Today in the Connected Economy: Mastercard Offers Support to UK SMBs

Today in the connected economy, Mastercard and Enterprise Nation roll out an app designed to help small businesses in the U.K., and Uber reroutes its course following a recent earnings report.

Mastercard, Enterprise Nation Launch SMB Support App

Mastercard and Enterprise Nation have joined forces on the The Enterprise Nation: Make a Plan app, designed to help micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in the U.K. get support from their phones.

The app was created in connection with the Strive UK program, which itself is a program from the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, which works with MSEs throughout the country.

“The app will direct MSEs to a data-driven ‘one-stop shop,’ which will house relevant resources, programs and digital tools from different support organizations to help founders build and grow their businesses,” the companies said in a press release. “Businesses can upload their details and to generate a digital business action plan, which they can use to track progress on their phone.”

Uber’s Strategic Shift Signals Investors Want Sustainability in the Connected Economy

Uber is focusing on free cash flow, which is a more stringent measure of operating efficiency, according to an internal email from CEO Dara Khosrowshahi following the company’s latest earnings report.

“After earnings, I spent several days meeting investors in New York and Boston,” the message said. “It’s clear that the market is experiencing a seismic shift and we need to react accordingly.”

Atom Finance Launches Stock and Crypto Intelligence Platform

Atom Finance, an investment intelligence app, has debuted an embedded stock and crypto intelligence platform.

The Manhattan-based company said the platform includes a series of application programming interfaces (APIs), embeddable user interfaces (UIs) and websockets, as well as visualization tools designed to work with both new and existing trading platforms.

“By partnering with fintechs, neobanks, and brokers that share our enthusiasm to democratize investment intelligence, more investors will have access to the cutting-edge technology they need to achieve investment success,” said Eric Shoykhet, Atom’s founder and CEO.