EMEA Daily: UK’s Cazoo Acquires Swipcar for $40M; Mastercard’s Aiia Powers New Platform in Denmark

In today’s top Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) news, U.K. online car retailer Cazoo acquires motor vehicle subscription platform Swipcar for $40 million; Mastercard’s Aiia powers a new platform in Denmark; JumiaPay app transactions reach 36% of total orders in the third quarter; NewDay launches a buy now, pay later (BNPL) credit account for U.K. consumers; Qatar’s Commercial Bank rolls out an online service for tax payments; and more.

Cazoo Snaps up Swipcar for €30M to Hit the Gas on Growing Across Europe

U.K. online car retailer Cazoo has acquired motor vehicle subscription platform Swipcar for 30 million euros (about $40 million) in cash and Cazoo shares. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Spain, Swipcar operates its car subscription platform across Spain, Italy and Portugal and offers a monthly subscription that includes the car, insurance, maintenance, service and tax.

Mastercard’s Aiia Powers New Platform to Bring Open Banking to the Masses in Denmark

Convenience continues to be the key driver behind consumer action, simplifying people’s everyday lives with opportunities to do more with their finances. Rune Mai, CEO and founder of open banking platform Aiia tells PYMNTS that the launch of the mit.dk platform in Denmark, in partnership with Nordic-based software company, Netcompany, has the potential to reach a nine-figure amount of open banking-powered payments yearly.

Consumers to Get JumiaPay Wallet as App Transactions Reach 36% of Total Orders in Q3

Africa-focused online marketplace Jumia Technologies highlighted signs of growth acceleration during its third quarter earnings call. In terms of headline numbers, orders for the quarter jumped 28% year over year to reach an all-time high of 8.5 million, the fastest growth rate of the past seven quarters.

NewDay Launches BNPL Credit Account for UK Customers

U.K. consumer credit provider NewDay has introduced Newpay, an instant access digital credit account to provide BNPL payment options for customers. Nepay is regulated by the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and provides credit limits up to 5,000 pounds (about $6,700). Purchases can be made at a variety of retailers, with all transactions housed in the same account.

Making Contactless Payments Acceptance Affordable and Flexible for European Merchants

Since its launch in 2012, French FinTech firm dejamobile has had one goal: help ecosystems make digital payments accessible to everyone, everywhere. CEO and Co-Founder Houssem Assadi tells PYMNTS that the company’s acquisition by European omnichannel payments platform Market Pay has opened new international horizons for the startup, helping to reach more merchants with its affordable and flexible contactless payments solutions.

Qatar’s Commercial Bank Rolls out Online Service for Tax Payments

Qatar’s largest private sector bank, Commercial Bank, has teamed with the General Tax Authority (GTA) to offer a direct payment service whereby funds from the taxpayer’s account are transmitted to the authority’s account to initiate the process of paying tax obligations. The direct payment service is available to all Commercial Bank public and private sector corporate and enterprise customers.

London Opens First Market Outside of US to Use Amazon’s Cashierless Tech

London is opening the first market outside of the U.S. to use Amazon’s white-labeled Just Walk Out technology. Amazon Sainsbury’s is expected to open to the public Nov. 29. Sainsbury’s is calling the new offering SmartShop Pick & Go, and its High Holborn location will be the first store to use the technology with customers, as it is already using the technology for Sainsbury’s employees.