News

As many as 64 percent of Singapore businesses are now consistently using artificial intelligence (AI) in daily workflows, but only 18 percent have progressed to deploying fully autonomous systems capable of making decisions and executing tasks independently, according to new research from HubSpot.

Indonesia-based Baskit, a technology and financial services platform focused on digitizing offline distribution networks in Southeast Asia, has secured $4.4 million in a Series A funding round.

Ryt Bank has exceeded 1.2 million users just over seven months after its launch in August 2025, the lender said in a release on Tuesday.

POSCO Future M will invest at least $400 million in Song Cong 2 Industrial Park in Thai Nguyen province, northern Vietnam, in order to build its first large-scale battery materials manufacturing facility in Vietnam.

ZTE Corporation, a China-based information and communication technology solutions provider, has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with CIMB Bank Berhad (CIMB), to establish a strategic cooperation framework aimed at supporting digital infrastructure development across ASEAN.

LankaPay, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, and Alipay+ have entered into a strategic collaboration aimed at boosting Sri Lanka’s tourism appeal and attracting international visitors, particularly from Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific region.

Endowus, the Singapore-based wealth advisory and investment platform, has on Tuesday announced a collaboration with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), a Denmark-based renewable energy infrastructure investments platform, to expand access to institutional-grade renewable energy investments.

The Asia Pacific region is expected to generate around two-thirds of the world’s new retail sales over the next five years, driven by a consumer base of more than 4.3 billion people, 18 megacities, and a rapidly expanding middle class.

Southeast Asia’s ecommerce platform gross merchandise value (GMV) grew 22.8 percent year-on-year in 2025 to reach $157.6 billion in 2025, as leading platforms returned to growth while continuing to improve infrastructure, fulfilment, and customer experience, Momentum Works said Tuesday.

Southeast Asia saw a total of 14 initial public offerings (IPOs) that raised $1.8 billion in the first quarter of 2026, a 48 percent decline in volume but 174 percent increase in proceeds compared with 27 IPOs raising $700 million in the first quarter of 2025, EY said Monday.