ShieldPay announces Visa relationship
British online secure payments platform ShieldPay.com announced it has signed a global agreement with Visa, which includes investment from the credit giant. The relationship will see ShieldPay's digital escrow system integrated into Visa's CyberSource payment gateway to enable secure peer-to-peer transactions.
Domain acquires CommercialView.com.au
Domain, the No. 2 property site in Australia, will acquire industry-backed commercial property site CommercialView.com.au in a deal worth as much as $12.3 million U.S.
Zoopla removes Facebook Marketplace listings
Zoopla.co.uk, Britain's second-largest real estate classified, is ending the Facebook Marketplace integration that began on September 5, 2018. It will no longer share rental ads on the social media giant, allegedly to protect agents' interests.
Realtor.com adds text messaging feature
New feature allows the 78 percent of home-seekers who connect via mobile to text real estate agents.
Strong finish for bicycle marketplace Tuvalum
Spanish second-hand bicycle marketplace Tuvalum.com announced a strong finish to its 2018, with a turnover of €2 million ($2.3 million U.S.). It also raised €257,000 from SeedRocket 4Founders Capital in November.
Lifull completes Mitula acquistion
Japanese digital real estate giant Lifull has completed the acquisition of Spain-based, Australian Stock Exchange-listed Mitula Group. The Mitula Group owns a number of real estate horizontals in addition to its core classified aggregation business.
AutoNation leads Vroom investment of $146 million
Vroom just keeps vrooming along. The latest round, led by AutoNation, brings the total investment in the company to $440 million.
PurpleBricks steps into EMoov gap
PurpleBricks.co.uk, Britain's largest hybrid agency has extended its services to sellers let down by EMoov.co.uk's collapse. Clients have until December 21 to contact PurpleBricks, which will take on their property and market it free of charge.
Human Resocia extends RPA horizon
Japanese human resource firm Human Resocia Inc. has launched business automation and labor-saving support services for its client companies in Sapporo. It already provides RPA training in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Sendai, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka.
REA launches agent rating and reviews portal
REA Group, the operators of the No. 1 property site in Australia RealEstate.com.au, have launched a ratings and review portal that the company says will help agents “extend their digital reach.”