Latest news and trends about tech

Singapore-based Accelerating Asia announces fifth cohort with nine startups

The startups cover eight verticals: fashion e-commerce, agritech, FinTech, e-commerce, HealthTech, InsurTech, and EdTech, industries that are poised to grow significantly and capitalize on digitization trends across Southeast and South Asia.

Mynt secures $300M funding from lead investors Warburg Pincus, Insight Partners and Bow Wave, now valued at over $2B

Since the onset of community quarantines as a response to COVID-19, Mynt has been at the forefront of the digital transformation of Filipinos as the 'go-to' payment and financial services solution to over 48 million users, nearly half of the national population. With the continued relevance of the app among its users, Mynt is on track to reach PHP 3…

Indonesia’s Open Labs launches $100M fund to invest in e-commerce sellers

The fund will invest in high-potential businesses and help them grow online, scale operations and become great consumer brands. Touted as the biggest fund among brand aggregators in Southeast Asia, the fund will focus specifically on investing in and providing operational support for e-commerce sellers, initially in Indonesia.

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…