NEW YORK (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc on Wednesday became the last of the big U.S. banks to agree to allow customers to send instant payments by mobile phone over an industry network that is competing with upstart Venmo.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A cyber security company on Wednesday asserted that the hack of 500 million account credentials from Yahoo was the work of an Eastern European criminal gang, adding another layer of intrigue to a murky investigation into the unprecedented data heist.

(Reuters) - YouTube, Google's video streaming service, has hired former Warner Music Group executive Lyor Cohen as its global head of music as it looks to strengthen its relationships with the music industry.

(Reuters) - Swedish music-streaming service provider Spotify is in advanced talks to acquire German rival SoundCloud, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing people briefed on the discussions.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A computer hacker sympathetic to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government pleaded guilty for his role as a middleman in an extortion scheme targeting U.S. media outlets and governments, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Wednesday.

(Reuters) - Apple Inc and Deloitte LLP announced a partnership on Wednesday in which the consultant will open a new practice to help corporate clients work with Apple products, the tech firm's latest attempt to boost enterprise sales as its key product, the iPhone, shows signs of maturation.

LONDON (Reuters) - Banks and other financial institutions are adopting blockchain technology "dramatically faster" than initially expected, with 15 percent of top global banks intending to roll out full-scale, commercial blockchain products in 2017, IBM said on Wednesday.

LONDON (Reuters) - Technology giant Apple said on Wednesday it is moving its London headquarters to the landmark Battersea Power Station, a move hailed by the government as a sign that major firms are still investing after the Brexit vote.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission proposed measures on Wednesday to increase controls on exports of cyber-surveillance goods and technologies that can be used to violate human rights or threaten international security.

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Uber Technologies starts its UberEats food-delivery service in South Africa on Thursday before expanding in the rest of the country and into the continent, it said on Wednesday.

HONG KONG/MUMBAI (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc is in talks to buy a minority stake in India's largest e-commerce firm Flipkart, two sources familiar with the matter said, as the world's biggest retailer aims to get a slice of a fast-growing online retail market.

A posed Blackberry Pearl smartphone is seen at the Research in Motion (RIM) headquarters in Waterloo, November 16, 2009. REUTERS/Mark Blinch/File Photo

A sign with the TAKATA logo is seen outside the Takata Corporation building in Auburn Hills, Michigan May 20, 2015. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook/File Photo

A magnifying glass is held in front of a computer screen in this picture illustration taken in Berlin May 21, 2013. REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski/File Photo

FILE PHOTO -- An Autonomous trucking start-up Otto vehicle is shown during an announcing event in Concord, California, U.S. August 4, 2016. REUTERS/Alexandria Sage/File Photo

(Reuters) - Sears Holdings Corp is partnering with ride-services company Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] as the struggling retailer tries to make its rewards program more attractive to shoppers.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Uber Technologies [UBER.UL] on Wednesday said it will launch a food-delivery service in Japan as it looks for new ways to enter a potentially massive market where its ride-hailing service has been blocked by regulation and opposition from taxi drivers.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Cisco Systems Inc plans more than $4 billion worth of expansion in Mexico between 2016 and 2018, the Mexican government said on Tuesday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - John Thaler, the tech, media and telecom stock specialist who shut down his hedge fund firm JAT Capital Management LP in 2015, is considering a return to managing other people's money, including launching a new hedge fund, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is seen on stage during a town hall at Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, California September 27, 2015. Picture taken February 27, 2015. REUTERS/Stephen Lam/File Photo - RTX2K5PB