*By Michael Teich*
Amazon inked a new partnership with American Express, but don't expect the financial industry to be the next area the tech giant jumps into.
"The thing that people misunderstand is that tech companies don't want to manufacture financial products," said Lex Sokolin, Global Director of Fintech Strategy at Autonomous Research. "It's about making the ecosystem and the platform more powerful, and finance is just a feature inside of that."
American Express announced Tuesday it will launch a co-branded Amazon credit card for small businesses. The move accelerates Amazon's foray into financial products and strengthens its position as a lender. The goal, Sokolin said, is to enable small businesses to finance their activities, getting more products on Amazon's platform, and ultimately driving more commerce.
Plus, the opportunity costs of devoting itself to the financial industry are too high.
"Amazon has tremendous high-growth, super interesting, blue oceans to explore,” he said. "They could be investing in building a mortgage business, or they can build artificial intelligence business."
For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/amazon-bolsters-financial-prowess-with-new-credit-card)
Colgate-Palmolive is shedding light on the little-known fact that oral health is integral to overall health. The consumer products company will commit $100 million over five years to transform the way the world thinks about and addresses oral health. Maria Ryan, Chief Clinical Officer at Colgate-Palmolive, discusses why oral health is so vital to our physical and mental well-being.
Amid ongoing tensions in the Russia-Ukraine region, many American travelers are nervous about traveling to Europe.
It comes at a time when international travel was set to make a comeback, but uncertainty surrounding the conflict may delay the overall recovery. Francesca Page, Travel Expert, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Daniel Newman, Founding Partner & Principal Analyst at Futurum Research, discusses whether Apple's Peek Performance event will be enough to lift shares and what the impact of cutting ties with Russia means for the tech giant's growth prospects.
Jason Moser, Senior Analyst at The Motley Fool, discusses the industries most impacted by the return to office trend and outlines the factors that may affect spending this year.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine is coming for the global food supply. Ongoing tensions in the region are threatening the supply of various agricultural products including wheat, barley and corn. Vladik Rikhter, CEO & Cofounder of Zenput joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss how this could impact food prices overseas.
Aaron Easterly, CEO of Rover, discusses the factors that led to Rovers YOY growth and how the potential uptick in travel and commuting will affect Rover for the remainder of the year.
Peter Andersen, Chief Investment Officer at Anderson Capital Management, discusses the ramifications of Europe reducing dependence on Russian oil and how the Fed may respond to rising interest rates.
U.S. markets opened mixed on reports that Biden could announce a ban on Russian oil as soon as today. Robert Cantwell, Founder and Portfolio Manager at Upholdings joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
