APIX is an online marketplace for financial institutions to discover and connect with multiple innovative fintech solutions

Singapore FinTech Association (SFA) has signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) with ASEAN Financial Innovation Network (AFIN) to collaborate and promote the APIX platform to the fintech community, with an aim to further develop the industry.

Launched by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam at Singapore Fintech Festival 2018, APIX is an online marketplace for financial institutions to discover and connect with multiple innovative fintech solutions. It also enables financial institutions and fintech companies to collaborate and experiment to design unique solutions using a sandbox environment.

Also Read: Singapore’s polytechnics to ramp up fintech skills through MOU with Singapore FinTech Association

The ultimate goal of the platform is to connect financial technology service providers to financial institutions globally and to promote inclusive finance to the two billion people without bank accounts worldwide.

With this MOU, APIX can leverage on SFA’s extensive domestic and international network to promote the initiative to fintech companies worldwide.

AFIN, on the other hand, plans to connect banks that need digital transformation with fintechs that have built solutions through the APIX platform.

The collaboration will also involve the two parties mutually share inputs and suggestions on both parties’ events, initiatives, and efforts.

Chia Hock Lai, President, SFA, said: “According to Frost & Sullivan’s annual Fintech Outlook report in 2018, the Asia-Pacific fintech market is projected to reach US$72 billion in 2020. This puts SFA and AFIN in a very strategic and timely position, where our collaboration can help ensure that the ASEAN fintech ecosystem will benefit.”

—

The post Singapore’s SFA signs MOU with ASEAN’s AFIN to promote fintech marketplace APIX appeared first on e27.

How IoT will change transform the way businesses operate.

The initial uptake of interconnected smart devices was slower than it’s forecast. But, the demand for technology is now developing at a rapid pace.

That demand will place new pressures on businesses. It will also provide businesses with new opportunities. Here are some of the ways that the Internet of Things will impact the business.

What is the Internet of Things?

The simple definition of the Internet of Things (IoT) is that it is the interconnection of devices over the internet. It allows devices to communicate with us, with applications, and with other devices.

The technology has been demonstrated with the advent of smart home appliances. It’s the Internet of Things that now allows us to control our home heating, lighting, sprinklers and other appliances from our phones with solutions like Apple’s HomeKit.

How will the Internet of Things affect businesses?

The application of the Internet of Things goes far beyond smart refrigerators and toasters though. The integration of devices will soon affect every business.

The IoT offers businesses unprecedented opportunities for gathering data and automating the process. It also offers businesses the opportunity of developing new products or services.

IoT devices will have a major impact on businesses. Even those that do not operate in the technology sector. Here are some of the ways that IoT devices will change the way that businesses operate.

Greater access to data

There has already been controversy about smart devices tracking consumer behaviour. However, the use of IoT devices to gather data will increase.

Smart devices can track how consumers use a product and, with AI, the technology can make product recommendations to consumers. In the future, businesses will have access to far more data than they have today. It will change the way we target advertising, and it will also begin to drive future product development.

Improved customer engagement

The same technology that allows consumers to connect to smart devices in the home will allow businesses to monitor those devices as well.

In much, the same way as a modern car will alert the driver when a system is failing, or the car is due for a service, customer services systems will be notified when home appliances need repairing or replacing. This will enable better customer service and provide new marketing opportunities. 

Also Read: Singapore’s IoT-based power monitoring startup Ampotech raises funding

Working remotely

IoT is likely to increase the number of people working from home. With access to multiple devices in the office and on the factory floor, many more tasks will be able to be completed remotely. Remote workers are often more efficient and more cost-effective.

So, the IoT could have a beneficial effect on most businesses bottom line.

Increased productivity

Smart devices will increase productivity in all types of businesses. The enhanced data analyses that will be possible will streamline many tasks. Ultimately, this may lead to a reduction in headcount in some areas of business. 

Also Read: Three key elements needed in IoT deployments

Create new consumer demands

As consumers become more familiar with IoT technology, they will begin to demand things that they don’t currently know they want.  Smart refrigerators that create grocery lists, for example, would have seemed pointless ten years ago.

In the future, though, it will probably be a standard feature of all refrigerators.

Improved inventory tracking, management, and security

Tracing inventory and assets has, for a long time, been a major headache for business. The shipping industry already uses high-tech equipment to track and manage the movement of shipping containers.

With the IoT, this type of technology will become available for even the smallest assets. This will free up workers from manual tasks like inventory checks. It will also reduce the theft of inventory and assets.

Shorter buying cycles

The Internet of Things will also change the way that consumers buy products. The buying cycle is likely to become shorter. The targeted advertising that the IoT will enable will speed up the buying decision making process.

Consumers will also expect a faster, more convenient service too. From the verbal placing an order through smart devices like Amazon Echo to receiving the goods the same day. The need for instant gratification will place new demands on businesses. Businesses will need to employ smart technology so that they can keep up with consumer demands.

The internet of things bottom line for business

The increase in the availability of IoT smart technology will transform business. It will provide more intelligent data, more automation, and it will change consumer expectations.

From small time-saving devices to major product enhancements, IoT is about to become an integral part of the product, rather than an afterthought. Consumers will demand faster and ever-smarter devices. They will also demand faster and better services.

Also Read: Despite security risks, IoT offers practical benefits for the business and at home

It’s the smart businesses that invest in IoT technology and custom applications now that will be able to keep pace with these new demands. 

The post From products to businesses: the hidden opportunities of IoT appeared first on e27.

During the Vision Program Taiwan Tech Startup Demo Day, 10 of Taiwan’s top up-and-coming startups showcased their products which all came about from research commercialisation

“Research commercialisation refers to the process through which ideas or research are transformed into marketable products, capital gains, income from licenses and/or revenue from the sale of new product”, said Taiwan’s Science & Technology Policy Research and Information Center, Director General, Dr. Yuh-Jzer Joung.

In a nutshell, research commercialisation enables technology produced out of research activities to be further developed into marketable products for public consumption.

During the Vision Program Taiwan Tech Startup Demo Day, we learned about exciting new products and disruptive technologies espoused from a series of research commercialisation efforts rendered both by the 10 participating startups and the STPI.

STPI or the Science & Technology Policy Research and Information Center is designed to support the government’s technology policy-making and addressing social needs for globalisation and the coming era of knowledge economy. It functions as the main government think-tank for science and technology policy and the major platform for incorporating Taiwan’s research communities whose overarching mission is to bolster and embolden Taiwan’s digital economy.

Also read: What is the state of Taiwan’s AI ecosystem?

One of the crucial steps in achieving this goal is by enabling and empowering Taiwan startups through programs that allow them access to insights, capital, resources, and network, among other things.

This is why STPI is also keen on seeking business partners such as mentors, business consultants, and angel investors with the aim to build and promote the Taiwan startup ecosystem.

Participating startups and what they do

The following is the list of the 10 startups who wowed us at the Vision Program Taiwan Tech Startup Demo Day by showcasing their products:

1.) 3drens
3drens is a B2B & IoT solution provider, focusing on the Internet of Vehicles.

2.) Applato
Applato is a restaurant platform that provides personalised dietary recommendations and meal ordering for people with special health needs.

3.) Dapp Pocket
Dapp Pocket is a blockchain wallet app for decentralised apps

4.) F.Repair
F.Repair developed a formula for a Biomedical Repair Mask that heals serious skin damage as effect of medical radiation procedures.

5.) Magical Headlamp
Magical Headlamp developed an automatic headlight control system for vehicles to help improve visibility and safety on the road.

6.) MDS Health
MDS Health is actively building a relationship-centered digital health platform to empower physicians and dentists to jointly care for their patients with chronic medical conditions.

7.) Neurobit
Neurobit is an intelligent medical decision support system for early stroke detection and prediction.

8.) Sounds Great
Sounds Great developed a multi-diaphragm nano speaker that restores difficult ultra-high audio for better sound in phones, laptops, and other gadgets.

9.) Transfer Helper
Transfer Helper is an international remittance matching platform

10.) UC Funnel
UC Funnel is an omni-channel marketing automation platform.

The Vision Program Taiwan Tech Startup Demo Day is organised in partnership with the Science and Technology Policy Research and Information Center (STPI) of Taiwan. As a think tank of national policy, STPI has integrated its advantages of leading researches and partnerships with universities to support local startups with an ecosystem that welcomes enterprises, international startups, and investors as well.

With this initiative, STPI hopes to render a stronger pool of local startups with globalised mindsets, better understanding of varying markets, and cut-throat technologies that can scale globally—all as a part of a grander plan to ultimately boost the country’s digital economy.

The post These 10 Taiwanese startups show that R&D can lead to the next big idea appeared first on e27.

Eristica will allow every user who takes part in a challenge on its platform to contribute a 5 per cent amount of the reward directly to Binance Charity Foundation

Eristica, a cryptocurrency-based freelancing video platform on which content creators connect with fans and perform challenges remotely, has partnered with Singapore-based fiat-to-crypto platform Binance.

Under this agreement, Eristica will allow every user who takes part in a challenge on its platform to voluntarily contribute a 5 per cent amount of the rewards directly to Binance Charity Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to the advancement of blockchain-enabled philanthropy towards achieving global sustainable development.

“Eristica has this amazing opportunity to offer their customers a way to improve the lives of the ‘Bottom Billion’ and advance sustainable development around the world. Eristica’s application has deployed a feature that allows everyone who takes part in a Challenge to voluntarily contribute a 5 per cent amount of the Challenge reward directly to Binance Charity Foundation just by clicking the checkbox. This notification comes by default every time someone creates or accepts a Challenge,” Eristica’s CEO Nikita Akimov said.

The total donation amount will appear on everyone’s profile page as well as on the Leaderboard. The user also has the option to stay anonymous.

Also Read: Binance Singapore partners with Vertex Ventures to set up fiat-to-crypto gateway

“We are very happy that technology which combines entertainment and blockchain can impact the standards of life almost everywhere in the world. Just a decade ago it might have seemed unfathomable, but now it’s not just a reality — it’s working successfully already! We are excited to bring this feature to our users, as it allows to have fun, earn money and improve lives of other people simultaneously in just one app,” Akimov opined.

Eristica is a platform which allows users to challenge a friend to try something wild and crazy, record it, post it and get into a leaderboard. The startup is part of Mobile Only Accelerator MOX, which helps mobile startups from around the world acquire users in Southeast Asia, India, Eastern Europe and South America. MOX is run by SOSV, a global VC firm with US$625 million under management.

Eristica is leveraging MOX’s ecosystem to distribute its app in Southeast Asia. In particular, Eristica has preinstall and push-marketing agreements with OEMs across Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and India.

The post Freelancing video platform Eristica partners with Binance to promote charity appeared first on e27.

In addition to China’s STAR Market, we also have updates from India’s moon mission, iflix, and PayMate

China’s new board for tech shares starts trading – TechCrunch

China’s new stock market STAR Market began operating today with 25 tech companies listed on the Science and Technology Innovation Board, TechCrunch reported.

Operated by the Shanghai Stock Market, the report said that the board is an initiative by the government to encourage more Chinese tech companies to list domestically by addressing concerns about governance.

Many notable IPOs of Chinese tech companies, such as Alibaba or Tencent, have taken place in either New York City or Hong Kong.

Plans for the STAR Market were first announced in November.

Another report by CNBC said that the success of STAR market is “far from a sure thing” since China has previously launched two other equity markets.

They have been receiving lesser attention than its primary stock exchanges in Shanghai and Shenzhen.

India prepares second attempt at moon mission – Bloomberg

Indian officials announced that the country’s second attempt at moon mission is set to happen on 2:43PM local time on Monday, Bloomberg reported.

The liftoff followed last week’s aborted launch, which was postponed less than an hour before launch due to a technical problem.

The country is set to launch an unmanned satellite called Chandrayaan-2, or “moon vehicle” in Sanskrit, as part of its effort to become the first to land on the moon’s south pole.

Also Read: What you need to know about data privacy in China

Indian digital payments startup PayMate raises US$25M from Visa, others – Entrackr

Indian digital payment startup PayMate has raised US$25 million in a series D funding round from Visa, Recruit Strategic Partners, and Brand Capital, Entrackr reported.

The funding round also included the participation of existing investor Mayfair 101.

It is set to be completed within the next two months.

The startup plans to use the new funding to support growth and international expansion to markets such as the Middle East, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe.

The expansion will be done in partnership with Visa.

iflix raises over US$50M in new funding round led by Fidelity – e27

Southeast Asian video streaming service iflix today announced the closing of a new funding round led by global asset manager Fidelity International, with participation from existing investors Catcha Group, Hearst, Sky, and EMC.

The size of the funding was undisclosed though the company said that the total size is in ‘excess of US$50 million’.

The funding round will be used to drive growth ahead of a prospective IPO.

iflix will also aggressively pursue growth strategies and further increase its userbase.

—

Image Credit: Markus Spiske on Unsplash

The post Today’s top tech news, July 22: China’s new board for tech shares starts trading appeared first on e27.

The new logo rolls out today, as the unicorn celebrates its three-year-long growth and considers what is next

Go-Jek, Indonesia-based ride-hailing unicorn, has officially rebranded by launching a new logo today.

An official statement said that the rebrand follows a 1,100 per cent growth in transactions over the past three years, as well as a hallmark for its next phase of growth.

The company also highlighted its regional ecosystem expansion since the app launched in 2015.

It has partnered with over two million driver-partners; 400,000 merchant partners; and 60,000 service providers across Southeast Asia to-date.

Go-Jek also stated that over the past three years, users have given over US$20 million in tips to the platform’s driver-partners and service providers.

Go-Jek’s next phase of growth will include further innovation and the strengthening of its integrated ecosystem of over 20 on-demand services.

The new logo features a nearly-rounded ring encircling a dot, a design that was meant to be recognisable and versatile, the company said.

The company meant it to be interpreted in a number of ways: a map pin, the bull’s eye, an aerial view of a motorcyclist, or a power button.

Also Read: soCash raises US$6M Series B to convert retail shops into virtual ATMs

This reflects Go-Jek’s proposition of its multitude of offerings, ranging from transport, payments, and food to logistics, entertainment, and lifestyle.

In Indonesia, Go-Jek has built three apps for each of its users: the consumers, driver-partners, and merchant partners.

Its driver-partners app included a feature to support financial planning while the merchant app includes features that can help with business expansion, including logistics and inventory management.

Kevin Aluwi, Co-founder of Go-Jek Group, says: “Today, we introduce a new brand that represents the evolution of Go-Jek from a transport company in Jakarta to a leading tech company in Southeast Asia. Go-Jek is now many things to many people – and our new logo reflects that. Even so, we remain committed to our founding principle and ethos of improving people’s lives through the use of technology.”

In Singapore, the update will also roll out today. Consumers who update their app will be able to see the new logo in place and a new user interface.

Also Read: Enterprise Singapore supports access to Vietnam tech ecosystem with GIA expansion

The app for driver-partners will also soon be updated with the new look, in addition to a number of new features, such as a seven-day income summary that gives them a clear overview of their completed trips in the past week.

–

Image Credit: Go-Jek

The post Go-Jek unveils new logo as it enters next phase of growth appeared first on e27.

The startup said that the funding will be directed towards helping its clients sell online

aCommerce, a Bangkok-based startup that helps to establish product sales of brands announced that it has raised more than US$10 million from existing investors including KKR & Co, as reported by Bloomberg.

KKR’s Emerald Media, investment house Blue Sky, DKSH Holding AG, and an Indonesian conglomerate Sinar Mas, also took part in the company’s latest funding round.

“The six-year-old firm plans to raise another US$5 million by the end of this year as part of an extended Series B or early-stage funding round,” said Chief Executive Officer Paul Srivorakul

“We have ambitions for an IPO that forces us to grow a healthy, valuable business,” Srivorakul added.

Also Read: Go-Jek unveils new logo as it enters next phase of growth

aCommerce’s services include providing services from distribution and marketing to warehousing and delivery. Currently, it operates in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
–

The post Bangkok-based aCommerce raises US$10M funding appeared first on e27.

The fund is the second one the Singapore-based early-stage venture firm has raised

Cocoon Capital, the early-stage venture firm in Southeast Asia, has announced the second fund it has raised a US$22 million (S$30 million). The firm said that it plans to use the funding to back enterprise tech startups around the region.

Along with the funding announcement, the firm also announced its initiative of hosting public mentoring hours regularly in partnership with local accelerators and co-working spaces in Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, Manila, Bangkok, Jakarta, and Yangon in a bid to help grow the local entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Cocoon Capital was founded by Michael Blakey and Will Klippgen, who both are early-stage investors in Asia. Both Blakey and Klippgen are also behind portfolios like PropertyGuru, Tickled Media, and iXiGO.com in their early-stage fundraisings.

A survey conducted by Econsultancy.com Ltd2 resulted in 68 per cent of Southeast Asia-based respondents said they have an omnichannel strategy that incorporates B2B ecommerce. However, only 7 per cent of venture capital has been channeled to B2B startups in the region.

Cocoon Capital’s second fund plans to back the enterprise tech market with medtech, fintech, insurtech, and general “deep” tech sectors as primary targets.

Also Read: iflix raises over US$50M in new funding round led by Fidelity

“Over the last three years, we at Cocoon Capital have seen a radical improvement in deal quality, in particular from the Southeast Asia countries outside Singapore,” said Michael Blakey, Managing Partner at Cocoon Capital.

“There is a continuing gap in the region when it comes to hands-on mentoring, in particular at the early stages of a company’s formation, and Cocoon Capital has operation that seeks to provide a support package to our founders, one that is in the same league as networks in Silicon Valley, London, or Shanghai,” added Will Klippgen, Managing Partner at Cocoon Capital.

Cocoon Capital’s second fund is supported by investors including Michelle Yong (Director of Singapore’s Aurum Investments), Jani Rautiainen (Co-founder of PropertyGuru), Parag Khanna (The author of “The Future is Asian”), Pierre Lorinet (Director at Trafigura Group), Matthew Chapman (Founder of ChapmanCG), Stein Jakob Øie (Former President at Lazada), hedge fund manager Steve Diggle’s Vulpes Innovative Technologies Investment Company, Martin Hauge (Partner in Creandum – streaming giant Spotify’s first financial investor), Martin Roll (Global strategy consultant), and Oliver Tonby (Chairman of McKinsey’s offices in Asia excluding Greater China).

Also Read: Go-Jek unveils new logo as it enters next phase of growth

Cocoon Capital’s portfolios are including cleantech company SensorFlow, stroke-predicting software medtech company See-Mode, ticketing company Hapz, Filipino e-merchant ​Poundit, and Vietnam-based automated influencer matching platform Hiip.

Logistics platform Kargo Myanmar was the first to be backed by Cocoon Capital with its second fund.
–

Photo by Jakub Gorajek on Unsplash

The post Cocoon Capital raises US$22M seed fund for enterprise tech appeared first on e27.

Best SEO practices to help boost page rankings on search engines

SEO is in a constant flux. The search engines keep changing their expectations and hence what will decide the success of your SEO mission will keep changing.

Here are a few best SEO practices that can effectively improve search rankings .

Think on your own

You can achieve greater success by thinking uniquely, originally and on your own. You must aim for an uncontested market space rather than trying to fight head to head with the competitors.

Described as ‘Blue Ocean Strategy’, this method of finding your own unique road to travel is described as fishing in clear blue waters instead of struggling for dominance in the bloody waters infested by sharks.

The more the crowd in a given field, the more difficult it would be to reach there and establish your presence. For getting on top of the search engines, look beyond what your competitors do and contemplate on new topics that your competitors have not yet explored.

Also Read : Why we need to rethink how we measure SEO

Incorporate featured snippets

 

These days, featured snippets are highly popular among users.

They are a kind of box that pops up when you search answers to your questions. This feature rules out the need for the users to click a link.

Featured snippets are becoming a very important part of the user experience and make the user experience enjoyable and easy.

They rise into prominence while voice and mobile searches are fast growing. Content incorporated with featured snippets are found to double the click through rates.

Destroy your zombie pages

 

Zombie pages were sought after long back. They are no more useful these days.

Zombie pages provide no real value to your site’s traffic. They never provide any authority or web presence. They only add old and outdated content to your site.

They take the form of duplicate content. Usually every site has a few of them. If they grow to hundreds, they can be detrimental to the success of your site on the search engines.

Clustering content can do you so much good

 

Topic clusters can be a highly effective SEO tool that is yet to be explored by a lot of sites. These days, search engines have changed their algorithms to benefit the content that is structured as per topic clusters.

In this arrangement, your website will have to become a kind of single pillar with the pages serving as the primary hubs of information. From this hub, the subtopics will have connections via link.

You can compare this structure to that of the spokes in a wheel. Search engine indexing mechanism is interested in knowing how the pages are connected to one another. Pillar pages can provide you a great way to support this goal.

Also Read: How To Win at Google: A Crash Course on SEO

Facilitate voice search

 

Voice search has come to prominence in 2019. More than half of the search queries today happen via mobiles. More than 20 percent of the queries submitted via mobiles is today voice based.

Explore the queries inputted by users on voice search and incorporate them into your content  This can help significantly in your SEO mission.

The post How to best optimise SEO practices appeared first on e27.

The initiative is the first result of the joint venture partnership signed in March 2019

Indonesia-based ride-hailing unicorn GOJEK announces that it has launched GOFLEET during the opening ceremony of automotive exhibition Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS) 2019.

GOFLEET is the first product of the joint venture between Astra and GOJEK, that was announced in March after Astra’s investment in the company a month prior.

It provides online door-to-door transportation services such as vehicle rent, maintenance, repair, insurance cover, and vehicle monetisation through on-vehicle advertisements for its driver-partners.

Meliza M. Rusli, President Director of GOFLEET added: “Realisation towards the importance of quality customer service has grown, including in the online door-to-door transportation service, both from the provider side and the user side. We hope that GOFLEET can help our driver-partners to focus on giving the best experience to customers without having to worry about their vehicles.”

Also Read: Grab launches green e-scooter GrabWheels in Indonesia’s top university

GOFLEET will roll out thousands of units for driver-partners in Greater Jakarta Area before expanding to other cities in Indonesia.

It is now open for registration for all driver-partners.

—

 

Image Credit: GOFLEET

The post GOJEK, Astra launch all-in vehicle maintenance service GOFLEET appeared first on e27.