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Sayurbox announced Monday its oversubscribed Series C round of $120+ million led by Northstar and Alpha JWC Ventures, with participation from new investor International Finance Corporation (IFC). Existing investors Astra, Syngenta Group Ventures, and Global Brain as well as other prominent angel investors also participated in this fundraising round. The new…

Vickers Venture Partners' Nasdaq-listed special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Vickers Vantage Corp I is merging with Scilex Holding Company (Scilex), a majority-owned subsidiary of US pharma firm Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc and a commercial biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing non-opioid therapies for patients with acute…

Malaysian lender Public Bank said Friday the bank and Carsome has officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for greater business collaborations. With this MoU, the bank will be able to provide stock-financing and end-financing arrangement for the vehicles to its member Car Dealers and individual purchasers who have won the bids through Carsome…

Grab financial arm Grab Financial Group (GFG) Malaysia and Sedania Innovator Bhd’s fintech subsidiary Sedania As Salam Capital Sdn Bhd (SASC) announced Friday they are partnering to officially offer Grab Cash Financing-i, a Shariah compliant* financing product, to eligible Grab driver- and delivery-partners in Malaysia. Grab Cash Financing-i aims to provide…

Singapore payment firm Digital Treasures Center (DTC) said Wednesday the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has awarded the company In-Principle Approval (IPA) to provide digital payment token service together with other payment services. Digital payment tokens are commonly known as cryptocurrency. DTC is among the first few applicants to receive the…

Airwallex, announced Thursday its partnership with Choco Up to support the future growth of cross-border ecommerce. By combining Airwallex’s proprietary global payments infrastructure with Choco Up’s flexible recurring funding solutions, the partnership enables a comprehensive and integrated finance solution for e-commerce companies across Asia.

Malaysia-based integrated car e-commerce platform Carsome Group Pte Ltd (Carsome) announced Thursday the acquisition of 51 percent stake in Singapore integrated automotive firm CarTimes Automobile Pte Ltd (CarTimes). Carsome said the acquisition is an important move that further strengthens its market leadership in the region, and reinforces its commitment…

The Malaysia Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation (MRANTI) will be opening a 2,000 square feet MakersLab in May, to ramp up its technology-savvy talent pool and its innovation portfolio, putting Malaysia further along the path to achieve a high-income country status. The new learning and development centre will offer a spectrum of 4IR focused…

Starbucks announced Wednesday an integrated partnership with Grab across six markets, including the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The partnership will provide customers across Southeast Asia with a seamless Starbucks Experience, allowing them to earn Starbucks Rewards benefits on purchases through Grab, have more ways…

In Part 2, we focus on the challenges faced by drone tech startups, the Malaysia government’s initiatives to support the industry and some suggestions from drone tech companies.