e-commerce
Airbnb in strategic partnership with Times Group hopes to help Indian travelers discover more
NEW DELHI: Community driven hospitality company Airbnb has joined with The Times of India Group to help Airbnb create a truly localized presence for India, leveraging the media group’s vast network of media and operational resources.
The strategic partnership comes as part of Airbnb’s plans to focus on developing the Indian travel market. As a part of the partnership, The Times Group will drive awareness of Airbnb accommodations.
This is a key partnership for Times Global Partners that supports the launch and expansion of emerging global digital companies in India. Previously, Times Global Partners has partnered with Huffington Post, Coursera, as well as other digital companies.
Times Internet MD Satyan Gajwani said, “We are excited to partner with Airbnb to transform the way Indians travel. As a personal user, I’ve found that Airbnb has brought a new dimension of convenience, value, and uniqueness to travel. We look forward to working closely with Airbnb to evangelize community driven hospitality.”
Commenting on the partnership, Airbnb Chief Technology Officer & CoFounder Nathan Blecharczyk said, “We are excited about the opportunity that India presents, and to have one of the most respected partners in The Times Group. We are working on adapting our product for the Indian market so that Indian travelers can live like a local anywhere in the world.”
e-commerce
American Express to acquire AI startup Hyper to boost automation
Deal targets expense management as AI reshapes corporate spending tools.
MUMBAI: From receipts to robots, the expense sheet is getting a brain upgrade as American Express moves to bring artificial intelligence into the heart of corporate spending. The company has announced plans to acquire Hyper, a relatively young but fast-rising startup founded in 2022 that builds AI-powered agents capable of organising expenses, generating reports, verifying compliance with budgets and policies, and nudging users with timely reminders. The deal, expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, underscores a growing shift among financial institutions to automate traditionally manual, time-heavy workflows.
Hyper counts Sam Altman among its backers, adding a layer of Silicon Valley credibility to the acquisition. While financial details remain undisclosed, the strategic intent is clear: deepen automation capabilities and sharpen American Express’s position in the competitive corporate spending ecosystem.
The two companies are not strangers. They previously collaborated in 2024 on a co-branded credit card product, suggesting that the acquisition is less a cold buy and more an extension of an existing relationship. With this move, American Express is effectively bringing that capability in-house, aiming to embed AI directly into its commercial services stack.
Chief executive Stephen Squeri had already signalled the direction of travel in a recent shareholder letter, describing AI as a “structural shift” in how businesses operate. The Hyper acquisition appears to be a direct response to that shift, particularly in expense management, where processes such as approvals, compliance checks and reporting remain ripe for automation.
Alongside the acquisition, the company is also expanding its product suite. A recently launched business credit card offers cashback and benefits at an annual fee of $295, with another card expected later this year moves that complement its broader push into commercial services.
Taken together, the strategy points to a future where managing expenses may require fewer spreadsheets and more algorithms. For American Express, the bet is simple, if businesses are rethinking how work gets done, the tools that power that work need to evolve just as quickly.
