e-commerce
Isobar specialists to power globally connected commerce offering
MUMBAI: Isobar, part of Dentsu Aegis Network, has announced the launch of a global Isobar Commerce practice.
The commerce practice will deliver commerce experiences for clients through globally integrated platforms and solutions that are informed by local insight. This will bolster Isobar’s strategic capability to deliver commerce solutions through the Isobar Commerce practice and will include 1,000+ commerce specialists across Isobar’s network in Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific.
As part of the launch, centres of excellence have been established in Americas1, EMEA2 and Asia-Pacific3, and market-leading commerce company Bluecom will be rebranded as Isobar Commerce. The practice will include all Commerce centres of excellence, all e-Commerce, m-commerce, retail commerce experts and Commerce off-shore delivery centres within the Isobar network.
Combined with the digital creative, design capability and omni-channel expertise within Isobar, the Isobar Commerce practice will bring brand inspiration and commercial interaction closer together. The practice will further improve the performance, efficiency, and ROI for a client’s digital transformation efforts and support Isobar’s position as a leading digital agency. Isobar is the only agency named as a Leader on Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Digital Marketing Agencies for the third consecutive time (2015, 2016, 2017) and as a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Digital Experience Service Providers, Q4 2015.
The Practice will deliver commerce experiences using platforms and solutions with the biggest technology players, including Salesforce, Adobe, SAP Hybris and Magento –combining strategic, technology and operational support to multimarket and regional clients. It will also cover strategy and brand commerce in third-party market-places, such as Amazon and Tmall. The end-to-end offering includes commerce strategy and consulting, customer experience design, data and technology implementation and platform management to ensure rapid growth for our clients.
Isobar global CEO Jean Lin explained: “The reinvention of last mile is a key part of business transformation today, and the commerce specialists from our global practice will help our clients to win in the digital economy. As part of Isobar’s Brand Commerce strategy, we utilise data, customer experience and technology expertise to create seamless experiences that deliver measurable commercial success. The creation of the Isobar Commerce practice will further strengthen our commerce capability and global consistency to bring brand inspiration and transaction closer.”
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.
