News

1982 Ventures expands regional team with key ecosystem and platform hire

1982 Ventures, the early stage venture capital firm focused on fintech and tech infrastructure in Southeast Asia, has announced the key hire of Amiyandra Suratman as Regional Venture Capital Ecosystem and Platform Lead based in Jakarta, Indonesia. Her responsibilities will be to support the fund with strategic stakeholder relations including portfolio…

MRANTI appoints Rais Hussin Mohamed Ariff as new Chief Executive Officer

The Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation (MRANTI) Board of Director (BoD) has announced the appointment of Dr. Rais Hussin Mohamed Ariff as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Rais will take over from the current Acting Chief Executive Officer and Chief Commercial Officer Khairil Anuar Sadat, effective 9 October 2023.

Singapore’s CrossFund raises additional $1.5M in funding at a $47M valuation

Singapore-based Fintech startup CrossFund has raised additional $1.5 million in funding at a $47 million valuation. The firm has raised its fourth funding round in two years from family offices in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Asia, BlockBase Ventures, UI Investments, Australian Gulf Capital, BXB Capital, and strategic angels.

Boost partners CelcomDigi to launch global prepaid card in Malaysia

Malaysia-based FinTech firm Boost has partnered mobile service provider CelcomDigi to launch global prepaid card on the Mastercard network. The prepaid card which is called the Beyond Card is the first two-in-one international card in Malaysia, enabling customers to access funds from Boost wallet balance and utilize a pre-approved credit line.

Tracxn : Funding into FinTech SEA startups plunges 74 percent in third quarter

Total funding into FinTech startups in Southeast Asia (SEA) fell 74 percent to $229 million in the third quarter of 2023 from $887 million a year ago, making it the lowest funded quarter since 2020, Tracxn said Friday. The drop in funding was largely due to the absence of late-stage rounds in the third quarter of 2023.

Altara Ventures and Gentree Fund co-lead $3M seed round into Philippine startup Kita

Philippine agritech startup Kita has closed its oversubscribed $3 million seed round with Gentree Fund and Altara Ventures as co-lead investors. With the fundraising proceeds, the firm aims to digitize the agriculture supply chain through big data and artificial intelligence (AI).

Indonesia’s ALAMI raises growth investment and strengthens senior management team

Indonesia-based fintech firm ALAMI Group has on Thursday announced the completion of a growth investment round led by Indonesia-only venture capital firm Intudo Ventures. The round is also participated by existing investors such as East Ventures (Growth fund), AC Ventures, Quona Capital, and Golden Gate Ventures.

AirAsia Cambodia partners Oriental Bank to offer innovative payment solutions for flight bookings

AirAsia Cambodia has on Thursday announced a strategic partnership with Oriental Bank Plc, a digital banking institution in the country, to offer innovative payment solutions for flight bookings tailored to the needs of Cambodian guests.

East Ventures and SV Investment announce the $100M dedicated fund for Southeast Asia

East Ventures, an Indonesia-based venture capital firm, and SV Investment, a South Korea-based venture capital and private equity firm firm, have on Friday announced the $100 million dedicated fund for Southeast Asia. This fund aims to open the investment corridor between the Southeast Asian and Korean venture ecosystem, including capital investment,…

BIS and central bank partners to explore protocols for embedding policy and regulatory compliance in cross-border transactions

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and central bank partners have on Thursday launched Project Mandala, which explores the feasibility of encoding jurisdiction-specific policy and regulatory requirements into a common protocol for cross-border use cases such as foreign direct investment, borrowing and payments.