Microsoft Launches API for Chatbot Ads; LinkedIn Shutters China Operations

by Hannah Dillon on 10th May 2023 in News

In today's ExchangeWire news digest: Microsoft launches a new API to enable ads to be delivered in chat; LinkedIn closes its Chinese social networking platform, InCareer; and Mastercard announces a new data and services hub in Malaysia.

Microsoft announces API for ad delivery via chatbots

Microsoft has announced a new API to enable the delivery of ads via chatbots. Chat API will allow publishers, apps, and online services to “customise their experience with ads and create more economic value through their chat investments,” according to Kya Sainsbury-Carter, corporate VP, Microsoft Advertising.

LinkedIn closes operations in China

LinkedIn is shutting down its social networking site in China as regulators ramp up their scrutiny of foreign companies. The InCareer app “has faced increasingly fierce competition and macroeconomic challenges,” the company stated, with CEO Ryan Rolansky confirming the closure will result in over 700 job losses.

Mastercard opens data and services hub in Malaysia

Mastercard has launched a data and services (D&S) hub to support its clients in the Asia-Pacific region. Based in Malaysia, the new hub will offer cybersecurity, credit risk, and data analytics services to help companies scale their businesses. Mastercard confirmed that the hub is intended for both private and public firms, to “make more data-driven decisions and optimise performance and profitability”.