Moovaz acquires van-hailing platform GetVan; This allows it to bolster its end-to-end relocation ecosystem with GetVan’s technological offering and strong driver-partner network; Recently, Moovaz acquired The Finder from Singapore Press Holdings; In May, the relocation startup raised US$7M Series A led by Quest Ventures. e27
E-commerce aggregator iPrice raises funding from JG Digital Equity Ventures; This is the continuation of its Series B, being led by ACA Investments; This financing will allow the group to tap into the Philippines’s large e-commerce market and enhance its current product. e27
WW III may already be happening online. Here’s why you need better cybersecurity; In this century, cyber threats are often as dangerous as bombs; A well-planned attack could shut down a city and cause massive financial losses, injuries, and even deaths; In APAC, digital threats reveal increasing diplomatic destabilisation. e27
Malaysia’s digital money services firm Merchantrade acquires Valyou from Telenor Group; Merchantrade will now have a combined annual remittance turnover value of over US$2.7B; The merged entity will have a staff strength of over 1,200, a network of over 1,700 touch-points, and will serve a customer base of over 3M. e27
Singapore’s AMTD Digital raises US$285M from Value Partners, Greater Bay Area Homeland Investments, others; It builds a one-stop digital solutions platform that connects different stakeholders in the SpiderNet ecosystem via digital innovations; AMTD recently acquired insurtech firm PolicyPal. e27
Singapore is seeing a rise in ‘buy now, pay later’ (BNPL) services: Will it help fill retail’s gap?; According to Singtel MyBusiness, 25% of consumers who abandoned their shopping carts did so because of high prices; Since most BNPL solutions keep interest rates at 0%, customers don’t feel the pinch of having to pay extra for the same product, and are more likely to make the purchase. Vulcan Post
Alibaba’s logistics arm Cainiao expands its last-mile network into Singapore; It has partnered with Singapore Post, BEST, Roadbull, and Park N Parcel; The last-mile network will comprise over 1,600 collection points, 600 couriers and 500 lockers island-wide; Singapore’s US$2.4B e-commerce industry is projected to grow at 12-20% annually over the next 5 years. TechCoffeeHouse.com
Could a Chief Biology Officer (CBO) make your company more profitable?; The CBO will help you identify vendors that use sustainable biological manufacturing, secure supply chains, and completely transform your business; In the beginning, your CBO will help your CEO identify the low-hanging fruit that will transform your company. Forbes
IFC acquires stake in debt management firm Collectius to launch US$60M investment platform; It is solely dedicated to acquiring and resolving unsecured debt in Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and soon Vietnam; The post-pandemic economy may restructure the debt collection model in Asia. Fintech News
Disgruntled consumers want regional e-commerce players to step up their game in ASEAN; Indonesia (54%) and Malaysia (57%) recorded the lowest satisfaction levels in the region when it comes to online experiences, says a study; This suggest that while major brands (Shopee, Lazada, Grab) enjoy high usage rates in the region, this growth has come at the cost of greater scrutiny from consumers. TechCoffeeHouse
Plant-based incubator NEW FOOD Startup 2020 launches in Indonesia; Up to 10 winners will be chosen to receive up to US$25K in funding; Startups targeted include those working on plant-based meat alternatives, plant-based dairy alternatives, alternative protein technologies and novel packaging solutions. Green Queen
UMG Idealab invests in Indonesia’s team monitoring app Jari; The app is equipped with features such as managing employee attendance with check-in and check-out selfies and GPS-based location recording; UMG Idealab is a unit of UMG Group Myanmar and has invested in nearly 30 startups. e27
PhillipCapital, PrimePartners, Fundnel commence trading private company shares HGX; This enables investors and issuers to gain global liquidity and access opportunities in funds, high-growth companies and other alternative private assets; The private exchange is also allowed to list and trade both digital and non-digital Capital Market Products. e27
GIC returns as lead investor in consumer credit unicorn Affirm’s US$500M Series G; The Singapore wealth fund had also backed Affirm’s Series F in April 2019;. It first entered the firm in December 2017 by leading the startup’s US$200M Series E. DealStreetAsia
NTUitive’s new programme VB18 will help Singaporeans get paid while building a business; The 12-month venture building programme will be funded by the SGUnited Traineeships Programme; 18 fresh graduates will be selected for this; Selected participants will receive a monthly stipend of US$1,800/month. e27
Words that matter most when raising capital; Before you even begin fundraising so you know whom you want to take money from; It means speaking to founders who previously raised from that investor and knowing what to ask; Looking into their previous investments and their appetite to deploy capital. e27
Digitisation is the future that will empower Malaysia; Today, Malaysia is one of the most digitally connected societies in the world, with more than 90 per cent households having access; However, only 62% of businesses are connected to the Internet. MiDec
Bank of Thailand develops digital system for better SME funding access; The central bank has continued to develop its authentication technology National Digital ID, and expanded the service to other financial service providers apart from banks. Bangkok Post
Singapore taps Apple for national health initiative, called LumiHealth, using Apple Watch; LumiHealth uses technology and behavioural insights to encourage Singaporeans to keep healthy and complete wellness challenges through their Apple Watch and iPhone; The 2-year program will be offered from late Oct 2020. HIT Consultant
The AI landscape is shifting from ‘data’ to ‘knowledge.’ Here’s why that matters; Big Data requires sophisticated AI models to analyse and derive knowledge and insights, while the AI models need the critical mass of Big Data for training and optimisation. The Next Web
How SEA startups are using content marketing to scale; Startups generally have a love-hate relationship with content marketing; It costs about 62% less than traditional marketing to generate 3x as many leads but can be tricky to master. Tech Collective
Halal Street UK launches Malaysia’s halal e-commerce platform; HalalExtra.com will enable Malaysian halal products to be sold in the UK and Europe; The platform promotes day-to-day products under food, health, beauty, snacks, seasonings and condiments, and meat and poultry, among others. Malay Mail
gojek kick-starts Thai operation after brand unification; The Indonesian decacorn plans to unify its Thai and Vietnamese brands and bring them under one tech platform to take the fight to Grab; gojek has more than 50K drivers and 30K merchants in Thailand, where food delivery is booming. Nikkei Asia Review
Coinbase is looking for a country manager in Singapore; The exec will be spearheading the crypto exchange’s expansion strategy in the region; This includes evaluating and recommending growth options in Asia based on individual market analysis. TechInAsia
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