Gig economy

Japan’s Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. is investing more than $700 million in Southeast Asian ride-hailing giant Grab, gaining access to millions across the region that use the mobile app to book cars and meals.

The rise in food delivery options is affecting restaurants of all kinds. It's a trend driven by consumers' strong appetite for mobile ordering and payments.

The startup has added more sophisticated invoicing features, sleeker onboarding and a more detailed dashboard.

Uber Technologies Inc. will sell Uber Eats in India to local rival Zomato in a $172 million deal, according to a person familiar with the transaction, underscoring the ride-hailing giant’s effort to cut back on loss-making operations.

Digital technology is increasingly connecting compensation and payment capabilities for contractors and creating an ability to share apps. It's a trend that’s brought Citi and PayPal together to offer flexibility and a network effect to counter fintechs.

Stripe and Adyen are among the best known and most VC-friendly firms that enable quick account onboarding for gig economy supply chains — but a lot of competitors are gunning for their position.

After the last two decades of selling prepaid cards and bank accounts direct to consumers, Green Dot has increasingly been shifting gears to rent out its payments and banking infrastructure to nonbanks who want to offer cards and banking services to their users.

Rapid-fire acquisitions, partnerships and investments in the likes of Uber, Lyft and Grab are transforming these ride-sharing providers. And much of this activity is built on their ability to handle payments seamlessly as part of the experience.

Payoneer found its niche providing technology for Amazon, Google and Facebook to deliver mass payouts to independent contractors, but the company has added options for small U.S. businesses to send payments to vendors and suppliers globally.

The startup, Drum, provides a marketplace for small businesses to offer promotions to influencers who can help them drum up business.