News
Vietnam will not ban social media for under-16s, but requires parental oversight
Vietnam seeks to require parents to register and supervise social-media accounts for their under-16 children and ban under-13 kids from posting, commenting, or sharing on social media, under draft rules of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
XTransfer gets initial UAE approval for payment services license
XTransfer has secured in-principle approval for a UAE retail payment services license, subject to completing the central bank's pre-issuance conditions.
Hitachi Vantara reports 32 percent APAC revenue growth
Hitachi Vantara said Asia-Pacific revenue rose 32 percent in its first fiscal quarter, led by a 61 percent increase in regional storage revenue.
Pencil Finance completes $1M on-chain student loan cycle
Pencil Finance says its first $1 million student loan bundle completed an on-chain cycle, with principal and yield returned to funders.
Paydibs launches sales-linked financing for Malaysian merchants
Paydibs has launched a six-month merchant financing service in Malaysia with repayments linked to weekly payment settlements and transaction activity.
Nvidia agrees to acquire Hugging Face for $12.93B
Nvidia has agreed to acquire Hugging Face for $12.93 billion, extending its reach into the global ecosystem for open AI models, datasets and developer tools.
TDCX opens AI-enabled Foshan campus for Greater Bay Area clients
TDCX has opened its sixth China center in Foshan with about 100 positions and AI-assisted customer experience services for Greater Bay Area clients.
OpenAI releases GPT-6 Astra with critical cyber capabilities
OpenAI has released GPT-6 Astra, its first broadly deployed model rated Critical for cybersecurity capability, alongside a $1 billion defense initiative.
KKR to buy minority stake in Malaysia’s Avisena Healthcare, to expand flagship hospitals
The United States-based investment firm KKR has agreed to buy a minority stake in Malaysia's Avisena Healthcare, a private hospital operator.
SEA’s blockchain technology sector raises $6.2B in all-time equity funding across 1,323 firms – Tracxn
Southeast Asia’s blockchain technology sector has raised $6.2 billion in all-time equity funding across 1,323 funded companies year to date, including $680 million in 2026 year to date, Tracxn said on Thursday.
