South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s stop in Singapore before heading to the Philippines was more than ceremonial diplomacy — it was a strategic signal.

At the Korea-Singapore AI Connect Summit, Lee positioned artificial intelligence not merely as a technology trend but as a national competitiveness imperative. His announcement of a US$300M global fund to be established in Singapore by 2030 marks Korea’s first offshore master fund dedicated to AI and deeptech startups, underscoring Seoul’s intent to anchor itself deeper within Southeast Asia’s innovation ecosystem.

The proposed Korea-Singapore AI Alliance adds institutional weight to that ambition, linking policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders in what Lee described as an open innovation framework. The emphasis on joint research to address global challenges suggests a bid to move beyond capital flows toward co-development and shared intellectual leadership.

For two resource-scarce but talent-rich economies, collaboration in AI is both pragmatic and symbolic. As the sector remains dominated by the US and China, Seoul and Singapore appear to be betting that middle powers can still shape emerging technologies — not alone, but together.

REGIONAL

S Korea to launch US$300M AI startup fund in Singapore by 2030: The fund will invest in promising AI and deep‑tech startups from both countries. The fund would be Seoul’s first offshore global master fund and proposed a Korea‑Singapore AI Alliance.

myFirst bags US$8M to build a safer first internet for kids: Vertex Ventures is the lead investor. myFirst’s technology stack is designed around a simple idea: children should be able to communicate and create without being exposed to the open social web.

Dyna.Ai lands eight-figure Series A to move banks beyond AI pilots: Investors include Lion X Ventures and ADATA. Singapore-based Dyna.Ai aims to deploy agentic AI inside banks, betting enterprises are shifting from pilots to governed, results-driven systems built for measurable operational execution.

Toku emerges stronger from IPO year with AI suite driving monetisation: Toku grew FY2025 revenue 9.3% to US$34.8M, with usage revenue up 21%, improved EBITDA, reduced debt, and strengthened finances post-IPO, positioning its AI platform for margin expansion and global growth.

Indonesia launches platform to combat rising gaming addiction: DARA is a multiplatform private counselling service designed to help children and families manage gaming addiction. Studies show about 33% to 39% of high school students in some samples fall into moderate to severe gaming addiction.

FEATURES & INTERVIEWS

‘Profitability is an inflexion point, not the finish line’: PolicyStreet CEO: Khazanah-backed PolicyStreet posted over US$1 million in profit after 2.5x revenue growth, with CEO Yen Ming Lee outlining disciplined capital management and a sustainable embedded insurance model.

Strait of Hormuz closure: A potential chokepoint for the Southeast Asian tech startup ecosystem: Skyrocketing energy prices might erode profit margins for startups in SEA hubs, where data centres guzzle electricity for AI training and cloud computing.

From bridge rounds to global awards: Startups across Asia keep building: Asian startups are securing funding, partnerships, awards, and leadership hires — but visibility drives credibility. On e27, dynamic profiles turn milestones into lasting signals of traction, momentum, and growth.

INTERNATIONAL

Amazon to invest US$50B in OpenAI, expands cloud deal: They’re expanding their multi-year contract from US$38B to US$100B over eight years, and OpenAI will secure about 2 gigawatts of Trainium capacity on AWS. They’ll work to customise OpenAI models specifically for Amazon developers to integrate more deeply with AWS infrastructure.

Amazon to invest US$9B in Korea, eyes public sector AI push: As part of the deal, it plans to invest over US$5 billion by 2031 in data centres. Ham Kee-ho, AWS Korea’s managing director, predicts that AI-native models could allow Korean startups with fewer than 12 employees to generate US$100B in annual revenue by 2029.

China unveils first national standards for humanoid robots: The system is built on six pillars – foundational and common standards, neuromorphic and intelligent computing, limbs and components, full-system integration, application, and safety and ethics.

ChatGPT uninstalls surged by 295% after the deal with the US gov: CEO Last week, the AI giant reached an agreement allowing the Department of Defense to use its AI models in the department’s classified network. This follows a high-profile standoff between the DoD and OpenAI’s rival Anthropic.

Pine Labs to launch stablecoin prepaid cards in 9 countries: The prepaid card will be funded from consumers’ digital wallets with stablecoins and will convert them into local currencies at the point of sale in real time. It does not plan to launch the product in India or China.

CYBERSECURITY

‘Cybersecurity must move at the speed of AI development’: ArmourZero CEO: Tho Kit Hoong warns AI-driven development is accelerating application and supply chain risks, urging enterprises to adopt real-time, contextual risk intelligence to secure modern software ecosystems across Southeast Asia and beyond.

Beyond the audit: Why risk management is the secret engine of 2026 growth: In a permacrisis economy, risk management is no longer compliance theatre but a growth engine. Founders must tackle non-linear scaling, correlated expansion risks, and AI obsolescence to build resilient, sustainable startups.

Cyber risk is moving upstream but we’re still defending downstream: Cyber defence once focused on firewalls and incident response. Today, risk forms upstream—in architecture, code, identity, and supply chains—long before attacks occur, demanding security by design, not detection alone.

Cybersecurity is not an IT problem: It is a trust architecture crisis: Southeast Asia’s digital economy risks fragility as cybersecurity remains siloed. Trust depends on empowered people, coordinated governance, and resilient infrastructure — not perimeter defence — to sustain confidence at scale.

SEMICONDUCTOR

China chip firms post big 2025 gains as Nvidia H200 blocked: Cambricon, Moore Threads, and MetaX posted large revenue rises for 2025 as domestic demand for semiconductors climbed amid Beijing’s tech-sufficiency push. Cambricon posted its first full-year profit of US$306.02M in 2025, while revenue jumped 450% to US$947.23M.

India chip market to hit US$103B as AI, EV drive demand: Domestic semiconductor market could nearly double to US$103B by 2030 from US$52B in 2024. The next 18 months are key as the ecosystem transitions from policy announcements to operational readiness.

US may cap Nvidia H200 exports to Chinese firms at 75,000 units: Bloomberg reported that Alibaba and ByteDance privately sought orders larger than 75,000 units, which per-customer limits would restrict. The US rules would restrict Chinese companies from using H200s to build data centres overseas.

AI

71% of APAC firms see AI as top data security risk: report: Only 35% of Asia Pacific firms know where all their data resides, 40% can fully classify it, and 47% of sensitive cloud data remains unencrypted. Credential theft leads attacks on cloud management infrastructure in Asia Pacific at 69%, compared to 67% globally.

Singapore targets 100K workers in AI upskilling programme: The city-state last month unveiled a US$122B budget to help it navigate a “more dangerous world,” marked by technological challenges and trade fractures. The PM has made AI a key plank in his economic strategy and pledged there’ll be “no jobless growth” amid this push.

When AI stops being a feature and starts being infrastructure: As AI quietly shifts from experiment to infrastructure, reliability, governance, and accountability matter more than novelty. Once embedded in workflows, AI demands ownership, maintenance, and resilience — because business-critical systems cannot afford failure.

Nvidia, telecom firms partner to develop AI-powered 6G networks: Nvidia said the members will commit to building 6G networks using software-controlled radios running on general-purpose computers that use AI to help direct radio traffic safely and efficiently.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Extreme fear grips crypto: What 15 Fear Index reading means for your portfolio: US–Israel strikes on Iran triggered a global risk-off selloff, with crypto plunging alongside equities as correlation hit 78%, extreme fear spiked, leverage unwound, and oil-driven inflation fears clouded near-term recovery prospects.

How to use Bayesian thinking to pick a winning startups investment: Startup investing isn’t about bold vision, but Bayesian humility—updating beliefs with evidence, not hype. In a game of frequent failure, disciplined probability beats conviction, protecting investors from bias, overconfidence, and self-deception.

Why I’m trading bytes for atoms: The 65-year-old investor breaking the climate tech silos: After 33 years building and backing startups, this founder is “refiring” into FOAK climate-tech and nature-based solutions, launching Sherpa Alpha to back asset-heavy ventures bridging innovation, capital, and infrastructure gaps.

The investor data room: The final battlefield for trust: Startup deals often stall at due diligence: investors scrutinise data rooms, governance, and documentation. Institutional capital flows to ventures proving operational discipline, transparency, and readiness — not just compelling growth narratives.

The hidden risk most Founders don’t plan for: When everything looks “fine”: Success can mask structural risk. Overreliance on key people and weak systems stay invisible until disruption hits — and by then, damage is costly. Founders must diversify keyman risk early, while calm prevails.

Why perfect carbon audits could cripple climate finance — and what to fix instead: Blaming auditors for junk carbon credits misses the real problem: bloated methodologies. Lean baselines, satellite MRV, and smarter oversight can protect integrity without pricing developing-country climate projects out.

Transition climate risk: Navigating the future of sustainable real estate: As economies decarbonise, real estate faces rising transition risks from regulation, market repricing, technology shifts, and reputational pressure, demanding proactive decarbonisation, green financing, and data-driven resilience strategies.

Throwaway gold: How data can tap into the unrealised potential in plastic waste: Amid a worsening plastic crisis, poor data blocks a US$120B recycling opportunity. Better insights, inclusive systems, and circular innovation could transform waste into economic and environmental value.

The shifting geopolitics of sustainability, energy, and climate: Policy shifts in the EU, UK, and Canada reveal sustainability, energy security, and geopolitics converging — reshaping ESG standards, supply chains, Indigenous governance, and strategic business decision-making worldwide.

Can Bitcoin help us in the fight against climate change?: Bitcoin’s energy use draws criticism, but experts argue it consumes less than traditional banking and increasingly relies on renewables, potentially incentivising clean energy adoption while reshaping ESG and institutional investment conversations.

Revolutionise your business operations: A smarter alternative to lengthy paper processes: Paper-based processes slow businesses and cost up to US$36 per agreement. E-signatures boost productivity, enhance security, reduce costs, and cut environmental impact.

Why investors and customers are betting on ESG-aligned startups: Embedding ESG early helps startups accelerate growth, attract investors and talent, manage risk, drive innovation, and build resilient, purpose-driven businesses aligned with evolving market, regulatory, and consumer expectations.

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There is a quiet assumption in the tech ecosystem that artificial intelligence makes systems smarter simply by being added to them. Smarter credit underwriting. Smarter hiring. Smarter insurance pricing. Smarter healthcare routing.

In practice, most AI does something much more specific.

It makes existing decisions more consistent.

And consistency, while valuable, is not the same thing as intelligence.

Modern institutions were not designed to misunderstand people. They were designed to scale. As companies grew, human discretion became difficult to standardise and defend. So we replaced judgment with rules, and rules with statistical models. When machine learning matured, we replaced static scorecards with dynamic prediction engines.

Each step improved efficiency. Default rates fell. Time-to-hire shortened. Fraud detection sharpened. Operational variance narrowed.

But in the process, decision-making quietly shifted from something revisable to something conclusive.

A credit score stopped being a signal and became a gate.

A résumé filter stopped being a screen and became a ceiling.

A risk model stopped being advisory and became authoritative.

AI did not create this structure. It inherited it.

Prediction is not learning

And when predictive models are layered onto rigid systems, they don’t automatically make them more humane or more inclusive. They make them more precise.

The real question is not whether AI predicts accurately. It’s whether the system it sits inside is designed to learn over time.

Prediction looks backward. Learning moves forward.

Most AI deployed today is exceptionally good at learning patterns from historical data. But historical data reflects past institutional decisions as much as it reflects human potential. When we train models on who defaulted, who churned, who succeeded, or who stayed, we are teaching systems to recognise patterns of past behaviour within past constraints.

That can be commercially effective.

It is not the same as recognising human change.

The thin-file reality in emerging markets

This distinction becomes particularly important in Southeast Asia and other emerging markets, where large segments of the population are “thin-file” not because they are risky, but because they are under-documented. Informal income streams, non-linear career paths, gig-based work, and evolving digital footprints do not fit neatly into static classification systems.

When AI is applied purely to optimise gatekeeping, thin-file individuals are processed faster—but not necessarily understood better.

So perhaps the next evolution of AI isn’t about better prediction at the moment of decision. It’s about redesigning when decisions become final.

Keeping decisions revisable

Human-Centric AI is less about replacing humans and more about structuring systems so that early judgments remain provisional. Instead of collapsing uncertainty into a single score, these systems make uncertainty visible. Instead of asking “approve or reject,” they ask “what trajectory is emerging?”

In credit, that means observing volatility and recovery patterns before default rather than reacting after missed payments. In hiring, it means recognising learning velocity and adaptability rather than screening purely for static experience similarity. In insurance, it means detecting mitigation behaviour before loss severity increases. In healthcare, it means integrating longitudinal signals before thresholds are breached.

None of this requires lowering standards. It requires raising resolution.

The commercial implications are significant. Broad segmentation caps growth. Static thresholds protect against loss but limit expansion. When systems can safely interpret individual trajectories, hyper-personalisation becomes operationally viable rather than marketing rhetoric. Previously “unscorable” customers become observable. Early stress becomes manageable. Risk becomes dynamic rather than binary.

This is not an ethical pivot. It’s a structural one.

The design choice that defines AI

At InsightGenie, this philosophy shapes how we design behavioural AI across financial services, HR, and health use cases. Rather than building sharper filters, we focus on modelling behavioural trajectories — how patterns evolve, stabilise, or deteriorate over time. Voice analytics, engagement signals, and behavioural micro-variations are not used to freeze identity. They are used to detect movement.

Because intelligence in institutional systems should not be measured only by how accurately it predicts an outcome.

It should be measured by how early it recognises change.

We are still early in the AI adoption curve across the region. Many systems are being built now that will define how opportunity, access, and risk are allocated for decades. The decisions made at the design level — whether models close decisions quickly or keep them revisable — will shape whether AI becomes a tool for rigid optimisation or adaptive growth.

The debate is often framed as humans versus machines. That framing is already outdated.

The more relevant question is simpler: when new information appears, is the system allowed to change its interpretation?

If the answer is yes, AI becomes an engine for responsiveness.

If the answer is no, AI becomes a very efficient way of preserving the past.

The technology is not the constraint.

Design is.

If this resonates and you’re rethinking how your systems make — and revise — decisions at scale, let’s talk. Reach me directly at vincent@insightgenie.ai.

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Startups across Asia continue to push forward with new funding, leadership hires, global competition wins, and enterprise partnerships. Yet many of these milestones remain scattered across social feeds, press releases, or private investor updates. In a market where visibility influences credibility, distribution matters as much as execution.

On e27, company profiles are increasingly becoming living records of startup progress. They are not static directory listings, but dynamic pages that document a company’s evolution over time: funding rounds, product launches, regulatory approvals, leadership changes, partnerships, and awards. For investors, corporates, and ecosystem players browsing the platform, these milestones provide real-time signals of traction and momentum.

If you are building, your milestones deserve more than a single post that disappears in 24 hours. Create your startup profile and share your updates. Visibility compounds, and the startups that consistently document progress are often the ones that stay top of mind.

Below is a look at some of the latest milestones shared by startups on the platform.

MUI-Robotics — Bridge Round with Akai Wagon Partners
MUI-Robotics has secured a bridge round of funding from Akai Wagon Partners, a Japan-based investor. The funding adds to the robotics startup’s runway as it continues to develop and scale its offerings, with the backing of a Japanese investment partner signalling confidence in the company’s direction and regional relevance.

BrndIQ — Public and Agency Plans Launch
BrndIQ has rolled out public plans starting at US$28 per month, with additional discounts of 10–25 per cent available for quarterly or annual commitments. The company has also introduced agency plans featuring whitelabel capabilities. New users can sign up with 30 free credits to explore the platform.

Also Read: As Asia’s startup ecosystem moves forward, these milestones show what founders are building

TAG MY BOX — Go Green Go Global Hackathon 2025 Consolation Award Winner
TAG MY BOX was selected as a Consolation Winner at the Go Green Go Global Hackathon 2025. The recognition came from GS1 Singapore, Singapore Manufacturing Federation, and APGA, highlighting the startup’s work at the intersection of innovation and real-world sustainability challenges.

UIB Holdings — UIB names former WhatsApp Director Deepesh Trivedi as CEO
API AI company UIB.ai has appointed Deepesh Trivedi, former Director and Board Member at WhatsApp, as its new CEO. Based in Singapore, Trivedi will lead UIB’s growth strategy in the expanding white-label omnichannel conversational and generative AI market.

M3TRIQ — First Place at Evolved Technology 2025 Global Sprint
M3TRIQ has taken first place in the Agentic Automation and Workflow Optimisation track at Evolved Technology 2025, a global AIxBio hackathon backed by NVIDIA, Nebius, and Lux Capital. The win was powered by AMPSA, the company’s multi-agent system designed for cross-species antibody adaptation.

ClinSync — Partnership with Genira for AI Drug Safety Reporting
ClinSync has partnered with Genira to integrate its AI-powered pharmacovigilance application into early-stage oncology trials. The integration supports ICHE2B (R3), MedDRA, and WHODrug compliance, aiming to ease clinicians’ documentation burden while ensuring data security and faster adverse drug reaction reporting.

Good Bards — Selected for HP Garage 2.0 Cohort 2
Good Bards has been selected to join HP Garage 2.0, a curated accelerator programme designed as a launchpad for startups building alongside HP. As part of the cohort, Good Bards will co-create, validate real-world AI use cases, and accelerate its go-to-market strategy.

Tisane Labs — Partnership with AccelByte
Tisane Labs has announced a new partnership with AccelByte, integrating its advanced AI-powered moderation capabilities directly into the AccelByte platform. The collaboration aims to strengthen content moderation for gaming and interactive entertainment platforms.

Also Read: Big Wins and Bold Moves: 10 SEA Companies Sharing Their Latest Milestones

Synscribe — Joins Iterative W26 Batch
Synscribe has joined Iterative’s W26 batch to scale its hybrid SEO and GEO agency powered by AI. The startup is building an AI-operated agency framework to automate the human-heavy parts of account management, helping B2B SaaS startups win visibility on both Google and ChatGPT.

Staple — GovTech Innovation Challenge Award
Staple AI has been selected as one of six award recipients in the World Bank GovTech Innovation Challenge, supported by SECO Economic Cooperation and Development and Trust Valley. The recognition positions Staple among a select group of companies advancing innovation in government technology.

Why this matters

Milestones are more than announcements. They are signals.

For investors, they indicate execution velocity, capital efficiency, and market validation. For corporates, they highlight potential partnership readiness. For media and ecosystem players, they surface emerging categories and breakout companies.

Startups that consistently document their progress build a visible track record over time. A funding round is stronger when it follows documented product launches. A partnership carries more weight when supported by prior awards or pilot wins. Publicly archived milestones create narrative continuity and institutional memory.

Create your startup profile here.
Post your next milestone here.

If you are building, document it. If you are scaling, amplify it. Visibility is part of growth.

Also Read: Why 2025 is a milestone year for startup funding in the Philippines

Looking ahead: Echelon Singapore 2026

Echelon Singapore 2026 brings together 300+ investors, 500+ corporates, and 100+ media over two days, focused on real deal-making. Founders leave with term sheets, pilot projects, and partnerships, not just business cards.

Secure your startup a booth now at 40 per cent OFF here.

Unsure if you’re the right fit? Reach us at events@e27.co.

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The recent closure of the Strait of Hormuz can potentially unleash a cascade of negative impacts on the Southeast Asian tech startup ecosystem. Skyrocketing energy prices might erode profit margins for startups in hubs such as Singapore, Jakarta, and Hanoi, where data centres guzzle electricity for AI training and cloud computing. Operational costs have surged as oil disruptions inflate fuel prices for logistics and server cooling systems. Hardware imports face delays and premiums, crippling prototyping timelines for semiconductor-dependent ventures that rely on Malaysia and Vietnam.

Supply chain snarls compound the crisis. Rare earths, chips, and helium—critical for tech manufacturing—route through Hormuz-linked routes, sparking shortages that stall scaling efforts. Petrochemical hikes hit packaging and plastics, squeezing gadget makers. As one LinkedIn analysis notes: “Semiconductors and oil & gas sectors in Southeast Asia face immediate volatility from Hormuz closure”. Investors, spooked by geopolitical chaos, are pulling back. Venture capital flows, already cautious following the post-2025 slowdown, now prioritise resilient sectors, delaying funding rounds for energy-vulnerable startups.

This perfect storm threatens innovation pipelines. AI firms, burning cash on power-hungry models, confront slashed budgets mirroring broader tech spending slowdowns. A Nikkei Asia report confirms: “Strait of Hormuz closed to energy, other traffic,” amplifying regional refining strains. Southeast Asian tech startup ecosystem players, from fintech in the Philippines to e-commerce in Thailand, risk stunted growth amid 20-30 per cent cost spikes. With this, layoffs loom as founders slash teams to survive.

Broader economic ripples deepen the pain. Inflationary pressures curb consumer spending on apps and services, hitting ad revenues for digital natives. Regional governments, juggling energy imports, may hike taxes or subsidies, diverting focus from startup incentives.

Also Read: AI is not about automation. It’s about when systems are allowed to learn.

Yet, amid turmoil lies opportunity for the nimble. Startups can pivot to resilience strategies, fortifying the Southeast Asian tech startup ecosystem against future shocks.

Localisation tops the list. Firms should onshore critical components, tapping Vietnam’s chip assembly boom or Indonesia’s rare earth potential. Partnerships with Australian or US suppliers bypass Gulf chokepoints, stabilising costs.

Renewables offer a lifeline. Solar-powered data centres in sunny Singapore cut oil dependence, slashing bills by up to 40 per cent. Indonesian startups could lead with their climate tech edge, attracting green VCs wary of fossil risks.

Diversified funding models emerge. UAE crowdfunding platforms and sovereign funds fill VC gaps. Bootstrapped successes, such as Vietnam’s budget AI tools, prove lean ops thrive in crises.

Policy advocacy matters. Collective lobbying for tax breaks on renewables and supply chain insurance bolsters ecosystems. Governments in Malaysia and Thailand have already signalled support by fast-tracking visas for green tech talent.

Finally, agility defines winners. Southeast Asian tech startup ecosystem pioneers embracing AI for predictive logistics or blockchain for transparent sourcing turn liabilities into leads. As Hormuz tensions persist, pivots today ensure dominance tomorrow. Bold founders will not just survive—they will redefine regional tech supremacy.

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Image Credit: Venti Views on Unsplash

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At Echelon Philippines 2025, Adriel Yong, Co-Founder and COO of Clout Kitchen, sat down with Vince Yamat, Managing Director of 917Ventures, to unpack how the corporate venture builder powers innovation for Globe Telecom.

Over six years, 917Ventures has assessed more than 1,200 ideas, launched 36 companies, and grown 13 active portfolio firms. Fintech stands out as a core strength, with ventures like GCash expanding financial access for underserved communities across the Philippines.

Yamat also shared why 917Ventures prefers building companies from the ground up rather than acquiring them, enabling greater control and long-term value creation.

The post Echelon Philippines 2025 – Building at telco-scale: How startups can leverage Globe’s ecosystem for fast-track market entry appeared first on e27.

In most emerging economies, elections introduce uncertainty. In Bangladesh’s case, the 2026 general election is doing the opposite; it is restoring predictability.

For global investors, founders, and institutions watching South Asia, this moment is less about politics and more about signals: signals of stability, policy continuity, and economic clarity. In capital markets, predictability is currency.

Bangladesh is not entering unfamiliar territory. Historically, its strongest economic phases have followed periods of political clarity. The successful completion of the 13th National Parliament Election in 2026, therefore, represents more than a governance transition; it marks the reopening of a long-term growth window.

A nation built on resilience, not luck

Bangladesh’s economic narrative is inseparable from its social history. From the Language Movement of 1952 to the Liberation War of 1971 and continued democratic movements across decades, the country’s identity has been shaped by collective resilience and civic determination.

Unlike many frontier markets where progress fluctuates sharply with political cycles, Bangladesh has demonstrated an unusual trait: forward economic motion despite adversity.

Since independence, the country has maintained one of the most consistent GDP growth trajectories among developing economies. Even through global recessions, commodity shocks, and regional disruptions, the economy has shown structural endurance. For investors, this signals institutional adaptability rather than short-term volatility.

Why the 2026 election matters economically

Political stability is not an abstract concept in financial markets. It directly influences:

• Risk perception
• Investment timelines
• Infrastructure execution speed
• Foreign direct investment confidence

The 2026 election outcome reduces ambiguity and restores a clearer policy roadmap. For domestic businesses, this means expansion decisions resume. For foreign capital, it lowers hesitation and lengthens planning horizons. In emerging markets, clarity often unlocks capital. Bangladesh is entering that phase.

Also Read: Emerging sleeping giant: Why global investors can’t afford to overlook Bangladesh — Part 1

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In the race to build the next “everything app” or AI-driven unicorn, we’ve become obsessed with velocity. We talk about time-to-market, sprint cycles, and acquisition costs. But we are overlooking the one metric that actually dictates whether a company scales or collapses: The trust gap.

The digital economy doesn’t just run on code; it runs on confidence. As we move into an era of ubiquitous AI and real-time everything, cybersecurity is evolving from a back-office technicality into a front-office growth engine.

The innovation paradox

We are currently experiencing significant tension. Generative AI has allowed teams to move at speeds we couldn’t imagine three years ago. But this “move fast and break things” ethos is hitting a ceiling.

When innovation outpaces governance, the result isn’t just “risk”-it’s friction. Ungoverned AI usage, often referred to as Shadow AI, can quietly expose sensitive data and create compliance blind spots. Deals stall in procurement for six months. Regulators pull the handbrake. Customers hesitate.

The most successful leaders I’m seeing today aren’t just building the fastest AI; they are building the safest AI. They understand a fundamental truth: Innovation gets you to the starting line, but trust determines how far you can run.

Security as a strategic gatekeeper

For years, security was the “department of No.” It was the final checkbox-the annoying hurdle at the end of a sales cycle.

That dynamic has flipped. In the enterprise world, security is now the first hurdle. Buyers are no longer asking “What can your tool do?” first. They are asking, “Where does my data live? How is it encrypted? Will your AI models learn from my proprietary secrets?”

Also Read: In Southeast Asia, cybersecurity is booming but funding is not

According to PwC’s 2026 Global Digital Trust Insights survey, 60 per cent of organisations now rank cyber risk investment among their top three strategic priorities, reflecting how closely trust is tied to business resilience and growth.

If you don’t have clear, “trust-by-design” answers, you don’t have a seat at the table. In this light, cybersecurity isn’t a cost centre; it’s a competitive moat.

Case study: Engineering confidence at Agora

This becomes critical when discussing real-time engagement. When you’re dealing with live audio, video, and instant messaging, mistakes don’t just happen; they broadcast.

At Agora, we’ve found that the only way to maintain market-leading speed is to bake trust into the architecture itself. This “Trust-by-Design” framework is built on three pillars that any scaling tech company should adopt:

• Privacy by default: Data shouldn’t be harvested by default; it should be ephemeral. At Agora, we ensure customer data isn’t used to train AI models unless explicitly configured.
• Sovereignty as a service: Navigating the messy patchwork of global regulations requires technical agility. By using regional data routing and geofencing, we allow our partners to expand into new markets without violating local data laws.
• Encrypted integrity: Security shouldn’t be a plugin. Real-time media must be encrypted at the source to ensure that the “now” is always protected.

This matters in a landscape where true cyber readiness remains rare. The same PwC survey also shows that only six per cent of organisations say they are fully prepared across all major cyber risk areas, highlighting how trust-by-design is quickly becoming a competitive differentiator rather than a default capability.

Also Read: Cybersecurity and data governance in the boardroom: A strategic imperative for Asian boards

From “cost” to “growth multiplier”

Consider the global live-commerce marketplaces we support. These platforms host thousands of simultaneous auctions daily, handling identities, payments, and fraud risks in milliseconds.

They didn’t win by hiring more compliance officers. They won by building on a platform where trust was pre-engineered. This approach shortened their enterprise security reviews and allowed them to expand into new regions with zero friction.

In their case, security wasn’t a handbrake designed to stop them-it was the precision control that allowed them to navigate high-speed growth without spinning out.

The new measure of resilience

As we look toward the rest of 2026, we need to redefine what “resilience” means. It’s no longer just about 99.9 per cent uptime. It’s about 99.9 per cent confidence.

Resilience is your ability to convince a regulator, a partner, and a customer that their data is safer with you than it is anywhere else. Trust isn’t a byproduct of success; it is the prerequisite for it.

If you want to move fast, build a better engine. If you want to go far, build a better foundation of trust.

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Deliveroo is leaving Singapore, and the message to the region’s food delivery market is blunt: scale without sustainable unit economics is no longer a strategy, it’s a countdown.

In a statement announcing an “orderly wind-down process”, Deliveroo said it will exit Singapore following “a review of country-specific conditions” and a renewed focus on “investing where we see the clearest path to sustainable scale and long-term leadership”. The platform will remain live until 4 March 2026 as it works with local teams to support “customers, partners and riders through the transition”.

The Singapore shutdown is part of a broader retrenchment. Its parent, Nasdaq-listed DoorDash, Inc., said it is exiting four countries across its Deliveroo and Wolt brands: Qatar, Singapore, Japan, and Uzbekistan. DoorDash added that it is also “implementing limited operational changes in select locations, including investing in certain engineering roles in the UK”, and that it “does not expect these actions to materially impact its financial outlook”.

Also Read: How mobile marketing is powering the next phase of food delivery growth in Southeast Asia

Miki Kuusi, Head of DoorDash International, CEO of Deliveroo and co-founder of Wolt, framed the decision as a painful but deliberate reallocation of resources:

“Over the last eleven years, we have been proud to help shape food delivery in Singapore, giving consumers access to a wide variety of restaurant and grocery partners.

To all of the employees, customers, partners, and riders who have been on this journey with us and supported us along this journey – thank you.”

“We’ve made the difficult decision to wind down operations in Qatar, Singapore, Japan, and Uzbekistan. Our priority is supporting our teams and partners through an orderly transition as we focus on the geographies where we can offer the best products and build for long-term success,” he wrote.

Why Deliveroo is exiting Singapore: the uncomfortable maths of “premium” delivery

Deliveroo’s public rationale is straightforward: Singapore no longer makes the cut under its country-by-country assessment of where it can reach “sustainable scale” and “long-term leadership”. The subtext — echoed by operators who have lived through the market’s bruising economics — is even more explicit: the unit economics of B2C food delivery in Singapore are punishing.

Varun Saraf, CEO and co-founder of WhyQ, described the market in unusually blunt terms: “The reality? B2C delivery in Singapore is extremely tough. High per-meal delivery costs and a discount-heavy culture mean operating on razor-thin margins.

This news highlights a brutal truth: Profitability is no longer optional. In 2026, being EBITDA positive is the ultimate “survival of the fittest” metric.”

That framing aligns with what the industry has been inching towards for years: customer acquisition and retention have often been subsidy-led, while fulfilment (riders, logistics, and service levels) remains expensive in a dense, high-expectation city. When price sensitivity meets “premium” positioning, the business can end up squeezed from both sides.

Deliveroo’s exit also signals a portfolio discipline shift: DoorDash described this as part of “a multi-month review” and reiterated a focus on geographies with the “clearest path” to scale and leadership, rather than simply maintaining flags on the map.

How Deliveroo has fared in Singapore since entry: a long run, real cultural imprint

Deliveroo is not a short-term tourist in Singapore. Kuusi’s statement points to eleven years in the market, enough time to influence consumer habits, restaurant operations, and expectations of delivery speed and quality.

It also pushed beyond restaurants into groceries and partnerships. In December 2021, Deliveroo announced a partnership with hawker food delivery startup WhyQ to expand its Mix & Match concept to hawker centres, an attempt to localise for Singapore’s most iconic food format and broaden the addressable market beyond mid-to-premium restaurant baskets.

Deliveroo’s brand imprint was tangible. Saraf put it in cultural terms that many diners will recognise: “They were the ‘premium’ pioneers—for years, brands like Blu Kouzina and Daily Cut were synonymous with the teal box.”

Also Read: The future of food tech lies in building digitally autonomous restaurants

That matters because it highlights what’s being lost: not just another app icon on a phone, but a distinct positioning that helped shape the “quality-first” lane in a market often trained to chase deals.

Competition, margins, and the grind: why “tough” is an understatement

Singapore’s food delivery space has never been a gentle arena. Competition is intense, switching costs for consumers are low, and restaurants often multi-home across platforms. The result is a market where discounting becomes a reflex, and where platforms fight for frequency while absorbing the costs of fulfilment and service.

Saraf’s summary lands like a post-mortem for the entire category: “High per-meal delivery costs and a discount-heavy culture mean operating on razor-thin margins.”

This is the core of the problem: delivery is operationally heavy, while consumer loyalty is often promo-driven. That combination makes margins fragile — and makes “sustainable scale” a higher bar than raw order volume.

The implication in DoorDash’s wording is that Deliveroo’s Singapore business, even after more than a decade, did not meet the internal threshold for long-term leadership with healthy economics — especially when capital and management attention can be redeployed to markets with clearer paths.

The ripple effect: what this signals for Singapore and Southeast Asia’s F&B and delivery ecosystem

Deliveroo’s exit is not just an industry headline, but an operational shockwave that hits restaurants, riders, and enterprise customers differently.

1-For restaurants and merchants: diversification is no longer optional

For F&B operators, the lesson is stark: platform concentration risk is real. A platform can be “here for years” and still decide the economics no longer justify staying. Merchants that rely heavily on one channel may face sudden demand cliffs, menu reconfiguration, and marketing re-spend to rebuild volume elsewhere.

2-For riders and couriers: volatility remains baked into the model

An “orderly wind-down” still means disruption: shifts in income stability, routing density, and competition for work across remaining platforms. The human layer of delivery — the riders who absorb weather, traffic, and service pressure — remains exposed to strategic decisions made far above street level.

3- For corporate meal programmes: this is an “infrastructure decision”, not a vendor swap

Rishabh Singhvi, COO and co-founder at WhyQ, warned that Deliveroo’s exit lands especially hard on organisations using Deliveroo for Work: “For companies relying on Deliveroo for Work, this isn’t just a vendor change. It’s an infrastructure decision.”

He added that corporate meal programmes touch “vendor continuity”, “billing stability”, “logistics reliability”, “dietary coverage”, and “employee experience” — and that an exit forces all of it to be “disrupted and re-evaluated”.

WhyQ, which has positioned itself as a workplace food infrastructure player, used the moment to underline its footprint:
“- 2,000+ merchants across hawkers and restaurants

• Structured monthly invoicing and reporting
• Dedicated account support
• Strong operational discipline across food safety and delivery

Platforms come and go. Infrastructure endures.”

4. For Southeast Asia: the era of “growth first, profit later” is closing fast

Even though this is a Singapore story, the subtext travels across Southeast Asia. Food delivery is often treated as a land-grab category, but Deliveroo’s departure reinforces Saraf’s point that, heading into 2026, EBITDA positivity is becoming the survival metric, not a nice-to-have.

Also Read: Automation, not apps: The next frontier in Southeast Asia’s F&B tech innovation

It also suggests the regional market is entering a phase where:

• Global and regional players will prune markets that lack a clear path to profitable leadership.
• Categories adjacent to B2C delivery — especially B2B/corporate meals and operational tooling — may look more attractive because they can offer more stable demand patterns and clearer economics.
• F&B operators will increasingly prioritise channel resilience (multiple platforms, direct ordering, catering, corporate partnerships) over platform dependence.

Deliveroo’s Singapore exit after 11 years is a reminder that even well-known, well-loved brands are ultimately governed by complex numbers. In a market where delivery costs stay high, and customers are trained to expect discounts, the teal box didn’t lose relevance — it lost the economic argument.

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Bitcoin’s sharp rebound did more than reclaim lost ground. It triggered a broad crypto short squeeze that wiped out roughly US$400 million of bearish futures bets in a single day. This move reflects a market driven less by fresh fundamentals and more by crowded positioning, negative funding, and thin liquidity that amplified a relatively modest spot bid. The rally itself was a technical bounce driven by extreme fear and heavy short positioning, rather than a clear new macro catalyst. That distinction matters because it shapes how we interpret the next leg of price action.

The scale of the liquidation event underscores the fragility that had built up. One report estimates that over US$400 million in crypto shorts were liquidated in 24 hours, out of about US$463 million in total liquidations. Bitcoin led the charge, bouncing from the low US$60,000s to near US$69,000. Ethereum gained around 12 per cent while Solana advanced nearly 14 per cent in the same window. The broader market added about six per cent to seven per cent in a day. That liquidation tally included roughly US$200 million in Bitcoin shorts, US$153 million in Ethereum, and around US$22 million in Solana shorts across major derivatives venues. This forced buying from short sellers covering positions created a powerful feedback loop that pushed prices higher with remarkable speed.

Positioning had become dangerously one-sided in the weeks leading up to the rebound. Persistent outflows from Bitcoin products and fresh inflows into short Bitcoin vehicles showed investors had leaned bearish via derivatives and ETPs. Derivatives data revealed negative funding rates and liquidity skewed toward upside liquidations. One study highlighted roughly US$3.5 billion of shorts vulnerable if Bitcoin revisited US$70,000, versus about US$1 billion of longs at risk near US$63,000. That imbalance created an upside liquidity magnet for the price. Analysts characterised the rally as a technical bounce driven by extreme fear, heavy short positioning, and thin liquidity, rather than a clear new macro or fundamental catalyst. This dynamic rewards those who monitor funding rates and open interest as leading indicators of potential volatility.

Also Read: Why Bitcoin dropped to US$64,100: Trump tariffs, US$2.6B ETF outflows, and extreme fear grip crypto

The crypto move did not occur in isolation. Traditional markets provided a supportive backdrop. NVIDIA shares rose in extended trading after forecasting first-quarter revenue of US$76.4 billion to US$79.6 billion, significantly exceeding the US$72.8 billion analyst consensus. In the previous session, the S&P 500 reclaimed the 6,900 level, closing at 6,946.13 with a gain of 0.81 per cent. The Nasdaq Composite surged 1.26 per cent to end at 23,152.08. The US 10-year Treasury yield edged up slightly to 4.05 per cent. Markets remain focused on a 98 per cent probability that the Federal Reserve will hold interest rates steady at its March 18 meeting. Spot gold rose to US$5,186.22 per ounce, continuing its bullish trend amidst geopolitical tensions and trade uncertainty. Crude oil traded near US$65.68 a barrel as traders balanced high US inventories against potential sanctions on Iran. These cross-asset moves helped stabilise risk sentiment just as crypto derivatives were primed for a squeeze.

Regional developments added further nuance. The SET Index in Thailand rose 1.72 per cent following an unexpected 25-basis-point rate cut by the Bank of Thailand to 1.0 per cent. The South Korean won eased to approximately 1,446 per dollar as investors grew cautious ahead of the Bank of Korea’s policy meeting on February 26, where rates are expected to hold steady at 2.50 per cent. Corporate results are also filtered through. Karoon Energy reported 2025 sales revenue of US$628.6 million, noting headwinds from lower oil prices despite solid production. Integrated Research saw its shares fall 6.25 per cent following a challenging first-half fiscal report. These regional and corporate signals remind us that crypto does not trade in a vacuum. Global capital flows and risk appetite shift in tandem across asset classes and geographies.

Also Read: From extreme fear to opportunity: Why smart money is watching US$66K Bitcoin level

After the squeeze, Bitcoin futures open interest slipped from over 240,000 BTC to around 235,000 BTC while funding remained slightly negative. This suggests leverage was reduced, but the market has not fully flipped to aggressive longs. Option flows also matter. Around 115,000 BTC options, notionally worth several billion dollars, are set to expire at the end of the month. Positioning around max pain levels will likely influence short-term price paths. Key technical levels many traders watch are resistance zones near US$70,000 to US$72,000 and support in the low US$60,000s, where prior selling exhausted and buyers stepped in. These levels frame the battlefield for the next move.

For informed observers, this means we are in a positioning reset phase. If shorts rebuild near resistance, another squeeze remains possible. If longs crowd in and funding flips strongly positive, the next move could be a sharp pullback instead. The market now trades in a broad range with significant options and derivatives overhang. Volatility can stay elevated as participants navigate this delicate balance. I watch funding rates, open interest trends, and price behaviour around the US$70,000 to US$72,000 band as critical signals. The upcoming options expiry adds another layer of complexity that could amplify moves in either direction.

Those who focus on positioning data rather than headlines will be better equipped to navigate what comes next. In a market where technicals and leverage often overshadow fundamentals, disciplined analysis of derivatives flows remains the most reliable compass.

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