Amazon teams with Stripe in retail, M-Pesa adds support for Ethiopia

March 27, 2024 9:30 AM

Amazon is working with Stripe to expand its Just Walk Out retail stores in Australia and Canada; Safaricom is working with Onafriq to support remittances sent via M-Pesa to Ethiopia; and more.

Here's what's happening around the world.

Chona Kasinger/Bloomberg

Stripe to power Amazon’s cashierless checkout in Australia, Canada

Amazon has chosen Stripe to power its cashierless Just Walk Out technology for stores in Australia and Canada, the San Francisco-based Stripe said in a press release. The move enriches controls and reliability for merchants using Just Walk Out, the automatic in-store checkout technology Amazon is marketing to merchants around the world. Stripe will provide its Stripe Terminal in participating stores, enabling shoppers who have loaded a payment card to an associated app to automatically pay for purchased goods, via the WisePad3 reader attached to store turnstiles, and Stripe Connect will route payments from shoppers to businesses. Just Walk Out is available at more than 70 Amazon-owned stores and more than 85 third-party locations including groceries, airports, convenience stores and sports stadiums in the U.S., U.K. and Australia. Stripe already provides payments support to several Amazon businesses.

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Safaricom’s M-Pesa to power Ethiopia-bound remittances

Mobile phone network Safaricom's M-Pesa mobile money network, which launched in Kenya in 2007 with Vodafone, will soon support remittances sent to Ethiopia, according to a press release. Through an agreement Safaricom recently signed with South Africa-based digital payments network Onafriq, M-Pesa users may receive remittances sent through their mobile phones from various key global markets. M-Pesa, which enables Safaricom users to transact via a mobile phone without having a bank account, also operates in Tanzania, South Africa, Ghana, Mozambique, Egypt, Afghanistan and Lesotho. Safaricom received authorization last year from the National Bank of Ethiopia to start a remittance service. Onafriq has digital banking operations in 40 African countries.

U.K. fintech to connect India and Africa for remittances and payouts

Leatherback, a London-based fintech founded in 2019 to focus on cross-border payments to Africa, has announced a strategic collaboration with India's Yes Bank to streamline remittances and local cash payouts in India, The Paypers reports. The move enables Leatherback, one of the first firms to provide payouts in Indian rupees, to serve a growing audience of people traveling between Africa and Asia for work and leisure, according to the report. Africa is India's third-largest trading partner, and India is a top destination for Africans seeking health care, which is driving demand for more seamless payouts through SendR, Leatherback's platform, the report said. Leatherback has cross-border payment operations in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Canada, India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

JCB launches co-branded rewards card in Indonesia

Tokyo-based credit card network and issuer JCB has teamed with Japanese retail conglomerate AEON to launch a co-branded rewards credit card in Indonesia through the firms' respective local subsidiaries, according to a press release. Customers will receive 3% cash back on dining and gasoline purchases using the card, 10% cash back on the first Sunday of every month and on one additional self-selected day per month, along with special monthly Thanksgiving days, the release said. The first 100 customers who successfully apply for the AEON JCB Precious Card and spend US$633 within the first two months will receive a travel voucher worth $63; another 500 approved customers will receive a $3 discount redeemable at AEON stores. Within Indonesia, AEON, which operates more than 300 companies and has stores in 13 countries, issues credit cards through the Bank of Indonesia.

Texas-based fintech extends U.S. payment options to Danish entrepreneurs

Tyler, Texas-based business-to-business payments provider Zil Money has extended the ability for entrepreneurs in Denmark to directly accept payments from U.S. customers through the Zil U.S. platform, including electronic transfers, checks, wire transfers, virtual payment cards and cross-border transactions, according to a press release. The move enables Danish small-business operators to streamline payments to U.S. vendors, affiliates and employees.