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The Alibaba Group logo displayed on a mobile phone. 

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Chinese tech giant Alibaba on Wednesday said that its core Taobao and Tmall e-commerce platforms will now allow payment through Tencent’s WeChat app for the first time.

Previously, Alibaba’s Chinese e-commerce sites only accepted limited payment options and pushed WeChat Pay rival Alipay as one of the main ways to pay. Alipay is run by Ant Group, an affiliate of Alibaba that was also founded by Jack Ma.

“We have always been open to collaborations, and have actively explored interoperability and partnerships with our peers,” an Alibaba spokesperson told CNBC. “We are constantly working to enhance user experience by making shopping more convenient, enjoyable, and efficient.”

Taobao and Tmall will likely begin accepting payments through WeChat Pay this month, a source familiar with the matter who was not authorized to disclose the details publicly, told CNBC.

The historic move comes as Alibaba looks to reignite growth in its China e-commerce business, which has been under pressure from a sluggish Chinese consumer and from competitors like JD.com amd Temu-owner PDD.

Alibaba CEO Eddie Wu has previously said that the Taobao and Tmall business should return to growth toward the latter half of the firm’s fiscal year 2025.

WeChat has more than 1.3 billion users globally, the majority of whom is located in China. WeChat Pay is one of the biggest mobile payments apps in the country.

By allowing users to transact through WeChat Pay on Taobao and Tmall, Alibaba could therefore increase its market share in less developed parts of China, the source said.

The company’s biggest rival JD.com has also allowed WeChat Pay to be used on its platform for a long time.

Another theme in the background is the regulatory scrutiny that Beijing has put on Chinese technology companies, urging these firms to bring down their so-called walled gardens that block competitors’ products.

Alibaba and Tencent are two of China’s largest internet companies that have built dominance through their sprawling services, which often center around their so-called super apps. That prominance created a situation where, for a long time, rivals would not allow access to each others’ services on their respective platforms.

Tech giants started to change these practices over the past few years, amid criticism from regulators. In 2021, Tencent began allowing users to access external links in one-on-one chats. For example, if someone shared a link from Alibaba’s Taobao in WeChat, a user would be able to open that without leaving the messaging app. That same year, some of Alibaba’s other apps began supporting WeChat Pay.

Last week, China’s market regulator said Alibaba had completed a three-year regulatory “rectification” process following a 18.23 billion yuan ($2.6 billion) antitrust fine the company received in 2021.

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IBM shares drop despite earnings beat

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IBM shares drop despite earnings beat

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna appears at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 16, 2024.

Stefan Wermuth | Bloomberg | Getty Images

IBM shares fell as much as 5% in extended trading on Wednesday after the tech conglomerate issued second-quarter results that topped Wall Street projections.

Here’s how the company did in comparison with LSEG consensus:

  • Earnings per share: $2.80 adjusted vs. $2.64 expected
  • Revenue: $16.98 billion vs. $16.59 billion

IBM’s revenue increased nearly 8% year over year in the quarter, according to a statement. Growth in the first quarter was below 1%. Net income, which includes costs related to acquisitions, rose to $2.19 billion, or $2.31 per share, from $1.83 billion, or $1.96 per share, a year ago.

Software revenue climbed about 10% to $7.39 billion, exceeding the $7.43 billion consensus among analysts surveyed by StreetAccount. Hybrid cloud revenue, including Red Hat, showed 16% growth. The software unit’s gross margin of 83.9% was barely narrower than StreetAccount’s 84.0% consensus.

Revenue from consulting rose almost 3% to $5.31 billion, higher than StreetAccount’s $5.16 billion consensus. Infrastructure revenue went up 14% to $4.14 billion, above the $3.75 billion StreetAccount average estimate.

During the quarter, IBM announced the next-generation z17 mainframe computer and the acquisition of data and artificial intelligence consulting firm Hakkoda.

IBM called for over $13.5 billion in 2025 free cash flow, similar to a projection from April. The company still sees at least 5% revenue growth at constant currency for the year.

As of Wednesday’s close, IBM shares were up 28% so far in 2025, while the S&P 500 index has gained around 8% in the same period.

Executives will discuss the results with analysts on a conference call starting at 5 p.m. ET.

This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.

WATCH: Cramer’s Stop Trading: IBM

Cramer's Stop Trading: IBM

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ServiceNow lifts guidance on AI growth

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ServiceNow lifts guidance on AI growth

Bill McDermott, Chairman, President & CEO ServiceNow, speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Box at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 17th, 2024.

Adam Galici | CNBC

ServiceNow posted strong second-quarter results and lifted its guidance Wednesday. Shares climbed 7% following the report.

Here’s how the company performed compared to LSEG estimates:

  • Earnings per share: $4.09 adjusted vs. $3.57 expected
  • Revenue: $3.22 billion vs. 3.12 billion expected

Subscription revenues, which account for the majority of the enterprise technology company’s revenues, hit $3.11 billion and topped a $3.03 billion forecast from StreetAccount.

The company boosted its full-year subscription revenue guidance to between $12.775 billion and $12.795 billion as it benefits from artificial intelligence adoption.

“Every business process in every industry is being refactored for agentic AI,” said ServiceNow chairman and CEO Bill McDermott in a release.

Net income grew 47% to $385 million, or $1.84 per share, from $262 million, or $1.26 per share a year ago. Revenues grew nearly 23% to about $3.22 billion.

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ServiceNow said it anticipates a 2 percentage point hit to current remaining obligations in the third quarter due to seasonality and more customers renewing contracts in the final quarter of the year. The company also said budget changes at U.S. government agencies could impact results.

“While federal business is a bit uncertain today versus a year ago, we’re navigating it well, and we feel confident that our guidance reflects any potential changes that we’re seeing,” finance chief Gina Mastantuono told CNBC.

In its 2024 annual earnings report, ServiceNow said one U.S. federal government customer accounted for 11% of revenues.

During the first quarter, its public sector business grew 30%, McDermott said during the last reporting period.

Subscription revenues are expected to range between $3.26 billion and $3.27 billion, ahead of a $3.21 billion estimate from StreetAccount. Current remaining performance obligations rose nearly 25% to $10.92 billion in the quarter.

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Texas Instruments stock falls 12% as CEO warns of tariff concerns

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Texas Instruments stock falls 12% as CEO warns of tariff concerns

The Texas Instruments headquarters in Dallas, Texas, US, on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024.

N. Johnson | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Texas Instruments shares plunged 12% after the automotive and industrial semiconductor supplier warned of ongoing tariff aftershocks.

The company said it expects third-quarter earnings between $1.36 and $1.60 per share, a midpoint of $1.48 per share. That fell short of an LSEG estimate of $1.50.

Texas Instruments anticipates revenues between $4.45 billion and $4.48 billion. The midpoint of $4.63 billion was slightly ahead of the $4.59 billion expected by analysts.

In an earnings call with analysts, CEO Haviv Ilan said the company is experiencing a “shallow” recovery in the automotive sector and said customers may have lingering worries over tariffs and geopolitical uncertainty.

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Despite the post-earnings slump, Texas Instruments posted a 16% year-over-year jump in revenue. The company reported earnings of $1.41 per share on $4.45 billion in revenue, surpassing the earnings of $1.35 per share on $4.36 billion in revenue expected by LSEG analysts.

Ilan said that some of the second-quarter strength may have come from a pull forward in demand to acquire inventory ahead of tariffs.

Net income for the company rose 15% to $1.3 billion, or $1.41 per share, from $1.13 billion, or $1.22 per share, a year ago.

WATCH: Texas Instruments shares fall more than 7% despite quarterly beat

Texas Instruments shares fall more than 7% despite quarterly beat

CNBC’s Kif Leswing contributed to this story.

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