Technology

  Bloomberg International money transfer service TransferWise Ltd. has announced an integration with Facebook Inc.’s Messenger that will let people set up foreign exchange transactions over the chat service. London-based TransferWise launched the technology as a bot — a piece of automation software that understands natural language — baked within Messenger. The bot, which is free to use and doesn’t ...

  Bloomberg Snap Inc. so far hasn’t been able to tamp down investor concern about user growth. When asked about a slowdown in new users on its Snapchat photo-sharing mobile app in the fourth quarter, the company blamed a product issue with its Android version, according to investors who attended the company’s initial public offering roadshow presentation in New York. ...

  MOUNTAIN VIEW / AP For its next trick, an internet-beaming balloon factory spun out of Google believes it can outmaneuver the wind. In doing so, the 4-year-old “Project Loon” says it will be able to bring remote parts of the world online more quickly with a smaller fleet of the balloons than it previously thought. Engineers involved in the ...

  Bloomberg In the shadows of the Alps, Swiss companies are confronting a new reality: They won’t be adding manufacturing jobs in the country anytime soon — not for humans, anyway. Faced with an unsinkable franc and among the highest average annual wages in the world, Swiss companies looking to expand face a simple choice: add robots or leave. Fragrance-maker ...

  DUBAI / Emirates Business The GCC is on course to rapidly evolve into one of the most sustainable and technologically advanced regions in the world due to smart technology, and given this trajectory, there is anxiety that people would become more overwhelmed with keeping up with technology and neglect their personal relationships. However, if used correctly, smart technology improves ...

Bloomberg The threat of cyber attacks and political instability resulting from rising populism are among the biggest worries for businesses around the world, according to a study of companies in 79 countries. The number one issue for executives working in business continuity and resilience is the threat from hackers, with 88 percent of companies included in the survey saying they ...

  Bloomberg The corruption scandal rocking South Korea has given Qualcomm Inc. another way to challenge a big antitrust fine threatening its most profitable business. Jay Y. Lee, heir to the top job at Samsung Group, was arrested last week on allegations he was involved in paying billions of won to a friend of South Korean President Park Geun-hye, in ...

  Bloomberg Growing optimism about the next iPhone has propelled Apple Inc. to record highs. Halfway around the globe, a lesser-known Taiwanese company is riding that same wave of euphoria. Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., the main assembler of the US company’s smartphones, has gained 29 percent in the past year, with its shares touching a decade-high on optimism about ...

  ATLANTA / AP Self-driving vehicles could begin tooling down a bustling Atlanta street full of cars, buses, bicyclists and college students, as the city vies with other communities nationwide to test the emerging technology. Atlanta would become one of the largest urban areas for testing self-driving vehicles if plans come together for a demonstration as early as September. Nationwide, ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business In moves furthering its dominance in the Cloud, Veeam® Software, the innovative provider of solutions that deliver Availability for the Always-On Enterprise, is strengthening its Cloud business with more senior leaders, new innovations and initiatives to ensure its ecosystem of more than 14,300 global Veeam Cloud & Service Provider (VCSP) partners and 45,000 resellers will ...