Asia has long been an avid champion of robotic technology, with one of the highest adoption rates. It’s also leading in robotic innovation. This edge was showcased clearly this month. 

For one, China surprised the global tech community with the release of a human-like robot available for consumers to purchase at around the same price point as a high-end smartphone. 

Priced at ¥9,998 (US$1,370), Bumi is a three-foot-tall robot built by the company Noetix. The company believes this represents a turning point in robotics commercialisation, transforming humanoids from laboratory prototypes into everyday household devices.

On the industrial side, Neptune Robotics, a Singaporean robotics company, has closed its latest funding round, raising funds for a global push. The company raised US$52 million to accelerate the artificial intelligence-fuelled global expansion of its robots that clean the underside of giant ships.

The success of Neptune is one of many from Singapore, as showcased by the 10th edition of the Singapore Week of Innovation & Technology (SWITCH 2025), which returns to Marina Bay Sands from 29–31 October 2025. 

Yet Southeast Asia’s startups are going through a lean period as early-stage capital moves away from consumer-focused companies to deep tech, and the region’s startups and corporates need to adjust their thinking. 

Let’s take a look at some of the other sectors and regions from across all of Asia that have been hitting the headlines in recent weeks. 

Asia powers space exploration

First, China National Space Administration’s Chang’e-6 mission revealed specks of dust from a kind of water-bearing meteorite so fragile it seldom survives the trip through Earth’s atmosphere. 

This extract from the dark side of the moon offers new insights into our cosmos. Furthering space exploration, Oman became the first country in Southwest Asia to establish a regulated framework for space launches in the future. 

With this approval, Oman hopes to reduce the pressure on current launch windows that are creating bottlenecks and delays when it comes to putting new satellites into orbit. Companies can often wait for months, even years, for commercial flight approval.

Now, Oman has its first-ever commercial launch site. Located in Duqm, the Etlaq Spaceport allows for a range of commercial flights at a lower price point that few other countries can match.

Also Read: The circular economy as the next frontier for Asia’s innovators

Asia’s tech ecosystem brings new sustainability solutions to market

We’ve also noticed a surge in activity from startups and innovators in the sustainability and ESG sectors. 

For starters, Singapore’s RushOwl raised an impressive US$10M Series A round for its platform that aims to reduce overall carbon emissions by helping commuters ride share more easily. The proprietary AI technology from the startups promises to cut emissions by 50 per cent and commute times by 30 per cent. 

In Malaysia, capital markets are set to become a powerful driver of climate resilience and inclusive growth thanks to the launch of Dana Iklim+, the country’s first climate-focused investment fund. Backed by Malaysia’s public sector pension fund, Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (KWAP), the new fund marks a defining step in Southeast Asia’s sustainable finance landscape.

Meanwhile, in Australia, many corporations are now required by law to report on sustainability metrics related to operations and external activity.  Credibl has entered a strategic alliance with Deloitte Australia to launch SustainNext Climate Reporting, a collaboration designed to help businesses address the growing complexities of climate disclosure. 

Beyond sustainability, the tech ecosystem continues to bring the conversation around AI’s role in professional development, and how this is strategically gaining momentum across Asia. The upcoming Asia Association of Test Publishers (A-ATP) Conference, scheduled to take place in Hong Kong in November 2025, connects professionals from the region.

According to Jacob Evans, CTO of the global testing leader Kryterion, “AI-driven proctoring operates quietly in the background; it monitors behaviour, detecting anomalies, and maintaining exam integrity in real time.” Even in a post-pandemic world, remote assessments continue to be essential for professional certifications. However, traditional human proctoring, while effective, faces limitations in terms of scalability and consistency.

Indian founders fly the flag for tech excellence in Asia

In addition to the news of the partnership with Deloitte Australia, the successful trajectory of Credibl ESG is being led by Founder and CEO Jitesh Shetty. He is just one of many from the Indian diaspora who lead startup innovations globally. 

For example, Prezent AI is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, but the founder, Rajat Mishra, graduated from India’s top tech school. In addition, the startup has a satellite office in India’s Silicon Valley.

This month, Prezent AI raised US$30M of funding and acquired Prezentium, in a cash plus equity deal, bringing its total valuation to US$400m. The new milestone places the team on track to become the first enterprise business communication unicorn.

This coincides with the fact that India is poised for a trillion-dollar digital opportunity, driven by a decade of digital transformation, rising incomes, and technology-first progressive policies.

OnceMore, an AI-powered platform that enables film studios, music artists and sports organisations to engage with their fandoms like never before, is poised to take its slice of this huge opportunity. 

The platform went public this month and secured 1.9 million visitors and 1 million registered users across 60 countries in 42 hours. This achievement breaks the previous record set by ChatGPT, which hit its first million users in five days. 

Also Read: Can Southeast Asia power the EV and chip boom without leaving communities behind?

Finally, Ness Digital Engineering is led by CEO Dr Ranjit Tinaikar. This global full-lifecycle digital services transformation company has a longstanding presence in India and across Asia, thanks to its partnerships and offshore innovation centres across the region. 

These offshore centres are now being rebranded as Global Capacity Centres (GCCs) and are playing an increasingly strategic role as success factors for multinationals. South and Southeast Asia are the epicentre of this growth, with India, the Philippines, and Malaysia taking the lead with GCC offerings. India alone has over 1900 centres employing over 2.1 million professionals.

Now, Ness Digital Engineering brings GCCs to Mexico with the inauguration of its Mexico headquarters in Puerta de Hierro, one of Guadalajara’s most prestigious business districts. In a move that underscores Latin America’s rising importance in the global tech ecosystem, this reflects Ness’s commitment to building high-impact centres for AI-driven intelligent engineering. 

China and Spain strengthen their bonds through innovation

Finally, China and Spain continue to build strong ties. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Spain comprehensive strategic partnership. Over the past two decades, the two sides have continuously expanded cooperation areas, building a dynamic and resilient industrial and supply chain partnership. 

This month we saw several examples of how this decades-long partnership is helping to boost innovation and trade. 

On October 9, the China-Spain Trade and Investment Matchmaking Event took place in Madrid. Over 300 representatives from Chinese and Spanish enterprises and business associations gathered for the event, engaging in vibrant exchanges and active matchmaking sessions.

Meanwhile, ISDI, Spain’s first digital business school, hosted an innovation seminar in China on October 20. The summit was held in partnership with Yiqi Business School, a digital business school made in partnership with Chinese tech giant TCL. The week-long program aimed to immerse business and entrepreneurship students in one of the world’s largest technology ecosystems.

Taken together, these developments paint a clear picture of a region in motion. Asia is no longer reacting to global trends but setting them, driving breakthroughs that stretch from deep tech to sustainability to new forms of digital infrastructure. The diversity and pace of innovation across the region suggest that Asia’s next chapter will be one of leadership, not catch-up.

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The crypto market’s 1.24 per cent decline over the past 24 hours reflects a convergence of distinct yet interlocking pressures: security vulnerabilities, technical resistance, and macroeconomic ambiguity. All of this unfolds against the backdrop of a quiet US holiday week. While the broader seven-day trend remains in positive territory at plus 4.26 per cent, the short-term retracement underscores the fragility of risk sentiment in an environment where liquidity thins, correlations tighten, and geopolitical shocks reverberate through digital asset markets with amplified force.

This week’s bearish tilt lies in the Upbit hack, a stark reminder that even regulated, institutionally backed exchanges remain high-value targets for sophisticated threat actors. On November 27, South Korea’s largest cryptocurrency platform confirmed a theft of US$30.4 million in digital assets, with early forensic evidence pointing squarely to North Korea’s Lazarus Group. This attribution carries weight not only because of its geopolitical implications but also due to the group’s notorious track record of targeting crypto infrastructure to fund regime activities.

The market’s immediate reaction, a plunge into Extreme Fear as measured by the Fear & Greed Index dropping to 20, demonstrates how legacy concerns about custody and exchange security continue to haunt an asset class striving for mainstream legitimacy. Investors responded by rotating capital toward perceived safe havens within the crypto universe, notably Bitcoin, whose dominance rose to 58.61 per cent. This flight to relative stability highlights a recurring pattern. When trust in centralised intermediaries erodes, decentralised base-layer assets often benefit, even if only temporarily.

Compounding this security-driven caution was a decisive technical breakdown in Bitcoin’s price structure. For days, US$92,000 had served as a critical psychological and structural resistance level. The failure to sustain a breakout above this threshold triggered a cascade of algorithmic sell orders, resulting in US$20.41 million in liquidations, predominantly short positions caught off guard by the initial dip but unable to recover as momentum faded. Technical indicators further reinforced the bearish undertone. While the 14-day RSI at 42.63 remains technically neutral, it shows a clear loss of upward momentum, slipping from overbought territory earlier in the week.

Also Read: Can people analytics boost Malaysia’s labour market?

Meanwhile, the MACD histogram, though still positive at plus 20.24 billion, presents a troubling divergence. Price action contradicts the bullish signal implied by the indicator, suggesting a weakening of buyers’ conviction. Compounding the issue, derivatives open interest fell by nearly 5 per cent, signalling that leveraged traders are stepping back, a classic sign of risk aversion ahead of major macroeconomic events.

This brings us to the third pillar of today’s market dynamics: macro correlation and policy uncertainty. Despite the US equity markets being closed for Thanksgiving, crypto did not trade in isolation. Its seven-day correlation with the Nasdaq-100, measured via the QQQ ETF, has surged to an unusually tight 0.92. This near-perfect linkage means that even in the absence of US equity trading, crypto remains hostage to the same macro narratives driving tech stocks, namely, the path of Federal Reserve policy. Recent US jobs data came in stronger than expected, tempering market expectations for aggressive rate cuts.

While UOB still anticipates a 25 basis point reduction at the December 17 FOMC meeting, the probability has softened from near-certainty to approximately 85 per cent. This shift matters deeply for crypto, which has increasingly functioned as a risk-sensitive asset class. The slowdown in spot Bitcoin ETF inflows, dropping to just US$21 million on November 26 compared to US$128 million on prior high-volume days, reflects institutional hesitation. With the Fed entering its pre-meeting blackout period this weekend through December 12, 2025, traders are left to navigate a policy vacuum, relying on lagging indicators and thin holiday liquidity to set prices.

That thin liquidity has magnified market volatility. Total 24-hour trading volume across major exchanges fell by 21.5 per cent, a typical seasonal pattern during US holidays, but one that exacerbates price swings when large orders enter the market. In such environments, even modest sell pressure, whether from hacked assets being offloaded or leveraged positions unwinding, can trigger outsized moves. This dynamic is particularly acute in crypto, where market depth remains shallower than in traditional equities or FX markets, despite growing institutional participation.

Also Read: From Tokyo to crypto: How political shifts and policy bets are reshaping global markets

Within this short-term turbulence, structural undercurrents remain supportive. The broader macro environment still points toward impending monetary easing. Bond markets signal renewed appetite for fixed income, with UOB noting that spread widening has made quality bonds attractive again, a precursor to rate cuts. Meanwhile, the US dollar has held steady, and Asian currencies are gaining modest ground, buoyed by easing trade tensions and a stable Chinese yuan. These factors create a more favourable external backdrop for risk assets, including crypto, once the immediate fog of uncertainty lifts.

Looking ahead, three variables will dictate the market’s next directional move. First, developments in the Upbit investigation could either calm nerves if authorities confirm containment and recovery efforts or deepen panic if stolen funds begin circulating widely. Second, Bitcoin’s ability to hold the 89,080 dollar level, which corresponds to the 50 per cent Fibonacci retracement of its recent rally, will serve as a critical technical support.

A breakdown below this level could invite further liquidations and test deeper support zones. Third, and most importantly, Friday’s release of the US Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, will offer the clearest signal yet on whether December’s anticipated rate cut remains on track. A softer print would likely reignite risk appetite across equities, bonds, and crypto alike, while a hotter-than-expected reading could extend the current period of caution.

In sum, today’s dip is not a reversal of trend but a recalibration, a moment of hesitation amid overlapping uncertainties. The crypto market, now deeply enmeshed in the global macro framework, cannot escape the gravitational pull of Fed policy, tech sector sentiment, or geopolitical risk. Its resilience over the past week, despite the Upbit breach and technical rejection, suggests underlying demand remains intact.

The challenge for market participants lies in distinguishing transient noise from structural shifts. In a world where digital assets increasingly mirror traditional financial cycles, patience and precision will determine who navigates this transitional phase most successfully.

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In a world where women’s careers, relationships and life choices shift more rapidly than ever, a new startup called Podium is stepping in with a bold proposition: social health is as essential as physical or mental well-being. Founded by Singapore-based Mai Vo and Alka Gupta, Podium is a networking platform designed for women navigating pivotal life transitions.

At the heart of Podium is a precise diagnosis of a silent but widespread problem. As Vo and Gupta discovered in their research, nearly 70 per cent of ambitious women feel isolated during significant life transitions. The issue is not a lack of friends, but a lack of support systems designed for the realities modern women face: career pivots, fertility decisions, or leadership burnout.

“Traditional support systems weren’t built for what women are navigating today,” the founders explain. Their answer is Podium’s distinctive model, which blends AI-powered matching with curated, intimate gatherings that lead into structured programmes and retreats.

The goal, they say, is to build the global infrastructure for what they call social health. As Gupta puts it, “We’re building deeply human support that’s also globally scalable.”

Podium’s founding story is every bit as personal as the problem it seeks to solve. Vo, formerly at Google, and Gupta, who held leadership roles at Grab and BukuWarung, first connected while both were in the midst of significant life changes.

“We met while we were both in the thick of quitting our jobs and entering new life stages like getting married,” Vo recalls. “Our existing circles couldn’t meet us where we were, so we built the platform we needed; one that evolves with us as we grow.”

Also Read: Eluvo raises fresh capital to fix Philippines’s broken women’s healthcare system

The duo piloted more than 65 in-person events in 2024, refining Podium’s membership model with continuous feedback. Vo notes that the response reinforced their conviction. “We’re convinced Podium is becoming a must-have for working women,” she says.

Who joins Podium?

The typical Podium member is a woman in her late 20s to mid-40s, working at global companies such as Google, Amazon, Meta, BCG or Standard Chartered, or building early-stage startups across Asia. Many are in high-growth roles where career acceleration intersects with profound personal decisions.

Despite being bootstrapped for its first nine months, Podium amassed over 300 paying members and hundreds on the waitlist, fueled almost entirely by word-of-mouth referrals. To the founders, this organic growth is a powerful signal of product–market fit.

With new funding, the team plans to scale acquisition through incentivised referrals, product-led growth and partnerships. In a rare twist for an early-stage startup, Podium’s members are also its largest group of investors. What began as a casual announcement that the founders were preparing to raise funds quickly snowballed into an oversubscribed round, with more than 60 per cent of the capital contributed by Podium members, many of whom were first-time angel investors.

“Our investors aren’t just believers, but collaborators who have experienced the product from the inside,” Gupta says. “Our fundraise is proof of women’s economic power today — when something truly solves for our needs, we back it, we amplify it, and we help it scale.”

The founders say members will continue to enjoy first access to future rounds, turning Podium’s community into a strategic engine for its next phase of growth.

Also Read: Bridging healthcare and cybersecurity: How women are challenging stereotypes in tech

Podium’s business model is a tiered subscription offering that ranges from a base platform membership and peer discovery to curated salons and premium retreats. The structure, Vo explains, creates “a sustainable blend of accessibility and premium offerings.”

Unlike many networking apps that prioritise one-off encounters, Podium focuses on cultivating what the founders call “strong weak ties”: lightly held but high-quality relationships that evolve with its members. Their vision over the next 12 months includes expanding into new hubs such as Hong Kong and Dubai, cities where high-mobility lifestyles often leave women without stable support networks.

In the long term, the goal is ambitious: to make Podium the world’s leading platform for social health. The founders envision a global network where women can find references, role models, and support not only in their hometown but across every central hub.

With fresh capital and a loyal member base, Podium is preparing for its next chapter. The startup plans to double down on product innovation, strengthen its Singapore headquarters and build a top-tier team. International expansion remains firmly on the roadmap, but the founders emphasise that growth will be deliberate and mission-led.

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Images Credit: Podium

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Southeast Asia continues to prove why it is one of the world’s most dynamic regions for innovation, with its youthful population, deep digital adoption, and fast-evolving tech ecosystems. Insights from The Philippine Startup Ecosystem Report 2025 highlight how differently the ASEAN-6 markets are accelerating — each shaped by unique economic conditions, policy environments, and sector strengths.

Singapore remains the region’s anchor hub, combining capital depth, regulatory clarity, and world-class infrastructure. Its US$144B ecosystem value and dominant fintech and healthtech sectors show how strategic governance translates into global competitiveness.

Indonesia, meanwhile, leverages its massive population and rapid digital transformation to build scale. With strong services-sector growth and national AI programmes, it is positioning itself as a future-ready tech powerhouse.

Vietnam and Malaysia represent the region’s rising momentum. Vietnam’s impressive GDP growth and surging VC activity — up 17x since 2018 — underscore its shift into higher-value tech like AI and climate solutions. Malaysia’s maturing ecosystem and booming digital investments point to increasing investor confidence.

The Philippines, though trailing its peers in funding volume, shows remarkable resilience. Despite a 32% funding decline, its rapid digital economy growth and push into AI signal strong latent potential. What the Philippines lacks in institutional capital, it makes up for through founder grit — an asset that could define its next wave of innovation as domestic support structures catch up.

REGIONAL

Thai insurtech firm Roojai nets US$60M: Apis Partners and Asia Partners are lead investors. The company plans to use the new funds to expand in Thailand, accelerate its Indonesian operations, and pursue strategic acquisitions.

Cybercriminals launch 6.3M fake shopping scams; gaming platforms also under fire: Attackers increasingly follow users across online stores, gaming services, and streaming platforms, driving a massive 2025 rise in phishing and malware attempts.

ASEAN’s EV race: Indonesia rises 49% but lags behind Vietnam and Thailand: Strong incentives fuel Indonesia’s EV growth amid auto market contraction, yet limited charging infrastructure and consumer concerns pose major challenges ahead.

Temasek-backed Seviora bolsters regional strategy with Pavilion Capital integration: Pavilion Capital joins Seviora to form a US$72B asset manager, expanding private-market capabilities and strengthening Asia’s investment ecosystem.

Cost pressures, global uncertainty weigh on 2026 outlook for businesses in Singapore, finds survey: SBF Chief Executive Kok Ping Soon said businesses remain cautious about the 2026 outlook, despite reduced concerns over US tariffs.

Eluvo raises fresh capital to fix Philippines’s broken women’s healthcare system: Foxmont Capital is the lead investor. Funding supports Eluvo’s expansion of premium, women-led healthcare services, enhancing fertility, hormonal, sexual, and reproductive care in the Philippines’s underserved market.

Higala closes US$4M round to bring real-time payments to rural banks in Philippines: The investors include Talino Venture Studios, Kadan Capital, and 1982 Ventures. Higala will use the capital to lower digital barriers for rural banks and empower underserved regions with real-time financial services.

Temasek appoints ex-DBS CEO as India chairman: Piyush Gupta will serve in a non-executive role, focusing on investment strategies with Temasek’s India team. Temasek is looking to boost its roughly US$50B India portfolio with larger, more selective bets.

REPORTS, FEATURES & INTERVIEWS

Against the odds: Why Philippines remains SEA’s most undervalued startup market: Amid declining capital and ecosystem gaps, the Philippines’s booming digital economy positions it as the region’s most overlooked growth opportunity.

Philippines enters ‘Intelligent Era’ as AI becomes startup growth engine: AI adoption accelerates in 2025, boosting Philippine e-commerce, logistics, and fintech as the country advances into a more data-driven, intelligent economy.

Foreign funding follows incorporation: Singapore-registered Filipino startups report 100% international backing: Singapore’s stability and investor trust draw Filipino startups to incorporate abroad, revealing persistent Philippine governance gaps affecting growth and international competitiveness.

Inside Funding Societies’s strategy to help SMEs grow through stronger institutional funding: Operating across five Southeast Asian countries, Funding Societies adapts its offerings to the unique needs of each country.

INTERNATIONAL

South Korea’s Upbit halts trading after US$37M crypto hack: An unauthorised transfer of around US$37M in digital assets to an external wallet was detected by the firm. The incident took place a day after Upbit’s parent Dumanu announced a US$10.3B merger with the fintech unit of Naver.

North Korea’s Lazarus suspected in S Korea’s Upbit crypto theft: The hacking group stole about US$30.6M in cryptocurrency from Upbit, South Korea’s largest crypto exchange. A government official said it is possible hackers compromised or posed as administrator accounts, instead of attacking servers directly.

BYD, Geely seen to lead automaker global top 10 by 2030: McKinsey: BYD and Geely were already among the top 10 by sales in 2024, with BYD delivering 4.3M vehicles and Geely selling 3.3M units. China now accounts for over 30% of global car production, and more than 60% of EVs sold worldwide go to Chinese buyers.

Chinese EV makers push overseas as local sales slow: Analysts expect China’s new energy vehicle growth to slow to 13% next year, down from 27% in 2025, partly due to expiring tax breaks. Manufacturers like BYD, Geely, and Leapmotor are seen as better positioned for the expected market downturn.

China warns of bubble risk in humanoid robotics market: According to the National Development and Reform Commission, over 150 humanoid robot makers operate in China. Officials cautioned that a surge of similar products could crowd the market and reduce space for R&D.

SEMICONDUCTOR

Taiwan probes ex-TSMC executive over alleged Intel secret leaks: Taiwanese authorities searched the homes of Lo Wen-jen, a former senior executive at TSMC after the semiconductor firm filed a lawsuit accusing him of passing sensitive information to his new US employer. Intel has denied the allegations.

China blocks ByteDance from Nvidia chips in data centres: The TikTok owner bought more Nvidia chips than any other Chinese company in 2025 to boost computing power. The ban highlights China’s efforts to reduce dependence on US tech amid tighter US export controls on advanced semiconductors.

Nvidia CEO says company leads AI chip market despite competition: Jensen Huang described the AI market as “extremely large” and noted that Google could become a rival if Meta buys billions of dollars in tensor processing units (TPUs) from Google.

AI

Why 2026 will be the year AI finally delivers on its promise for finance: Despite widespread AI adoption claims, few startups run truly AI-native finance. In 2026, disciplined, data-driven CFOs will win by building unified AI stacks, clean data foundations, and agentic workflows that drive capital-efficient growth.

Why the illusion of AI perfection is quietly killing team innovation: AI’s polish can suppress collaboration by making work seem finished. Real innovation comes from visible imperfection, shared experimentation, and human awareness — not blind automation — enabling teams to question, iterate, and think together.

Nataraj Sindam: Charting the intersection of AI, product strategy and early stage innovation: Sindam explores the intersection of cloud, startups and AI, sharing grounded lessons shaped by product work and founder conversations.

The missing rung of the ladder: How AI automation is quietly breaking the career pipeline: AI is eliminating unproductive roles and entry level paths, creating a need for new training ladders and apprenticeship models.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Why we changed our vision after 11 years: Building a unified Southeast Asia: e27 shifts from founder-focused support to unifying Southeast Asia’s tech ecosystem through regional connection and collaboration.

New year, new funding strategies: Powering up sustainability tech startups: Sustainable tech demand is rising, pushing startups to deliver impactful, scalable solutions. With tougher funding conditions, founders must prove resilience, clear impact, strong differentiation, and ecosystem collaboration to attract investors.

Fed rate cut odds hit 85%: Here’s how stocks, crypto, and gold are reacting: Markets rallied on rising expectations of a December Fed rate cut, with strong labour data reinforcing optimism. Equities, crypto, and Asian markets surged, while bonds, currencies, and commodities reflected cautious but improving sentiment.

Robotics, space, sustainability: The forces shaping Asia’s next tech chapter: Southeast Asia’s robotics startups are going through a lean period as early-stage capital moves away from consumer-focused companies to deep tech, and the region’s startups and corporates need to adjust their thinking.

The role of edutech in an AI-ready workforce: Traditional training methods like long modules, static slide decks, and one-way seminars often fail to keep employees motivated. With edutech, trainers can design learning experiences that are interactive, using gamification and real-time feedback.

The rise of logistics startups in Southeast Asia: How AI powers supply-chain revolution: AI powered logistics is transforming Southeast Asia’s fragmented supply chains through smarter routing, forecasting and last mile automation.

Reinvention vs improvement: Are we changing the process or the product?: Innovation often boosts efficiency without changing purpose. True reinvention asks deeper questions, reimagining mobility, learning, and success. Education must shift from digitising old models to redefining what learning is for.

Gobi Partners’s expansion sets stage for increased Japan–SEA co-investments: Gobi Partners enters Japan via JR East’s LiSH hub, creating a cross-border venture bridge linking Japan’s innovation ecosystem with Southeast Asia’s growth markets.

The grant funding mindset: When non-dilutive capital becomes a mirror of founder readiness: Grant funding rewards disciplined systems and clean operations, not ideas, making readiness and consistency the true competitive edge.

Clean energy in Malaysia: Opportunity amidst uncertainty: Malaysia’s clean energy sector faces uncertainty as NEM2.0 ends and major players enter. Independent firms pivot to smart energy management, driving innovation despite COVID-19, while stakeholders await clarity on NEM3.0 and supportive policies.

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AI has transcended its status as a buzzword and is now essential for organisations determined to stay ahead in today’s competitive landscape. This reality is echoed across numerous technology events and research papers throughout 2025.

According to the Google Cloud research report on the 2025 State of AI infrastructure, 98 per cent of organisations are actively exploring its use, with 39 per cent already deploying it in production.

Here are three transformative AI trends that are shaping the future of innovation:

AI-powered personalisation

Personalisation fuelled by AI takes centre stage at technology discussions globally. Many innovators from startups to corporate leaders showcased how advanced data analytics combined with machine learning delivers hyper-personalised user experiences. From bespoke e-commerce recommendations to AI-generated visuals, this technology is helping brands deepen consumer engagement and brand awareness.

Take, for example, retail. The momentum behind AI-driven personalised shopping continues to accelerate rapidly. According to the McKinsey survey, “over 75 per cent of consumers are turned off by content that doesn’t feel relevant. The bar keeps rising, and AI makes it possible to meet that bar at scale.”

AI’s ability to personalise at scale is raising the bar in marketing and beyond.

Google’s Gemini personal AI assistant is an example of this move toward highly customised user experiences, bringing smart, responsive AI right to individuals’ fingertips. The development of such personal AI assistants marks a significant step toward creating seamless digital experiences, where technology not only responds to commands but proactively assists users in their daily lives. As AI continues to evolve, these assistants will become even more sophisticated, further blurring the lines between human and machine interactions and transforming how we access information and services.

Rise of agentic AI as autonomous collaborators

Agentic AI—intelligent systems capable of making independent decisions—is going to reshape how businesses operate. Moving beyond command-based tools, AI is expected to start acting as a proactive partner, autonomously interacting with customers and internal systems. This evolution fosters dynamic, adaptive business ecosystems where smart agents enhance responsiveness and efficiency across sectors.

Enterprises are fully embracing it. For example, Microsoft offers the opportunity to make an autonomous agent by using Microsoft Copilot Studio.

Also Read: When privacy becomes a privilege: Balancing user protection with fair access for innovators

At the industry and function level, agentic AI solutions in retail personalise shopping by autonomously recommending products and handling customer relationship management. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants learn from customer behaviour to deliver timely and relevant support for service inquiries. This leads to improved customer satisfaction and more efficient business operations.

AI is transforming process automation across functions

Automation powered by AI is redefining operational workflows. From healthcare to marketing, organisations deploy AI to manage complex tasks and generate actionable insights with minimal human oversight.

Speaking of the industry level, in healthcare, AI can expedite diagnostics and design personalised treatment by processing massive medical data swiftly.

Another illustration of this trend is on the function level in marketing: technology startups leverage AI-driven predictive analytics to optimise ad spend, boosting return on advertising investment.

AI automation is also transforming marketing content creation and data management. By automating tasks such as data entry, transcription, and basic customer interactions, businesses boost efficiency and significantly lower operational costs.

According to responses received by SurveyMonkey in their questionnaire, 54 per cent of marketing agencies and 51 per cent of small businesses directly utilise AI tools to enhance efficiency and competitiveness, with many planning to expand their AI investments.

AI’s strategic role in amplifying performance is unmistakably expanding. Key advantages of AI automation include scalability—enabled by cloud infrastructure and adaptive models that handle growing business demands without manual scaling—speed as AI systems process data and respond in real time, and accuracy by minimising human error through consistent data validation and quality control. AI’s ability to autonomously manage complex workflows beyond human monitoring capacity is increasingly vital in dynamic business environments.

As 2026 comes, these trends mark a promising path forward—where innovation and real-world impact converge to redefine the future of technology.

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