WeChat is quietly ranking user behavior to play catch-up with Alibaba

Over one billion people leave behind trails of information on WeChat every day as they use the messenger to chat, read, shop, hail rides, rent umbrellas and run many other errands. And the Tencent app has quietly started using this type of signal to determine whether a user is worthy of perks such as deposit-free […]

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President Bolsonaro should boost Brazil’s entrepreneurial ecosystem

Romero Rodrigues Contributor Romero Rodrigues is a managing partner at Redpoint eVentures, the Brazilian-focused arm of the Silicon Valley venture firm Redpoint. More posts by this contributor Brazil’s fintech boom offers new vertical opportunities for investors Brazil’s tech-sector bright spots beckon as it begins to emerge from long economic crisis In late October following a significant […]

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Scooter startup Bird tried to silence a journalist. It did not go well.

Cory Doctorow doesn’t like censorship. He especially doesn’t like his own work being censored. Anyone who knows Doctorow knows his popular tech and culture blog Boing Boing, and anyone who reads Boing Boing knows Doctorow and his cohort of bloggers. The part-blogger, part special advisor at the online rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation, has written […]

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WeWork rebranding won’t work

The company formerly known as WeWork has rebranded as the We Company — although a better name for its network of on-demand office spaces for the newly incorporated and nominally employed; co-living spaces for the same Easyjet-set; and educational and coding services could be “House of Cards”. News of the rebranding (first reported via Fast Company) comes […]

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Stock markets suffer their worst Christmas Eve trading day

Twas the last trading day before Christmas, and on the trading floor, Most stocks were falling, and then falling some more, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin all the banks had called, In hopes that full coffers were still in their vaults. Bruising #stock selloff continues, as Treasury sec #Mnuchin tries to calm jittery #markets https://t.co/Ejcurl74nV via […]

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Equifax, Western Union, Priceline settle with New York attorney general over insecure mobile apps

New York’s attorney general has settled with five tech and financial giants, requiring each company to implement basic security on their mobile apps. The settlements force Credit Sesame, Equifax (yes, that Equifax), Priceline, Spark Networks and Western Union to ensure data sent between the app and their servers are encrypted. Specifically, the attorney general said […]

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Ten pieces of friendly VC advice for when someone wants to buy your company

David Frankel Contributor David Frankel is a managing partner at Founder Collective. More posts by this contributor Startups should read this checklist before they go ‘whale hunting’ for big partners You earn a million dollars a year and can’t get funded? I’ve been fortunate to have been part of half a dozen exits this year, […]

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The Tissot Seastar 1000 is a low-cost and high-quality Swiss diver

In the pantheon of watches there are a few that stand out. Looking for your first automatic watch? Pick up a Seiko Orange Monster. Looking for a piece with a little history? The Omega Speedmaster is your man. Looking for an entry-level Swiss diver that won’t break the bank? Tissot’s Seastar has always had you […]

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Nubank is now worth $4 billion after Tencent’s $180 million investment

Nubank, the Brazilian financial services company, has raised $180 million from the Chinese internet giant, Tencent. Tencent has long been interested in financial services startups, and with its $90 million direct investment and another $90 million investment in the secondary market the company now has access to what is arguably the largest digital banking company […]

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Petal’s no-fee credit card for the credit score-less is now open to the public

Petal, the startup credit card company that’s offering a no-fee credit line to people without a credit history, is now publicly available. Launched earlier this year by co-founders Jason Gross, Andrew Endicott, Andrew Ehrich, and Jake Arenas, Petal has received a $34 million credit facility from Jeffries and Silicon Valley Bank to bring its consumer […]

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Mobile bank Chime picks up credit score improvement service Pinch in all-stock deal

Chime, the no-fees mobile bank valued at $500 million as of its last round, has put some of its funds to use with its first acquisition. The deal is for Pinch, a startup that was focused on helping millennials and other young adults build better credit. It was best known for a service called PinchRent, […]

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With a $10 million round, Nigeria’s Paga plans global expansion

Jake Bright Contributor Jake Bright is a writer and author in New York City. He is co-author of The Next Africa. More posts by this contributor African tech leaders Fope Adelowo, Ken Njoroge, Tayo Oviosu to speak at Disrupt SF Offering a white-labeled lending service in emerging markets, Mines raises $13 million Nigerian digital payments […]

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