HYDERABAD: Ratan Tata , chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, joined a clutch of investors, including American Express, First Round Capital and Jungle Ventures, in a $14 million (Rs 91 crore) series A fundraising by US-based digital cash transfer company Abra This is the first investment in digital payment services for Tata, who has previously shown interest in consumer-facing online ventures."We are looking forward to market penetration advice and mentorship from Tata on how to expand into India as part of our global plan to build an Uber like payments platform in the world," Abra founder and chief executive Bill Barhydt said.The Abra app will initially be available to registered users in the US and the Philippines in the coming weeks. Abra, which works on Bitcoin and crypto currency technologies for interchange of currencies, is setting up a multi-country teller network for money transfer through mobile apps.The Abra Merchant API enables consumers to pay the merchant by typing their mobile number at checkout. Authorisation and settlement happen as soon as the consumer confirms the transaction via the Abra app."As people and businesses transact globally, there’s a need for more convenient and affordable ways to move money, and we think Abra could play an important role in the evolution of money transfer and commerce, especially in emerging markets," said Harshul Sanghi, managing partner, American Express Ventures.Abra has been signing up merchants for this solution and will launch the Merchant API service later this quarter. The app, which has been in the works for about 18 months, is a brainchild of Barhydt, a former Netscape senior executive and Nasa engineer.