e-commerce
Amazon to pull the plug on Prime Now globally
New Delhi: E-commerce giant Amazon has decided to pull the plug on its standalone Prime Now delivery app globally. The platform was launched in 2014. Its two-hour delivery options will now be integrated on its main app and website.
It is important to note that Amazon has already moved the Prime Now experience to Amazon in India, Japan and Singapore and retired the Prime Now app and website. It is now suspending the operations in all other countries as well. “To make this experience even more seamless for customers, we are moving the experience from a separate Prime Now app onto the Amazon app and website so customers can shop all Amazon has to offer from one convenient location,” it said in a blog post.
Now, there will be one convenient app for shopping, tracking orders and contacting customer service.
“In the US, we began making two-hour delivery from Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market available on Amazon in 2019. Globally, we’ll move our third-party partners and local stores to the Amazon shopping experience before the Prime Now app and website are retired later this year,” said Amazon vice-president of grocery, Stephanie Landry, adding that the platform will be completely shut down by the end of 2021.
The company said that the feedback from customers who have shopped for two-hour delivery on Amazon has been overwhelmingly positive and it’s a natural next step to simplify the ultrafast delivery experience globally. In the US, customers can now easily add items from their Alexa shopping list to their Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods Market shopping cart.
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.
