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India to grow consumer spending three times more than the U.S. over the next decade, EBANX shows

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At an event held in Napa Valley, U.S., EBANX revealed new data about the consumer and digital markets in rising economies and discussed the future of payments with experts from around the world

CURITIBA, Brazil, and NAPA VALLEY, Calif., Oct. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — India is set to surpass the impressive mark of US$ 5.4 trillion in consumer spending by 2034, up from the current US$ 1.8 trillion, according to data from the World Data Lab analyzed by EBANX, a global technology company specializing in payment services for emerging markets. It represents a growth of 12% per year, three times higher than the projection for the United States, at 4%, and more than two times higher than the global average of 5%. This boost will place India as the third-largest market in the world in consumer spending, behind only the United States and China. These figures were presented this week during the Napa Valley (U.S.) chapter of the EBANX Payments Summit, an annual event that brings together industry leaders to discuss trends and innovations in the digital economy and payments.

India has recently achieved unprecedented levels of financial inclusion and is actively promoting the adoption and growth of the online sector. The forecast for consumer spending will be felt in digital commerce as well, in all verticals,” analyzes Rashmi Satpute, Country Director of India at EBANX. In addition, EBANX highlighted two other regions that have been standing out for their relevance and acceleration: Latin America and Africa, whose countries are among the fastest-growing worldwide. The giant Egypt is expected to accelerate growth by triple-digits in consumer spending over the next decade, 167%, while the smaller economies, like Ethiopia, will grow by an impressive 429%. Kenya (115%), Morocco (107%), Ghana (106%), and South Africa (42%) are other African countries mentioned in the analysis. In LatAm, Brazil (62%) and Mexico (54%) are leading the way, each surpassing US$ 2 trillion in consumer spending over the next decade.

“This growth is directly linked to the digitalization of the economy and the payment innovations these markets have been experiencing in recent years,” explains Satpute. “During the Payments Summit, we heard from numerous global players that emerging countries are becoming increasingly important to their businesses. They have enormous digital potential that is catching the attention of the entire world.” Data from Statista Market Insights featured in Beyond Borders 2024, digital payments and commerce report by EBANX, show that digital commerce in rising markets will grow sixfold between 2017 and 2027, at a rate of 20% per year, which is 7 percentage points higher than developed countries. The digital commerce market of India, Latin America, and Africa together will surpass US$ 1.3 trillion within three years, according to Payments and Commerce Market Intelligence (PCMI).

Challenges, innovations, and opportunities

Industry leaders gathered in Napa Valley had an in-depth discussion on the state of digital economies and payments in rising markets. “One thing is linked to the other. While in India and across Latin America, digital commerce has driven digital payments, in Africa we are seeing the opposite, with digital payments driving digital commerce. The context and challenges of each impact the means, not the end, because the result of this digital revolution is very similar in all these regions: economic development, financial inclusion, and innovation,” says Juliana Etcheverry, Director of Country Growth – Latin America at EBANX. Due to the low penetration of credit cards, barriers related to banking access, and consumer behavior, fintechs and governments began seeking solutions to simplify consumers’ lives and allow them to purchase products and services using local payment methods. The result of this has been a transformation in the way people engage with digital commerce in emerging markets.

In India, the country with the most widely used instant payment system in the world, UPI is the preferred method for online purchases, accounting for 55%, 30 percentage points higher than credit cards, per PCMI. For recurring purchases, UPI AutoPay has about 10 million scheduled payments per month, with an average approval rate of 92%, according to National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) data. In Latin America, Brazil’s instant payment system Pix is following the same path and will surpass credit cards in digital commerce by 2025, when the local Central Bank plans to launch Pix Automático (Automatic Pix in free translation) for recurring payments. “Incorporating Alternative Payment Methods (APMs) is not only about offering more options, it’s also about bringing people in,” highlights Etcheverry. “Companies accepting Pix with EBANX in digital commerce in Brazil experienced a 25% growth in the number of clients and a 16% increase in their revenue.”

African countries are other examples of how emerging markets have been leading in payment innovation. It has been seventeen years since the continent embraced mobile money, a financial service that allows users to pay and exchange values through a cellphone, with no need for an internet connection or a bank account. It accounts for nearly half of the total digital commerce in Kenya, for example – US$ 2.3 billion, or 48% of the market, according to PCMI data. Including mobile money, APMs will represent around 63% of African digital commerce by 2025. “This landscape is promising, but there are still challenges that need to be addressed, such as high market fragmentation and a lack of interoperability. In Napa Valley, industry experts advocated for strategic partnerships to connect Africa with the rest of the world. And that is exactly what EBANX has been doing,” Wiza Jalakasi, Director of Africa Market Development at EBANX pointed out.

Payment trends moving forward

Among the many constructive and forward-thinking discussions, one of the most highly anticipated by participants at the EBANX Payments Summit were those addressing future trends in emerging markets, such as the combination of APMs and cards into hybrid methods – in India, for example, credit cards are seamlessly integrated with UPI, enabling credit card payments through the instant payments app, in a well–known UX and flow. “It’s amazing to see how these countries are creative and innovative in finding solutions that not only change but also simplify consumer habits,” states Jalakasi. In Egypt, where 64% of payment volume made in digital commerce are by cash usage, even unbanked people can purchase online and pay through apps or QR codes. “This is financial inclusion, this is access.”

EBANX Payments Summit

Napa Valley was the second stop of the 7th EBANX Payments Summit, which is being held in four different countries. The first chapter took place in Barcelona, Spain. The next one will be in Bangkok, Thailand, from October 24 to 26. The final chapter is scheduled for November 5 in São Paulo, Brazil. All these events will explore the forefront of payments innovation across rising economies and bring together leaders from the most important companies and organizations in the industry, such as João Del Valle, CEO of EBANX; Maria Francis, Head of Business Development for Americas at National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI); Rene Salazar, Head of Financial Partnerships for Latin America at Stripe; Anderson Teixeira, Head of Global Cards at Santander Brasil; Wolfgang Fengler, CEO of World Data Lab; Nathan Marion, Head of B2B at Nubank; Andrew Kaing, Senior Product Manager at Canva; Constanza López Vela, Deputy General Manager of Acquiring Business at Banorte Mexico; and several others.

ABOUT EBANX
EBANX is the leading payment platform connecting global companies with customers from the fastest-growing digital markets in the world. The company was founded in 2012 in Brazil with the mission of giving people access to buy in international digital commerce. With powerful proprietary technology and infrastructure, combined with in-depth knowledge of the markets where it operates, EBANX enables global businesses to connect with hundreds of payment methods in different countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. EBANX goes beyond payments, increasing sales, and fostering seamless purchase experiences for businesses and clients.

For further information, please visit:
Website: https://www.ebanx.com/en/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ebanx

Media Contact:
Leonardo Stamillo
leo@contentco.tech
Content CO

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SOURCE EBANX

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Jtibot Showcases Autonomous Outdoor Sweeping Innovation at Interclean Amsterdam 2026, Accelerating European Market Expansion

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AMSTERDAM, April 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Jtibot, a developer of autonomous outdoor cleaning solutions, concluded a successful showcase at Interclean Amsterdam 2026, highlighting its focus on large-scale, AI-driven sweeping for industrial, municipal, and campus environments.

At Hall 8, Booth 538, Jtibot presented its autonomous outdoor sweeper designed for environments exceeding 10,000 sqm. Positioned between traditional equipment and emerging robotics, the system addresses the growing demand for more efficient and less labor-dependent outdoor cleaning operations.

During the exhibition, Jtibot attracted strong interest from European distributors and facility management professionals seeking scalable solutions for large-area maintenance. The company was also featured in an official media interview at the event, reflecting increasing attention toward autonomous technologies in the cleaning industry.

Jtibot’s approach centers on human-machine collaboration. By reducing repetitive manual work while maintaining operational flexibility, its systems support more sustainable and efficient facility management practices. This aligns with broader ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) priorities, including improved resource efficiency and enhanced working conditions.

Building on its presence at Interclean, Jtibot is currently advancing discussions with multiple European partners for regional distribution and deployment. The company is also in the final stage of a fleet procurement agreement valued at approximately $1.4 million, signaling early commercial traction in large-scale applications scenarios.

“As outdoor environments continue to grow in scale and complexity, automation is becoming essential,” said Steven, VP at Jtibot. “Our goal is not to replace people, but to empower them—making operations more efficient and labor more sustainable.”

Following Interclean Amsterdam 2026, Jtibot is actively expanding its European partner network and preparing for broader market deployment across key regions, as it accelerates its global commercialization strategy.

About Jtibot
Jtibot specializes in autonomous outdoor sweepers designed for large-scale environments. By combining AI-driven navigation with industrial-grade hardware, the company enables efficient, scalable, and sustainable cleaning operations worldwide.

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2U Refinances and Raises Growth Capital

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ARLINGTON, Va., April 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Many education technology companies spent 2024 and 2025 scaling back. New university partnerships slowed as institutions built internal capacity. Against that backdrop, 2U completed a growth recapitalization, with its existing owners putting growth capital into the business alongside a refinancing of its current credit facilities.

The question worth asking is: why now, and what did they see?

2U operates edX, a global online learning platform originally co-founded by Harvard and MIT that now reaches more than 100 million people through over 5,300 programs with 250-plus institutional and enterprise partners. Employees from more than 60% of Fortune 500 companies use edX for professional development. To date, over 76,000 people have graduated from 2U-powered degree programs from leading institutions, including UC Berkeley, Howard University, and Georgetown. The company has been privately held since completing a financial reorganization in 2024, and Kees Bol has served as CEO since January 2025.

Lincoln International, which advised 2U on the transaction exclusively, described the refinancing outcome: extended credit maturities, improved capital structure, and financial flexibility to continue executing on 2U’s long-range plan. Managing Director Alex Stevenson said the deal “reflects the confidence of 2U’s owners in the long-term value of the business.”

Confidence in what, exactly? The AI workforce training market. Skills in AI-affected roles are evolving 66% faster than average according to PwC research, and IDC has estimated that unfilled AI skills gaps could cost the global economy $5.5 trillion. Universities and enterprises are both trying to solve that problem, and both are looking for platforms with the breadth and accreditation backing to do it credibly.

2U’s partnerships are designed for exactly that. IBM’s six technical microcredentials on edX train the engineers and data scientists who build AI systems. Microsoft’s CxO Edge program, launched in late 2025, targets the C-suite executives who need to move from AI pilots to enterprise-wide adoption, part of a Microsoft presence on edX that has drawn over 40,000 learners in the past six months alone.. Oxford’s Faculty of Law program addresses governance: what board members and legal advisors need to understand about AI liability, compliance, and fiduciary responsibility. UC Berkeley’s Master of Information and Data Science (MIDS) online program prepares learners to shape the future of AI and data science with human-centered values and focuses on solving the world’s most pressing data challenges. Each program exists because a specific employer community identified a specific gap.

That’s the differentiation investors are backing. Generic online courses are abundant. Programs designed in partnership with IBM, Microsoft, UC Berkeley, and Oxford’s Faculty of Law and delivered on a platform with proven Fortune 500 adoption are not.

Credentials earned on 2U’s edX platform carry the academic standing of the issuing partner institutions. Its programs span executive education, professional certificates, microcredentials, and accredited online degree programs, all powered by 2U’s infrastructure but conferred by partner universities and institutions with their own accreditation.

HolonIQ data puts the broader trend in context: microcredentials grew from 7% of global online program offerings in 2022 to 19% by 2025. The shift toward stackable, job-aligned credentials, in addition to traditional degrees,  is real and accelerating. The global online education market is projected to exceed $200 billion as that trend matures. 2U’s decision to build depth in short-form, employer-designed AI training aligns directly with where learner demand is heading.

None of this is abstract for the organizations that use edX at scale. When a company needs to certify 500 engineers on AI development, or prepare its entire C-suite for a board presentation on AI governance, the platform’s reach and credential quality both matter. A certification backed by IBM and a degree from institutions such as Berkeley carries weight with hiring managers in a way a generic online course does not.

The refinancing extends 2U’s ability to keep building that catalog and the partnerships behind it. Stevenson framed it as giving the management team “the financial foundation to keep executing on its mission.” The mission, under Bol’s leadership, is straightforward: help universities and enterprises close the AI skills gap by meeting learners where they are, at the pace the market demands.

The investors who contributed growth capital made a bet that a platform that reaches 100 million people and has 250-plus partners, including IBM, Microsoft, UC Berkeley, and Oxford in its program portfolio, is better positioned to close that gap than any platform that would need to build from scratch.

Media Contact:
Kees Bol
social@2u.com 

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Autonomous Resource Corporation and Oak Ridge National Laboratory Partner to Accelerate AI-Enabled Defense Manufacturing at National Scale

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Strategic partnership combines ORNL’s supercomputing and advanced manufacturing expertise with ARC’s autonomous production platform to address critical defense industrial base shortfalls

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. and NEW YORK, April 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Autonomous Resource Corporation (ARC), a Delaware corporation, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the U.S. Department of Energy’s largest multi-program science and energy laboratory, today announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishing a strategic public-private partnership to accelerate the on-demand manufacture of qualified, mission-critical components for U.S. national security applications.

The partnership combines ORNL’s HPC and manufacturing capability with ARC’s ARCNet distributed AI-manufacturing platform

The partnership — known as the Exascale Foundry — will combine ORNL’s computing and manufacturing capabilities with ARC’s ARCNet distributed manufacturing platform to create a closed-loop system for AI-enabled materials and manufacturing qualification and autonomous production at defense-relevant scale.

“The United States faces an urgent need to rebuild its manufacturing capacity for critical defense components,” said Bryan Wisk, CEO of ARC. “By combining ORNL’s world-leading computational, materials science, and manufacturing capabilities with our autonomous production infrastructure, we can compress manufacturing and qualification timelines from years to months and deliver manufactured parts at the volumes the warfighter needs.”

Partnership Highlights

Under the MOU, ARC will deploy advanced manufacturing equipment organized into seven production nodes connected to ORNL via ARC’s secure ARCNet infrastructure. ARC will expand capability through ORNL’s high-performance computing (HPC) resources.

ORNL will provide access to HPC expertise for simulation-driven materials characterization and qualification, along with technologies developed at the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF), the Department of Energy’s only large-scale, open-access advanced manufacturing facility. ORNL’s Peregrine AI software, which has analyzed over 1.9 million additive manufacturing layers, will be integrated into ARC’s production nodes for real-time adaptive control and quality assurance.

This partnership also supports DOE’s Genesis Mission, a national initiative to build the world’s most powerful scientific platform to accelerate discovery science, strengthen national security and drive energy innovation. ARC and ORNL’s collective capabilities will help reenvision advanced manufacturing and industrial productivity, accelerate defense production and qualification, and secure critical supply chain elements.

“ORNL’s advanced manufacturing and computing capabilities are uniquely positioned to help accelerate the transition of laboratory-proven technologies into production-scale defense manufacturing,” said Moe Khaleel, ORNL associate laboratory director for National Security Sciences. “Partnering with ARC ensures we are transitioning our research into real production outcomes.”

The initial implementation will focus on high-temperature nickel superalloy turbine components for autonomous air vehicle engines using metal binder jetting technology, directly addressing demonstrated production bottlenecks in the U.S. defense supply chain.

ORNL Chief Manufacturing Officer Craig Blue added, “This partnership exemplifies the type of relationship necessary to build and grow domestic supply chains for our national security.”

About Autonomous Resource Corporation

ARC is a New York–headquartered corporation building and operating an AI-enabled, autonomous manufacturing platform for national security and critical infrastructure applications. ARC’s Autonomous Resource Controller Network (ARCNet) connects distributed production cells into a secure, federated manufacturing grid capable of producing qualified components at scale. ARC’s leadership team brings deep experience across defense technology, capital markets, materials science, and additive manufacturing at production scale.

About Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the largest U.S. Department of Energy science and energy laboratory, conducting basic and applied research to deliver transformative solutions to compelling problems in energy and security. DOE’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL partners with more than 300 companies, spurring over $5.5 billion in economic growth. ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

Media Contacts:

ARC: Bryan Wisk, Chief Executive Officer | bryan@autonomousresource.com | 929-523-3953

ORNL: Eric Swanson, National Security Sciences Communications Lead | swansonej@ornl.gov | 865-206-5794

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SOURCE Autonomous Resource Corporation

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