Money Buzz! Europa

Category: Technology

  • Online payments with Visa in Romania go up by 50%

    Online payments with Visa in Romania go up by 50%

    Online transactions with Visa cards increased by over 50% in April 2020 against the same period of last year, as the e-commerce sector in Romania has registered a strong growth after the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak.

    This period has accelerated the move to digital like never before, as many companies were bound to go online in order to keep their business afloat and safety measures against Covid 19 influenced consumers’ payment behavior.

    Thus, there is a growing preference for contactless and mobile payments, as well as a shift to online.

    Although online shopping has been growing steadily in Romania over the last years, there is clearly room for further growth as only 29% of the internet users in Romania shopped online in the past year, compared to the European average of 67% (Eurostat data). 

  • Woola from Estonia wins the EIT InnoEnergy 2020

    Woola from Estonia wins the EIT InnoEnergy 2020

    The jury of the sixth edition of the PowerUp! Challenge announced the winner of the CEE region’s most prominent contest for innovative enterprises and business solutions.

    Woola from Estonia was awarded a cheque for 50 000€ as well as the opportunity to join EIT InnoEnergy’s business accelerator programme.

    The prize is complemented by other valuable contributions from key partners such as Amazon Web Services, Vestbee and the SpeedUp Group.

    The Challenge saw record participation this year, with over 360 start-ups from 20 countries across Central and Eastern Europe in the running for the main prize and future investment opportunities.

    In the sixth edition of the competition, Woola has been awarded the “Startup of the year in the CEE region” title and a cheque for 50,000€, along with the opportunity to join the EIT InnoEnergy’s business accelerator programme. Furthermore, key partner Amazon Web Services offered credits to their AWS Activate program and business support, and other partners such as Vestbee and the SpeedUp Group also awarded the winner with services and grants.

    Who is Woola

    Woola is engaged in production of  packaging material from sheep’s wool residues which is used in decreasing the production, consumption and landfill waste of environmentally harmful materials like Styrofoam and plastic.

    Woola is an eco-friendly bubble wrap made from sheep wool.

    The product is shockproof, heatproof, and at-home compostable within six months.

    Woola makes use of an abundant resource that would otherwise be thrown away. Every year, 135 tons of sheep wool ends up in a landfill in Estonia alone.

    Viezo, Lithuania in 2nd place

    Viezo from Lithuania the runner-up of the Grand Final is active in developing new types of material that can produce energy from vibrations and use this instead of batteries.

    The electricity generated from wasted vibrations can power wireless IoT sensors, therefore prolonging their lifetime or increasing the amount of signals.

    They received a €10,000 prize.

    Pocket Virtuality, Czechia, is 3rd

    The third place and a cheque of €5,000 went to the team of Pocket Virtuality from Czech Republic who came up with a solution of augmented and virtual reality technology that specializes in real-time remote communication.

    The solution may be used in the fields of engineering, medicine and smart cities.

    Thanks to this technology, the on-site worker can connect with an external expert who sees a virtual representation of the environment and can fully assist from a distance.

    Audience award went to Slovenia

    The audience award went to TROIA from Slovenia, with their solution TROIA AR platform, which is an asset management tool.

    The platform, with the help of AR glasses, tablets or phones, displays computer-generated key data in real time, thus enabling exceptional improvements in terms of operational excellence and quality at work.

    It offers endless possibilities and business opportunities for all industries and the TROIA team can customize it for different applications, for different organizations.

  • Enel X customers will be able to rent Bird electric scooters in Italy

    Enel X customers will be able to rent Bird electric scooters in Italy

    Enel X and Bird have consolidated their cooperation by adding to Enel X’s JuicePass app a section dedicated to the rental service of over 5,000 Bird electric scooters in different Italian cities, such as Turin, Rome, Milan, Verona, Rimini, and Pesaro.

    The aim of this cooperation is to offer customers the option of a fully integrated mobility experience.

    Enel X JuicePass users will be redirected to the Bird app to book and use the scooters once the nearest ones have been identified on the map.

    EV drivers will now be able to park and refuel at the charging points accessible through JuicePass, and continue their journeys on Bird scooters, relieving city traffic and protecting the environment.

    At the end of the journey, the scooter must be parked in a safe place that does not interfere with pedestrians and vehicles.

    There is an initial charge for unlocking the vehicle and a fee per minute.

  • Bitdefender launches a service to control your online reputation

    Bitdefender launches a service to control your online reputation

    Bitdefender launched the Digital Identity Protection, a service that lets freelancers, self-employed, consultants and even private individuals control their online reputation.

    Users can receive a full picture of their online footprint to see how clients might see them and, alternatively, how criminals might size them up: what elements of their personal data has ever been exposed, any indiscretions still haunting them years later, and how complete a picture of the individual can a stranger collate from their online activity.

    Then, the user gets instant alerts to any new data breaches on the internet that could affect them, even scouring the hidden corners of the Dark Web where threats lurk beyond the reach of the law.

    Constant monitoring lets users always stay a step ahead of identity thieves who could impersonate them, damage their professional reputation or use their identity to steal their money.

    Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection shows all the sources where a person’s name, phone number, physical email address, jobs, education, photos and URLs are linked to their identity.

    They can visualize all information publicly exposed over the years – data that can affect an online reputation.

  • Sharry launches touch-free elevator system for COVID-safe buildings

    Sharry launches touch-free elevator system for COVID-safe buildings

    Sharry, a Czech company, has developed a special solution for touch-free elevator control. This innovation contributes to countering the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases.

    Ondřej Langr, Sharry’s product manager, describes how this product works: “When a person passes through turnstiles on the ground floor, our system automatically calls an elevator set to stop on the floor where they work. If they miss the elevator or want to go to a different floor, they can simply use their mobile phone to choose the floor number”.

    ”Users can thus control the elevator from their mobile phones and avoid using its buttons, which in normal operation are touched several times a day by virtually every employee and visitor to the building. “We are developing this new technology in cooperation with major elevator suppliers and based on the requirements of our customers all over the world,” adds Ondřej Langr.

    The touch-free elevator system works uses special sensors – Bluetooth low energy beacons – located by the elevators.

    This proximity device runs on a single battery for up to four years and broadcasts its identifier to nearby portable electronic devices such as smartphones or smart watches.

    “When a user approaches the elevator beacon, the system automatically sends a push notification to their phone’s display, through which they can call the elevator. Their ‘favourite floors’ that they visit most often will be displayed, or they can choose a different one,” says the Sharry product manager.

    The new touch-free elevator feature is fully integrated with Sharry’s mobile access system.

    This feature will be available in Q3/2020 in the Sharry Workplace product line, and will be available for the Apple Watch in Q4/2020.

    “The world has changed. We must prepare for the fact that even after the coronavirus pandemic subsides, efforts will continue to eliminate contact with other people and things as much as possible. The future is touch-free. But touch-free elevator control is no science fiction, it’s already here,” points out Josef Šachta, Sharry’s CEO.

  • Free Wi-Fi in museums and archaeological sites of Crete

    Free Wi-Fi in museums and archaeological sites of Crete

    Cosmote is providing free wireless internet (Wi-Fi) at four iconic archaeological sites and museums in Crete: The Knossos archaeological site, the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Spinalonga island in the Gulf of Elounda and the Museum and Archaeological Site of Ancient Eleuthena.

    Free internet will make it easier for visitors to Crete and to these archaeological sites and museums to access information on the history and civilization of the island, and it will enable cultural organizations to develop new, interactive guides and ways of presenting their exhibits.

    Wi-Fi access is already available at the National Archaeological Museum, the Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens, the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, Akrotiri in Santorini, Delphi, Delos, the Archaeological Museum and the palace of the Grand Master in the Medieval town of Rhodes.

    Infrastructure is currently being installed at the Acropolis of Athens and at Mycenae and Ancient Corinth in the Peloponnese.

    Cosmote has invested over €2 million in this project

    The company has undertaken the planning, design and installation of Wi-Fi infrastructure at points selected by the Ministry of Culture and Sport, the provision of the necessary equipment, the operation and maintenance of the networks, and free internet services.

  • NoSoapCompany wants smart hand sanitation units in public buildings

    NoSoapCompany wants smart hand sanitation units in public buildings

    The Dutch NoSoapCompany has launched a pan-European campaign to make smart disinfectant dispensers a permanent fixture in public buildings.

    With Europe coming out of lockdown and businesses and institutions reopening, it is of critical importance that customers and employees are protected against infection from the Covid-19 virus.

    Both the World Health Organization and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention advocate hand hygiene as the single most efficient and cost-effective way to limit the spread of diseases.

    How NoSoapCompany high-tech hand sanitation unit works

    The company has launched a high-tech hand sanitation unit, HYiGO that connects to the cloud via IoT.

    The device sends a signal when the disinfectant needs to be replenished or when the battery needs to be charged. It also provides relevant usage-data which can provide entrepreneurs and institutions with valuable insights.

    Until recently, the smart dispenser was primarily found in hospitals and institutions such as the UMCG and the Martini Hospital, but also at Schiphol Airport, the WTC and The Hague’s Malietoren.

    The NoSoapCompany has expanded its production capacity in recent months to be able to deliver the dispenser throughout Europe.

    In the coming weeks, 2000 new devices will enter the European market.

  • Klarna officially launches in Belgium by introducing “Pay in 21 days”

    Klarna officially launches in Belgium by introducing “Pay in 21 days”

    Klarna officially launches in Belgium by introducing “Pay in 21 days”. Shoppers will be able to buy online and pay once they’ve received the goods.

    Klarna teams up with merchants, including H&M, A.S. Adventure and Omoda as their first step in the Belgian market.

    With the launch of ”Pay in 21 days”, Belgian shoppers can now purchase their goods from their favourite online stores and try them before footing the bill.

    The payment solution comes at no interest or fee when users pay on time.

    Along with the new offer, Klarna is also introducing the Klarna app which allows users to keep track of their payments, pay off existing payments, as well as find inspiration.

    Founded in Stockholm in 2005, the company currently holds a post money valuation of $5.5 billion, which ranks Klarna as the largest private fintech in Europe and one of the largest private fintechs globally.

    Today more than 85m consumers use Klarna, and the company partners with over 200,000 merchants in North America, Australia, the UK and Europe including H&M, Sephora, Michael Kors, Wayfair, IKEA, Expedia Group, Samsung, Microsoft, ASOS, Peloton, Boohoo, Sonos, RayBan, Levi’s, Ticketmaster, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Nike.

  • TUI and Booking.com announce a strategic partnership

    TUI and Booking.com announce a strategic partnership

    TUI and Booking.com announced a strategic global experiences, activities and excursions partnership, providing Booking.com customers worldwide with direct access to the growing activities segment of TUI and its digital subsidiary Musement.

    The contracts have been signed and the cooperation will start in summer 2020.

    Activities, a growth driver for TUI

    Activities is one of the growth drivers of the TUI Group, which last year sold approximately ten million activities in holiday destinations and in European home markets, such as Germany.

    Under the agreement with Booking.com, customers will eventually have direct access to a portfolio of over 70,000 tours, attractions and activities via TUI subsidiary Musement, launching incrementally on Booking.com over the coming months.

    Musement will be the first third-party provider of tours, and activities inventory on the Booking.com travel platform, as the company seeks to expand its offering and provide customers with a more comprehensive end-to-end travel offering.

    TUI acquired Musement 18 months ago

    TUI acquired Musement, a Milan-based technology start-up, 18 months ago and intends to develop it into the world’s leading platform for tours and activities.

    The next step is to grow the platform’s portfolio to encompass one million activities, experiences and excursions.

    The goal is for customers to be able to take full advantage of the digital offering whether at home or on holiday.

    The marketing of TUI’s products to Booking.com customers is currently slated to start in July, with customers being able to choose from upto 70,000 options from the Musement inventory of tours, attractions, activities and experiences.

    As part of the agreement, the TUI subsidiary will continue to expand its portfolio over the coming weeks and months, taking into account the special requirements of Booking.com.

  • Croatian game developer Cateia Games is joining Playrix

    Croatian game developer Cateia Games is joining Playrix

    The Croatian game developer Cateia Games is joining Playrix Croatia in its new office in Zagreb. This is the second European studio to join Playrix.

    Cateia’s team of nearly 40 professionals has already started developing a new and as yet unannounced free-to-play mobile game.

    “Becoming part of the Playrix family is a great honor for us. We are one of the oldest studios in Croatia, so this is the start of a new and exciting era for our team as well as a great opportunity for the local gaming scene to grow and prosper. With Playrix fueling our engines, we’re confidently pursuing our next big win,“ said Dejan Radic, co-founder of Cateia Games.

    Based in Zagreb, Croatia, Cateia Games is the game studio behind Mary Le Chef: Cooking Passion, The Man with the Ivory Cane, and other popular mobile, Mac, and PC titles.

    Playrix is one of the top 5 mobile game publishers in the world. The total Monthly Active Users of their existing titles exceeds 150 million.

  • Bambuser to offer live video shopping for one of the world’s largest retailers

    Bambuser to offer live video shopping for one of the world’s largest retailers

    Bambuser AB has entered into a pilot agreement worth SEK 350,000 with one of the world’s largest retail companies.

    The agreement concerns Live Video Shopping for one brand in one market during the pilot phase, which lasts for a total of three months.

    The customer in question, not named by Bambuser, is a global fashion group with a portfolio of several brands established in over 50 online markets with approximately 179,000 employees and a total net sales of SEK 233 billion for the 2019 financial year.

    Bambuser introduced Live Video Shopping in 2019, which enables live shopping directly on the brand’s website.

  • BTC Studios has inked a strategic alliance with IDG Consulting

    BTC Studios has inked a strategic alliance with IDG Consulting

    BTC Studios, a Polish interactive games developer and publisher has inked a strategic alliance with IDG Consulting to strengthen and accelerate its growth in the children and family games segment.

    The partnership with IDG Consulting will fuel BTC Studios’ strategic initiative to acquire gaming licensing rights of children/family IPs with global awareness on TV, SVOD or AVOD.

    The first licensing deal, signed in 2019 with the international TV producer and distributor Cyber Group Studios, involved animated series IPs such as Taffy coproduced with Turner and broadcasted notably on Turner’s Boomerang and Sadie Sparks coproduced with Brown Bag Films and broadcasted notably on Disney Channel.

    A second deal with a global IP should be announced soon.

    BTC Studios is led by a serial entrepreneur with a successful track record in the technology and interactive games sectors. Moreover, the company has access to a strong talent pool located in Eastern Europe.

    IDG Consulting has been providing best-in-class market research, data analytics, strategic consulting and M&A services in the gaming industry (Mobile, PC, Console platforms). Their clients include the top gaming, e-sports, technology, media, retail and investment companies around the world.

    IDG Consulting is leading a consortium of investors attracted by BTC Studios’ strategy and the 10-fold growth delivered by the company over the last twelve months.

    Beyond the first funding of 5 Mil€, IDG Consulting will also play a key role in assisting BTC Studios implement their strategy and benefit from the strong growth of the SVOD/AVOD and gaming markets worldwide (37% CAGR).