta-Osorio joined the bank in April 2021.
- A Moscow court has fined Google $52,530 for failing to remove access to content banned in Russia.
- Indian finance startup INDmoney has raised $75M in a Series D funding round led by Steadview Capital, Dragoneer, and Tiger Global. The new funds give the company a $600M valuation.
- Demand Gen Chat is a podcast for B2B marketers, by B2B marketers. No fluff, just the hottest takes on driving revenue from today's marketing leaders.*
*This is sponsored content.
| |
Upcoming Events - January 18 - Venturing in VC - Episode #3 with Wiz Abdulla (Space Cadet) (Register Here)
- January 19 - Music in the Metaverse with Jonathan Gray (Clap for Encore) (Register Here)
- January 25 - Need To Know NoCoder - Leon Young (Cogniss) (Register Here)
- January 25 - Venturing in VC - Episode #4 (Register Here)
- January 27 - Understanding the Metaverse (Register Here)
- February 03 - Blockchain Gaming & Play-to-Earn Economies (Register Here)
- February 10 - The Business of Wellness (Register Here)
- February 17 - Efficient Marketing Strategies in a Post iOS 14 World (Register Here)
- February 23 - Need to Know NoCoder: Derya Sousa (Kianda Technologies) (Register Here)
- February 24 - Alternative Investments (Register Here)
- March 03 - The $12B Appetite for Amazon Aggregators (Register Here)
- March 10 - NoCode's Impact on the Gig Economy (Register Here)
- March 23 - Need to Know NoCoder: Nichole Bestman (Bubble) (Register Here)
Visit us at https://inside.com/events to learn more!
| |
 |  | Vanessa Omeokachie is a Researcher at Inside. Her interests include finance, tech, and startups. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, attending music festivals, and traveling. Connect with her on Twitter @Ms_Omeo. | | | | Editor | Aaron Crutchfield is based in the high desert of California. Over the last two decades, he has spent time writing and editing at various local newspapers and defense contractors in California. When he's not working, he can often be found looking at the latest memes with his kids or working on his 1962 Ford. | |
Kintone’s customizable platform lets you manage your data, workflows and communication in one place. | |
| |
Comments
Post a Comment