The weekend is coming and the time to leave the office is getting closer, but there is some news that you need to know before turning off whatever device you have. And that’s exactly what you will find every Friday on LABS Plus One, a recap of the main market news of the week.
Now, you might be asking yourself “why “Plus One”?” and, well, who says that talking about business or Latin America couldn’t be fun? That’s why on every Friday content we will add a +1 tip about a movie, documentary, book, or maybe an event that you could enjoy in your weekend.
4 – Google and payments: the giant moves one more time
Google is really betting on Latin America and on payments. And this week we had not only one, but two great news about the tech-giant. Besides the announcement of a new office in Peru with the goal of bringing Google’s solution even closer to the Latin America public, the company also released a feature for Google Chrome that can improve the users experience when buying online. Now the credit card details can be saved in your Google Account, this way while you are logged in it, the payments information will be automatically filled out every time you are making an online purchase. However, the CVV code is still needed.
Why it matters: A global movement about evolution in payments methods is going on. The biggest global players are investing on it by creating their own e-wallets, cards or alternative methods. Obviously, Google isn’t far from this trend, and this last feature has a lot to do with increasing Google Pay usage worldwide.
3 – Uber and debit cards
And speaking about payments here’s another giant betting on it. In a partnership with Mastercard and BBVA, Uber is now launching a debit card for drivers in Mexico. For the drivers, the good news is that won’t be any commission to use the card, according to Carlos Lopez-Moctezuma, head of open banking at BBVA. The initiative is another movement from Uber to give access to the unbanked population, a reality in Mexico.
Why it matters: Even if debit cards don’t mean innovation, they represent a huge step forward for the company in the region. That was the first time a debt solution was available for drivers outside the US and a Latin American country was the one chosen for this expansion. It has a lot to do with Latin Americans behavior, they used to be early adopters of this kind of solution from global brands.
2 – Scooter fever: Lime arrives in Brazil
Brazil has just gained a new player in the on-demand scooter fever: US startup Lime started operating in São Paulo and this Thursday, July 4th, it was Rio’s time. The company will also bring to Brazil the reward model for people who collect, load and distribute the scooters the next day. Called juicers, they would act as an Uber driver, working only when they want and been paid proportionately.
Why it matters: The regulation discussion about this kind of service is in the spotlight in Brazil, but that doesn’t mean the country is not a hot market anymore – in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Brazilians adopted the collective bikes and scooter faster than anyone could predict and they are aiming at alternative transportation methods. The streets are full of bikes and scooters, especially in big cities, and leaving their cars in the garage has never been such an easy decision for Brazilians as it is now.
1 – The time for e-commerce in Latin America is now, says expert
The region finds itself once again at the doorstep of promising growth; in 2019, Latin America’s GDP will expand by nearly $500 billion, growing at 2.8%. Latin Americans are more ready than ever to take part in a global marketplace and Lindsay Lehr, Associate Managing Director from Americas Market Intelligence, shows why in an exclusive article of our Experts column.
Why it matters: After some challengers years of instability for the global economy, Latin America is ready to move on at a fast pace. Being one of the fast-growing markets for e-commerce in the world, the region is a land full of opportunity, but the sweet-spot is of those who get there first.
+1 – One of 2019’s best documentaries is from Brazil, according to The NYT
Have you ever heard about or watched House of Cards? Well, let me tell you that the script is nothing near to what happened in the recent political events in Brazil. The House of Cards itself admitted it by saying that “it was hard to compete (with Brazil)” in their official Twitter account in the country.
So, get your popcorn done and prepare yourself to understand more about Brazil’s political moment with the Netflix doc Democracia em Vertigem, that explains the recent changes in the Brazilian government from a left to a right-wing-party. The movie is among the 8 selected by The New York Times as the best movies of 2019 so far. Watch the trailer below:
