Three reasons why Amazon might be interested in buying movie theaters

This week's highlights: Alibaba and Kroger are partnering on groceries, Samsung has finally unveiled its Echo competitor — here's a look at the hurdles it will face, Bitmain is going public for $18 billion, and much more

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WEEKEND ROUNDUP Why Amazon might be interested in buying movie theaters Amazon was reportedly mulling over a purchase of Landmark Theatres, a movie theater chain focused on indie and foreign films which operates over 50 theaters in 27 markets across the US. The chain is currently owned by a group backed by billionaire Mark Cuban, although sale discussions are preliminary and may not materialize. For background, Netflix earlier this year was reportedly interested in purchasing the Landmark Theatres chain but backed off the idea. Neither company has commented, and Deadline reported that Amazon might be out of the running, but it's worth weighing the benefits a theater chain could provide the tech and commerce giant. Business Insider Intelligence's Kevin Tran has the full story. Business Insider Intelligence Daily is just a preview of Business Insider Intelligence. Get started, risk-free today to unlock research reports, briefings, industry forecasts, exclusive data, and more. BRIEFING HIGHLIGHTS Alibaba and Kroger are partnering on groceries Kroger and Alibaba began a strategic grocery partnership on Wednesday that will see the US grocer sell its products in China through an online storefront on Alibaba's Tmall Global site, marking its first international expansion. Read More → Samsung has finally unveiled its Echo competitor — here's a look at the hurdles it will face The new speaker will be powered by Samsung's Bixby voice assistant and compete with other smart speaker devices, namely the Amazon Echo, Apple HomePod, and the Google Home Max. Read More → Bitmain is going public for $18 billion Chinese crypto conglomerate Bitmain is reportedly filing for an initial public offering (IPO) in which it hopes to raise $18 billion. Bitmain, which is the world's leading producer of crypto mining chips, or ASICs, has already closed $450 million in private funding. Read More → Lyft is giving auto dealerships a transportation solution Lyft Concierge, a web-based ride-dispatching platform, is being integrated into CDK's Dealer Management System to allow about 300 dealerships to dispatch Lyft rides for their customers when their cars are under repair. Read More → YouTube is battling a video view inflation issue Some YouTube video view counts may be deceptive: Users can easily buy bot-driven views for their YouTube videos from third-party sites, with views costing pennies each. Read More → Costco just added contactless card compatibility The major retailer recently turned on NFC functionality on its point-of-sale (POS) terminals, allowing for contactless payments made with both cards and mobile wallets. Read More → The World Bank will start issuing bonds via blockchain The World Bank has partnered with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) to issue a bond over a private blockchain that was built on top of the Ethereum network, and then checked by Microsoft for its architecture, security, and resilience. Read More → Amazon is pushing further into insurance Amazon is reportedly in talks with some of Europe's biggest insurance companies to launch its own UK price comparison website for insurance policies. Read More → Samsung just leapt ahead in the 5G race with the industry's first 5G mobile chip The chipset, dubbed Exynos Modem 5100, is compliant with the newly accepted industry standard for 5G, which was affirmed in June by 3GPP, the international wireless standards body. Read More → Alibaba just introduced a subscription service The "88 VIP" membership program is a new tier within the 88 Membership Club, Alibaba's preexisting loyalty program that launched last year. Read More → Did a friend forward you this newsletter? Get it daily by clicking here. RESEARCH IN FOCUS The Influencer Marketing Report Brands continue to tap celebrities for endorsement deals, but they're also increasingly turning to social media personalities, broadly known as "influencers." Social influencers cater their content to specific areas, like fashion, beauty, parenting, or gaming. In this report, Business Insider Intelligence identifies how brands can find and manage relationships with social media influencers. We note the most engaging industries, pitfalls to avoid, and opportunities to cash-in on. Finally, we explore how major social platforms are increasingly building out tools that enable their most popular users to build their personal brands. Learn More → The Edge Computing Report Edge computing solutions help companies grapple with rising data volumes by reducing their reliance on (and the costs of) cloud computing. In this report, Business Insider Intelligence examines how edge computing is reducing companies' reliance on cloud computing in three key industries: healthcare, telecommunications, and the automotive space. We explore how these systems mitigate issues in each sector by helping to efficiently process growing troves of data, expanding the potential realms of IoT solutions a company can offer, and bringing enhanced computing capability to remote and mobile platforms. Learn More → AI in Banking and Payments This report cuts through the hype to offer an overview of different types of AI, and where they have potential applications within banking and payments. It also emphasizes which applications are most mature, provides recommendations of how FIs should approach using the technology, and offers examples of where FIs and payments firms are already leveraging AI. The report draws on executive interviews Business Insider Intelligence conducted with leading financial services providers, such as Bank of America, Capital One, and Mastercard, as well as top AI vendors like Feedzai, Expert System, and Kasisto. Learn More → Do you already have Business Insider Intelligence access through your company? Check here. CHARTS OF THE WEEK Smart home device ownership leads to a snowball effect that presents customer targeting opportunities Verizon will bundle YouTube TV or Apple TV with 5G rather than trying to compete with a content play of its own Consumers prefer retailers over online marketplaces for first-time purchases Business Insider Intelligence Daily is a free newsletter highlighting topics the Business Insider Intelligence research team finds interesting. Published around 5pm ET Monday through Friday. 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