Malaysia’s TNG Digital raises US$168.3M led by Lazada
The funding round also included a follow-on investment by Touch ‘n Go, which is a TNG Digital shareholder and the firm’s parent company; This brings the total funding raised by the firm over the last 18 months to US$220M+.
1982 Ventures eyes over US$30M for Fund II
It looks to ramp up investments in early-stage fintech startups across SEA, Pakistan, and Bangladesh; The VC firm has so far garnered US$5M commitment from LPs; The fund is expected to be launched in Q4 this year or early next year.
Seedstars secures US$20M for second seed-stage fund
Investors are IFC, Visa Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, and Symbiotics; The fund aims to invest in 100 pre-seed and seed-stage companies across Asia, Africa, LatAm, and the MENA region over the next three years.
Cryptocurrency regulations should evolve: Mistletoe Singapore MD Atsushi Taira
If smaller countries like Singapore and Estonia can change the crypto regulatory framework, it can be a good starting point; Regulators need to be savvy enough to understand the technology and then accept new types of KYC.
Thai authorities investigating possible losses for Zipmex users
The Thai SEC is calling for affected users of the crypto exchange to submit information on how they were affected by the withdrawal suspension via a public forum; Zipmex announced the temporary withdrawal suspension on July 20th.
Binance names 27 projects in latest blockchain incubator cohort
The Most Valuable Builder programme aims to empower projects and founders building DApps on BNB Chain; The incubation phase will last for six to eight weeks, where selected projects will join coaching sessions and workshops.
Philippines not eyeing crypto ban, says central bank exec
Felipe Medalla’s liberal yet cautious outlook comes as Asian countries seek better ways to manage cryptocurrencies; Cryptocurrencies are fairly popular in the Philippines.
Singapore rubber trading platform HeveaConnect bags US$7.1M
Lead investors are Provident Capital Partners and DeClout Ventures; HeveaConnect provides a digital trading platform that connects producers, traders, and buyers. It has facilitated transactions of 600K+ MT of rubber since 2019.
Indonesia-focused fintech firm raises US$4.8M in Vertex-led round
Other investors are ADB, Accion Venture Lab, and Lippo Group; Fairbanc’s platform enables SMEs to take out short-term credit to buy fast-moving consumer goods from large consumer brands.
Alibaba shutters online retail platform Tmall in HK
The Chinese ecommerce giant gave no clear reason for the shutdown, except for “business strategy adjustments”; However, Alibaba said it will continue to provide payment and delivery services in HK via its C2C arm Taobao Marketplace.
SG maritime platform Smart Ship Hub nets US$2.5M in pre-Series A money
Lead investors are Ideaspring Capital and StartupXseed Ventures; Smart Ship Hub offers fleet management SaaS for ship owners and operators, charter parties, maritime insurers, and port authorities.
Alpha JWC, Picus Capital lead US$2.4M round of SG SaaS firm Omni HR
Omni HR’s main offering is an employee management system that helps companies execute human resource processes such as employee onboarding and leaves and document management.
Indonesian e-grocery firm KedaiSayur bags Series A
Investors include Kejora-SBI Orbit and Triputra Group; KedaiSayur has three business lines: an e-groceries app, B2B groceries ordering platform, and farmers management service; The firm claims to have served 100K+ customers and businesses.
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