KPMG’s Pulse of Fintech’s report shows aggressive growth in EMEA thanks in large part to the UAE government’s efforts to foster digital transformation and the launch of the Dubai Digital Authority (DDA). According to GoFinance, the digital finance and insurance marketplace, expectations are that Fintech will continue to scale and accelerate.
Nigerian shared mobility startup Treepz has closed out its seed round at US$2.8 million and expanded to Uganda with the acquisition of bus company Ugabus. Founded in 2019 and known as Plentywaka until its September rebrand, Treepz operates a digital platform allowing passengers to book daily rides along fixed routes. It also serves as an aggregator for bus travel companies across 21 cities in Nigeria, allowing transport operators to replace manual servicing and ticketing with digitalized offerings and services.
ADNOC Distribution, the company’s retail arm has opened ADNOC Oasis outlet, a fully autonomous shop in the UAE, as the beginning of its rollout of AI-powered stores. Customers can buy goods without using a scanner or interacting with a cashier, and they can pay by tap, either with a bank card, doing a QR code scan, or by using their Emirates ID.
It barely feels like news when industry giants add AI features, since that’s what they’re expected to do. But lots of people use their products, so their announcements are probably of higher interest than most. With that in mind, let’s note that Adobe has just announced general availability of agents for audience creation, journey orchestration, experimentation, journey insights, website optimization and agent support.