Today in the Connected Economy: Meta Seeks Piece of Indian eCommerce Market

Today in the connected economy, Meta launches a partnership with Indian eCommerce firm JioMart to let shoppers buy groceries using WhatsApp. Plus, Jio parent Reliance teams with Google to offer affordable 5G smartphones in India, and online travel app Hopper integrates with vacation rental provider Evolve.

Meta Joins Amazon, Walmart in Bid for Indian eCommerce Market

Meta has teamed with Indian eCommerce company JioMart to offer customers the chance to buy groceries through Meta’s WhatsApp chat. Users in India can see JioMart’s full grocery selection on WhatsApp, add items to their cart, and pay from inside the WhatsApp chat.

India’s Reliance, Google Developing ‘Ultra-Affordable’ 5G Smartphones

Indian telecom giant Reliance Industries has partnered with Google to develop “ultra-affordable” 5G smartphones. Reliance Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani said Reliance — parent of mobile company Jio — wants to speed the availability and adoption of 5G in a country where 700 million people don’t own a smartphone.

Hopper, Evolve Partner on Streamlined Vacation Rentals

Travel booking app Hopper and vacation rental hospitality firm Evolve are working together to streamline vacation planning by integrating Elove’s rental inventory with the Hopper app. More than 24,000 Evolve vacation homes in over 750 markets will be available on the Hopper app, America’s third-largest online travel agency.

Finvi, Prodigal Partner on Conversation Intelligence, Revenue Recovery

Finvi and Prodigal have teamed up to help their shared customers in the accounts receivable management (ARM) and healthcare revenue cycle management (RCM) sectors interact with consumers in a more intelligent, seamless fashion and speed revenue recovery. The partnership will marry Finvi’s workflow and intelligence solutions with Prodigal’s consumer intent apps.

Highline Teams With Argyle to Drive Payroll-Linked Lending

Payments FinTech Highline Technologies is collaborating with employment data platform Argyle to offer payroll-linked lending and bill pay capabilities to United States lenders. Payroll-linked lending gives consumers access to lower-cost loans that are automatically paid back directly from the borrower’s paycheck. The solution lets lenders reduce missed payments by up to two-thirds and reduce default rates by more than half.