Latest news and trends about tech

Malaysia proposes various tax exemptions for EVs in Budget 2022

To support the development of the local EV industry, the government proposes to provide import duty, excise duty and sales tax exemptions on EVs.

Foodpanda Malaysia apologizes, updates its Wastage Policy amid several vendors’ protests & complaints

Foodpanda Malaysia’s statement came after local media reported that several vendors on the platform have called for protests against ‘hidden’ or promotion charges which caused them to incur losses.

Singapore private equity firm Tembusu Partners launches $100M sustainable fund with Eco-Business

The fund will take a broad sector approach and focus on the five high opportunity areas it has identified: energy transition, climate action, sustainable cities, and circular economy, sustainable food and agriculture, and inclusion. It has a robust pipeline of quality deals and has already invested in an Indonesian start-up in the financial inclusion space.…

ShopeePay partners Malaysia’s GHL to expand its digital payments in the Philippines

ShopeePay e-wallet users will now be able to pay at establishments such as Phoenix Petroleum, Family Mart, Three Sixty Pharmacy, Prince Retail, and more chains nationwide.

India hyperlocal e-commerce platform LoveLocal raises $18M pre-Series B round led by Vulcan Capital

LoveLocal's Pre-Series B marks the largest round ever raised by a solo woman tech founder in India. This represents a huge step forward in the Indian startup ecosystem and comes at a time when less than 1 percent of Indian venture capital deals are invested in women-only-led companies. Moreover, the country is grappling with a sharply declining female labor…

Malaysian investment firm Kenanga Investors launches fund to invest in tech firms

The fund aims to invest primarily in equity securities of global cutting-edge, innovative companies with long-term sustainable growth potential, are on the cusps of initial public offerings, and have or will develop products and services that are linked to technologically-driven innovations. The fund also aims to further bridge the gap between retail…

Validus acquires KlearCard’s business payments and expense management platform to bolster its upcoming SME Neobank offering

The acquisition of the KlearCard platform, an established player with a proven product-market fit in the region, will pave the way for Validus to accelerate its build-out of Southeast Asia’s first credit-led SME-focused Neobank, which will provide SMEs with a best-in-class experience through a fully integrated and holistic suite of financial tools and…

Singapore insurer NTUC Income expands Insurance-as-a-Service to Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia via partnerships

These strategic alliances are built on Income's Insurance-as-a-Service (IaaS) model that enables the company to bring digital-first insurance business models to partners overseas, enhance their speed-to-market, and equip them with the right capabilities and tools to capture new customer segments and revenue streams

Philippines cloud kitchen startup CloudEats closes $5M Series A with Vulpes, Gobi Partners, and Alibaba-backed BAce Capital

Funds raised in this round will be utilized to scale CloudEats’ proprietary smart kitchen technology, open cloud kitchens in more markets across the region, and develop new champion brands like Burger Beast, which has now become one of the top recognized burger brands in the Philippines, CloudEats said in a statement.

Wavemaker Partners launches climate tech venture builder Wavemaker Impact with $25M target for its first fund

Wavemaker Partners believes that climate change is an existential threat for the region, with three of its largest cities facing the threat of being underwater by 2050. Thus, the founders of Wavemaker Impact believe that entrepreneurs will drive solutions to addressing climate change and aim to launch companies that will reduce 10 percent of global…