Australia
Afterpay’s meteoric rise as a lending pioneer
Block Inc, formerly Square Inc, is set to complete its acquisition of buy now, pay later (BNPL) company Afterpay Ltd by Feb. 1, one of the biggest takeovers in Australian history.
Twitter expands feature allowing users to flag misleading tweets
Twitter Inc has said it will expand a feature it has been testing which allows users to flag misleading content on its social media platform to Brazil, Spain and the Philippines.
Microsoft’s $16 billion Nuance bid gets EU antitrust approval
The European Commission has granted Microsoft unconditional antitrust approval for its $16 billion bid for artificial intelligence and speech technology company Nuance Communicatio...
Facebook to win conditional EU nod for Kustomer buy, sources say
Facebook is set to gain EU antitrust approval for its acquisition of Kustomer after offering remedies that allow rival products to function with those of the U.S. customer service ...
Afterpay gets shareholder nod for Block Inc buyout; majority of proxy votes in favour of deal
Buy now pay later firm Afterpay Ltd said on Tuesday its $29 billion buyout by Block Inc, previously known as Square, got overwhelming support from shareholders, with 99.79% of the ...
Australia proposes new laws to regulate crypto and BNPL sector
Australia will create a licencing framework for cryptocurrency exchanges and consider launching a retail central bank digital currency as part of the biggest overhaul of its A$650 ...
Instagram, ahead of US Senate hearing, tightens teen protection measures
Instagram has said it will be stricter about the types of content it recommends to teens in the photo-sharing app and will nudge them toward different areas if they dwell on one to...
Australia challenges Facebook to back anti-troll defamation law
Facebook Inc will show it has no interest in making the online world safe if it quits Australia over laws holding it liable for defamation on its platform, Prime Minister Scott Mor...
Australia to introduce new laws to force media platforms to unmask online trolls
Australia will introduce legislation to make social media giants provide details of users who post defamatory comments, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said.
Spotify launches ‘Netflix Hub’ on its app to attract fans
Music streaming platform Spotify Technology has said it has introduced a new hub where fans can listen to all the official soundtracks, playlists and podcasts related to Netflix In...
Australia’s CBA partners with Silicon Valley AI firm H2O.ai
Commonwealth Bank of Australia said it acquired a minority stake in a Silicon Valley-based artificial intelligence firm, H2O.ai Inc, in a bid to provide smarter and personalised pr...
Australia’s CBA breaks ranks to offer cryptocurrency trading
Commonwealth Bank of Australia will become the country’s first to offer retail clients crypto services, Australia’s largest bank has said, marking a change from the sec...
Australia plans to force parental consent for minors on social media
Australia plans to make social media companies obtain parental consent for users under the age of 16 and threaten fines of up to A$10 million ($7.5 million) for internet platforms ...
Australian regulator ‘concerned’ about Facebook’s approach to media law
The Australian regulator behind a law forcing large internet platforms to negotiate licencing deals with media outlets has said he was “concerned” about Facebook’...
Westpac to launch zero-interest digital card with young consumers in focus
Westpac Banking Corp said on Wednesday it would launch a digital credit card this year that would offer zero interest and be aimed primarily at young customers who are seeking the ...