News
Instagram’s Broadcast Channels Are Coming To Facebook
The Telegram-like one-way messaging tool will also be available on Facebook Messenger.
In February, Meta announced a Telegram-esque feature for Instagram known as “Broadcast Channels”, which acts as a one-way announcement tool for the app. Broadcast Channels allows creators to send updates to their followers without needing to post on their main pages.
Now, Meta is expanding Broadcast Channels’ availability by bringing the service to Facebook and Messenger. Influencers, creators, and celebs with Facebook pages will now be able to send messages, photos, videos, and voice notes to their followers, which will appear under a tab labeled “Channels”.
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Participants will get a notification every time a page owner sends an update, but the feature can be muted at any time. Meta says admins of any page where the Broadcast Channels are accessible can start using the tool, though it isn’t available everywhere yet, so some users may need to join the waiting list.
News
Saudi Digital Payments Reach 80% As Cash Use Shrinks
Visa data shows cards and mobile wallets dominate spending, with smartphones now driving a growing share of daily transactions.
Digital payments now account for 80% of all transactions in Saudi Arabia, according to Visa’s latest Where Cash Hides report, another marker of how quickly the Kingdom is moving away from cash.
The share is up four percentage points from a year ago. Around 67% of consumers are now largely non-cash users, paying mainly with cards or mobile wallets. Smartphones are taking a bigger role, with mobile payments making up 16% of transactions.
Cash is retreating in routine spending. Eating out dropped 9%. Bill payments fell 8%, as shoppers opt for faster checkouts and app-based payments.
“The data shows a steady move toward digital payments in Saudi Arabia. Such progress is possible only because banks, fintechs, merchants, and technology partners are moving together in the same direction, in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030,” said Ali Bailoun, Visa’s Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman.
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Despite the recent findings, it’s important to note that cash hasn’t yet disappeared. It still shows up for tips (39%), peer-to-peer transfers (28%) and rent (14%).
Visa points to security features such as tokenization, along with rewards and cashback, as factors nudging more spending onto cards and phones — a shift that tracks with Saudi Arabia’s wider Vision 2030 push to digitize commerce.
Saudi Digital Payments Reach 80% As Cash Use Shrinks
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