Investments

Kazakhstan’s venture capital ecosystem is still young, but Askar Bilisbekov, CEO and board member of Alem Capital Management, sees room for growth through more institutional capital, stronger international links and deeper ties with China.

Canadia Impact Fund has invested in Cambodian AI and software startup Newwave’s seed round, its second disclosed startup deal since launching in 2025.

Allfunds says its HSBC-backed same-day settlement service for Hong Kong-domiciled money market funds went live in August 2026.

Flam raised $40 million in a QED Investors-led Series B to develop interactive AI content tools and expand enterprise sales, with activity in India and Southeast Asia.

Space42 and Viasat signed a binding agreement to form Equatys, with founder equity commitments of up to $1 billion once closing conditions are met.

At an SCMP Live panel in Astana, representatives of AIX, HKEX, Alem Capital Management and Gobi Partners discussed how Central Asian companies could connect with international capital, and what a more diversified route beyond traditional resource and trade links might require.

Z.AI proposes a Hong Kong share placement and a separate convertible-bond issue with combined gross proceeds of about $5 billion, subject to closing conditions.

Thailand selected 17 projects worth a planned 121 billion baht for FastPass and announced added tax incentives for eligible BOI-promoted listings.

Enterprise Singapore has opened an office in Boston, its fifth in the United States, to help Singapore companies expand on the U.S. East Coast, and has signed its first U.S. state-level partnership, with Massachusetts.

Grab has been pursuing growth through both acquisitions and expansion of its existing businesses, according to the report. Earlier this year, Grab acquired US-based Stash Financial Inc at an enterprise value of US$425 million and bought Foodpanda’s Taiwan operations from Delivery Hero SE for $600 million.