<p>The majority of the aging population in Japan still prefers using cash for transactions, according to a recent report citing government data. In 2023, cashless transactions in Japan totaled 126.7 trillion yen ($885 billion), accounting for 39.3 percent of all spending in the country, said the Japanese government. The government hopes that number reaches 40 [&hellip;]</p>

<p>The majority of the aging population in Japan still prefers using cash for transactions, according to a recent report citing government data. In 2023, cashless transactions in Japan totaled 126.7 trillion yen ($885 billion), accounting for 39.3 percent of all spending in the country, said the Japanese government. The government hopes that number reaches 40 [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Running payroll is hard in any country, but perhaps especially so in Brazil thanks to consistently changing laws and extremely influential unions that make it significantly harder to get it right. Fernando Gadotti struggled with this as the co-founder of DogHero, LatAm&#8217;s version of Rover. When Gadotti left the company in 2022, after selling it [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Running payroll is hard in any country, but perhaps especially so in Brazil thanks to consistently changing laws and extremely influential unions that make it significantly harder to get it right. Fernando Gadotti struggled with this as the co-founder of DogHero, LatAm&#8217;s version of Rover. When Gadotti left the company in 2022, after selling it [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Equal, an Indian startup founded by Keshav Reddy, has raised $10M in its maiden funding round led by Prosus Ventures to scale identity verification and financial data sharing.</p>

<p>Equal, an Indian startup founded by Keshav Reddy, has raised $10M in its maiden funding round led by Prosus Ventures to scale identity verification and financial data sharing.</p>

<p>Renting in Latin America is restrictive. Most landlords require three months of rent as a deposit and a guarantor that owns property in the same city to co-sign the lease. Santiago Morales, the co-founder and CEO of proptech MoradaUno, said this dynamic makes 40% of prospective renters ineligible. His company wants to get more tenants [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Renting in Latin America is restrictive. Most landlords require three months of rent as a deposit and a guarantor that owns property in the same city to co-sign the lease. Santiago Morales, the co-founder and CEO of proptech MoradaUno, said this dynamic makes 40% of prospective renters ineligible. His company wants to get more tenants [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Alan wants to build a super app for healthcare, so it&#8217;s rolling out three new product updates, including an AI chatbot that&#8217;s vetted by doctors.</p>

<p>Buy now, pay later (BNPL) giant Affirm is launching in the U.K., its first market outside North America. Affirm&#8217;s long-anticipated arrival comes as U.K. lawmakers mull new rules to bring BNPL firms into line with other traditional consumer credit services, though such laws aren&#8217;t expected to come into effect until at least 2026 — long [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Buy now, pay later (BNPL) giant Affirm is launching in the U.K., its first market outside North America. Affirm&#8217;s long-anticipated arrival comes as U.K. lawmakers mull new rules to bring BNPL firms into line with other traditional consumer credit services, though such laws aren&#8217;t expected to come into effect until at least 2026 — long [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Buying a home has always been complicated. You have to figure out how much money to put down and how that down payment will affect a monthly mortgage bill. Then there are the closing costs and fees. Kevin Bennett launched Further to try to help make the financial process easier to navigate —&nbsp;especially for first-time [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Investors are rushing to throw millions at a hot startup called Kalshi as loans or even as unusual we’ll-figure-it-out later cash. Kalshi is an exchange that allows people to bet, as official commodity trading contracts, on the outcomes of cultural events, from election results to how long Taylor Swift’s latest album will top the charts.&nbsp; [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Investors are rushing to throw millions at a hot startup called Kalshi as loans or even as unusual we’ll-figure-it-out later cash. Kalshi is an exchange that allows people to bet, as official commodity trading contracts, on the outcomes of cultural events, from election results to how long Taylor Swift’s latest album will top the charts.&nbsp; [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Welcome to the third and final day of TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 at Moscone West in San Francisco! The excitement here is still in full swing, and there’s no slowing down.&nbsp; If you thought it was too late to join, think again—there’s still time to register and be part of the action. Today brings some of [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Welcome to TechCrunch Fintech! This week we’re looking at a company making a rare entrance into India’s significant — but locked-down — banking market and a new lawsuit facing SoLo Funds. If you&#8217;d like to receive the Fintech newsletter in your inbox every Tuesday, sign up here! The big story Indian fintech Slice seals bank [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Welcome to TechCrunch Fintech! This week we’re looking at a company making a rare entrance into India’s significant — but locked-down — banking market and a new lawsuit facing SoLo Funds. If you&#8217;d like to receive the Fintech newsletter in your inbox every Tuesday, sign up here! The big story Indian fintech Slice seals bank [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Day 2 of TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 has arrived, and the energy from day 1 is still electrifying across San Francisco!&nbsp; We’re only partway through the 250+ speakers, 200+ sessions, and 350+ exhibiting startups at Disrupt. As expected, yesterday saw over 10,000 tech enthusiasts, startup founders, and investors filling Moscone West with energy — we’re not [&hellip;]</p>

<p>African fintech Moniepoint just closed $110 million in new financing, and it has landed Google&#8217;s Africa Investment Fund as a new investor. The Series C round was led by Development Partners International’s African Development Partners (ADP) III fund. Other investors, including African private equity firm Verod Capital and existing investor Lightrock, also participated.  Moniepoint, also [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Welcome to day 1 of TechCrunch Disrupt 2024! We&#8217;re beyond excited to have you here with us as we kick off this incredible event. Get ready for three action-packed days of immersive tech experiences! Learn from industry leaders onstage and in hands-on sessions, network with fellow innovators, meet the startups shaping the future of technology, [&hellip;]</p>