Digi.me Merges With Personal To Create Global Personal Data Control Powerhouse

Digi.me and Personal are combining forces through a merger, bringing together the leading European and US companies in the emerging personal data ecosystem to provide a single integrated solution for consumers and businesses. The combined business will be called digi.me, with its global HQ near London in the UK and the US operation based in Washington, DC.

“We are excited to bring together the best of digi.me and Personal to accelerate the growth of our combined products and network of partners,” said Julian Ranger, Founder and Chairman of digi.me. “We have each built complementary infrastructure and products necessary for individuals to easily aggregate and share data whilst maintaining its security and privacy. It’s a win-win for individuals and for companies who embrace this model of transparency and trust.”

“Everything is powered by data today, but without clear benefit for the individual,” said Shane Green, Co-founder and CEO of Personal, who will serve as CEO of digi.me (US). “In a world of rapidly expanding artificial intelligence, analytics and personalized experiences, it is critical that we as individuals have the tools and rules to ensure our interests are also served by our data.”

Read more…

Wirecard supports Singtel’s roll out of virtual Visa card

Wirecard has partnered with Singtel to support the recent roll out of Singapore’s first Visa virtual card for Singtel’s mobile wallet Dash.

Singtel Dash is currently Singapore’s most widely accepted all-in-one digital wallet. The mobile payments platform, which allows customers to shop, pay transport fares and remit money, is part of Singtel’s strategy to transform Southeast Asia’s biggest phone carrier into a leading communications technology company by investing into digital and cyber security businesses.

“We are very proud to be a partner for Singapore’s leading digital wallet,” Grigoriy Kuznetsov, Executive Vice President, Global Financial Services at Wirecard, says. “Singtel can now process mobile virtual Visa payments with Wirecard as a Bank Identification Number (BIN) sponsor. This further reinforces our position as a leading global prepaid issuer and BIN sponsor. It also demonstrates our state-of-the-art card processing capabilities.”

Read more…

Claro announces free wi-fi for customers

Claro customers can now use the operator’s mobile internet for free in various public spaces. According to the operator, Wi-Fi NET Claro is already available in three million locations in Brazil. In Pernambuco, there are 30,000 access points distributed in the cities of Recife, Olinda, Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Paulista and Caruaru.

“We are installing the internet in high-traffic places,” said the director of the residential unit Claro Brazil, Albino Serra, saying that in Recife, Wi-Fi is available in places such as the airport, shopping malls and Boa beach Travel. When presenting the service, this Tuesday (15), Serra still assured that, despite requesting a registration, the service will have no costs for customers. “It will not consume your residential franchise,” he said.

Read more…

Barclays pairs banking data with third party apps for SmartBusiness Dashboard

Barclays is to provide small business customers with a ‘SmartBusiness Dashboard’, a single site from which users can view real-time banking data alongside business information from third party apps.

Ian Rand, CEO for Barclays Business Banking said: “This is a significant step in transforming day to day banking- meaning SMEs can see everything about their finance and data about their business in the one place through Barclays online banking. Busy business owners shouldn’t have to spend time sorting through different spreadsheets, reports or switching between apps – we’ve created a tool to give businesses time back – and this is an efficient way to run and grow their business.”

Read more…

PubMatic Q2 2017 Quarterly Mobile Index Report Shows Header Bidding Thriving in Mobile Channels

PubMatic has announced its findings in its Q2 2017 Quarterly Mobile Index (QMI) report. The report, which identifies trends in mobile advertising, found that header bidding continued to thrive in mobile channels as the format’s monetized impression volume grew at more than twice the rate of desktop year-over-year in Q2 2017, while mobile web header bidding eCPMs improved nearly 150 percent during the same period.

“The dramatic growth of mobile audiences worldwide has been a catalyst of header bidding innovation, from in-app capabilities to hybrid client- and server-side solutions,” said Rajeev Goel, co-founder and CEO at PubMatic. “As mobile opportunities rise globally, we see holistic header bidding solutions becoming increasingly important to publishers, enabling them to reclaim control of their inventory.”

Read more…

Francisco Partners invests $200 mln in Iconectiv

Francisco Partners, a leading technology investment firm, has completed its investment in iconectiv. As part of the investment, Francisco Partners invests USD 200 million to acquire a 16.7% ownership in iconectiv. The partnership between Ericsson and Francisco Partners will enable iconectiv to accelerate growth and deliver shareholder value.

Headquartered in the United States, iconectiv develops market-leading solutions that enable operators to interconnect networks. The company’s solutions are used by more than 1,200 service providers, regulators, enterprises, and content providers worldwide. iconectiv is also the global leader in providing numbering solutions and most recently was designated by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to serve as the Local Number Portability Administrator in the U.S.

Read more…