News
Instagram Sets Sights On Linktree With ‘Links In Bio’ Feature
The highly-requested update was announced by the face of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, via his broadcast channel.
Today, Instagram is rolling out a new site-wide feature for adding external links to user profiles. The system works the same way as Linktree and is seen as a direct challenge to the service, as well as the likes of Beacons and other “link in bio” providers.
Meta announced that users can now add up to five links to their Instagram profile bios, directing followers to any external content they like, including online businesses, promoted brands, causes they care about, or even profiles on competing social media platforms.
Services like Linktree came into existence mainly because many social media companies used to prevent users from adding external links to other sites over fears they would be helping to direct traffic to content outside their platforms.
In the current climate, Instagram likely sees expanded access to links as a competitive advantage, potentially luring creators back to its app from the likes of TikTok.
Using The Feature
To use the feature, users need to tap the “Edit profile” icon, followed by “Links”, then “Add external link.” After adding a URL, it’s possible to drag and drop links in the order that users want them to appear.
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As well as allowing links to external websites, Instagram also lets users link to their Facebook profile via a dedicated option. This official Meta link has a more professional appearance, complete with a Facebook icon and text description label.
Functionality
Instagram’s bio links don’t open in a separate browser window but stay inside the Instagram app. If users want to move to their built-in browsers, they must tap the three-dot menu at the top of the page and hit “open in system browser”.
The highly-requested new Instagram feature was announced by Mark Zuckerberg on his broadcast channel — itself a relatively new feature that we reported on recently, allowing creators to send messages to their entire fanbase.
News
Paymob Extends Series B Funding To $72M Amid Continued Growth
The financial services provider has secured an extra $22 million after strong performance in its core market of Egypt.
Leading financial services provider Paymob has secured an additional $22 million in a funding extension, bringing its Series B total to $72 million.
The funding was spearheaded by EBRD Venture Capital, with support from Endeavor Catalyst. Existing backers such as PayPal Ventures, BII, FMO, A15, Nclude, and Helios Digital Ventures also participated, reaffirming their confidence in Paymob’s business model and potential in the regional fintech industry.
This extension comes on the back of Paymob’s strong performance in its core market of Egypt, where it has experienced 6x revenue growth since the initial Series B in Q2 2022. With the Series B extension and continued profitability in Egypt, Paymob is well-positioned to further its expansion strategy across the MENA region.
Islam Shawky, Co-founder and CEO of Paymob, commented: “We are very excited by our strong prospects in Egypt – where we hold a market-leading position – and the significant traction experienced in the UAE since launching operations there. This funding will help Paymob fully capitalize on the momentum in our established markets, as we accelerate our GCC roll-out. We remain committed to creating cutting-edge infrastructure enabling SMEs across the region to thrive in the digital economy and are proud of our continued impact”.
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The expansion into GCC markets has been driven by Paymob’s initial Series B funding of $50 million, raised in 2022 and led by Kora Capital, PayPal Ventures, and Clay Point. The investment fueled Paymob’s growth, allowing it to launch its mobile app in 2023 and grow its merchant base by 3.5 times, now serving nearly 350,000 merchants across MENA.
Paymob has also expanded its payment acceptance suite to offer 50 payment methods through its gateway, POS terminals, and the Paymob app, providing the region’s most comprehensive fintech solution. The company recently introduced embedded checkout services for Shopify and WooCommerce, further demonstrating its commitment to empowering small and medium businesses across the region.
Paymob Extends Series B Funding To $72M Amid Continued Growth
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