Happy Chinese new year and I hope that 2021 turns out to be more upbeat than its predecessor in many ways.

And going by the enthusiasm in our contributor community, we sure are seeing a lot of action in the fintech space with BNPL and e-wallets becoming the norm. Also find out what we have done right and what we need to do better about the remote working life (hey hey…who said it was only a 2020 thing?).

Have a great time reading and feel free to share your views and opinions (or even how you celebrated a rather-virtual CNY) by submitting a post.

9 fundraising mistakes entrepreneurs and founders must avoid by Izwan Zakaria, startup lawyer

“Smart money” means money raised from an experienced, smart and well-informed investor. A “smart investor” provides both cash and invaluable benefits to your company like opening new doors to other strategic investors, partners, or potential new customers.

“Dumb money” means exactly what it means. A “dumb money” usually described an investor that invests in nothing more than capital with no real influence on growing the business.

Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs and founders can quickly end up as “dumb entrepreneurs” by making frequent and easily avoidable mistakes. These mistakes often create another risk of the venture and startup success and expose the entrepreneurs to even criminal offences.”

The WFH era: How SMEs should select the right digital collaboration tools by Joey Lim, VP of Commercial – Asia, Lark

“With COVID-19 still affecting hundreds of millions around the globe, it’s safe to say that the pandemic isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon.

But what does this mean for Singapore’s workforce? Truth be told, when work-from-home arrangements were first rolled out in February 2020, many expected to return to the office by the new year. Only a handful thought it would stretch for longer.

As we approach our one-year anniversary of working from home, there’s no better time to take stock of the current arrangements thus far and reflect on what has worked, what can be improved, and what should be tossed out.”

Here’s why universities are turning towards blockchain partnerships and bitcoin by freelance journalist, Luke Fitzpatrick

“Blockchain technology in higher education primarily dates back to October 2017, when the University of Melbourne became the first university in the Asia Pacific region to issue recipient-owned credentials via the nascent technology — effectively ensuring that credentials remain owned by the recipient and verifiable by third-parties, even if the issuing institution ceases operation.

Though late-2017 and early-2018 was a speculative bubble for blockchain projects, a 2019 report from Gartner found that 18 per cent of respondents planned on deploying blockchain solutions within the following 24 months— a trend we indeed saw play out in 2020.”

Shaping up of the fintech world

Is Southeast Asia ready to buy now, pay later? by Clarence Siut, marketing and CS Specialist at Arcadier

“By splitting up payment, consumers feel less ‘pain’ and view purchases as more affordable than if they had to pay the full amount all at once, and are therefore more willing to make purchases.

BNPL has since taken off in various parts of the world, with pioneer firms such as AfterPay and Klarna achieving unprecedented successes. In fact, BNPL pioneer firm Klarna from Sweden has become the highest valued fintech firm in Europe, with a valuation of over US$10.6 billion as of November 2020. However, in some parts of the world like Southeast Asia, BNPL is still in its infancy. Thus arises the multi-million dollar question: is Southeast Asia ready for BNPL payments?

The answer is a resoundingly positive one.”

Telling the fortune of digital payments in 2021, CNY style by Tristan Chiappini, VP (APAC) at PPRO

“Just over one year into the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been impossible to ignore the stratospheric growth of digital payment methods across the world. In APAC specifically, we’ve seen Facebook and PayPal join Google, Tencent, and other leading technology firms in backing gojek, a popular Southeast Asian super app.

Not missing a beat, Gojek’s competitor Grab has been keeping busy by purchasing stakes in popular e-wallets such as Indonesia’s LinkAja.

It’s safe to say that there’s never a dull moment when it comes to the region’s fintech scene! But once the dust has settled behind this latest wave of M&A activity, what will be the next frontier for digital payments?”

To code or not to code

Why is hiring a good offshore developer for your startup so difficult these days? by Trung Ho, digital marketing lead at Tech JDI

“Developers are the lifeblood of tech companies! They help bring your idea into existence, breathe life into your product, and power up the whole system. Sadly, hiring a good offshore developer is so difficult these days, especially for a young startup.

But do not fool yourself into thinking that you can’t hire them because of their rising salaries across the world. There are always good developers who are willing to stick with startups for values beyond the money.

Instead, the one major challenge that young companies face when hiring quality offshore talent is the painstaking process of searching, evaluating, and convincing candidates within a stipulated time period.”

From brick-and-mortar to e-commerce in just 7 steps and no-code by Neelima Goel cofounder at Purple Nooks and SolvingMinds

“For many major brands, the global pandemic has accelerated the pre-death stage of retail stores into a possible extinction moment. For a smooth transition into online selling, retailers need to keep up with the digital transformation and the only way to go is to adapt no-code to run their e-commerce store.

From brick-and-mortar to selling online in seven simple steps”

–

Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing contributions from the community. Become a thought leader in the community and share your opinions or ideas and earn a byline by submitting a post.

Join our e27 Telegram group, FB community or like the e27 Facebook page

The post From our community: BNPL readiness, reflections on the remote work life, hiring offshore developers and more… appeared first on e27.