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Indonesian open finance fintech Ayoconnect raises $15M led by Tiger Global

Ayoconnect has closed a $15 million series B financing round led by Tiger Global. The round was joined by PayU, the payments and fintech business of Prosus, and Alto Partners, as well as individual strategic investors, including Plaid Co-Founder William Hockey and Jerry Ng, President Commissioner of Bank Jago, It will use the funds to satisfy increasing…

AirAsia changes name to Capital A to reflect new core strategy

Malaysia's AirAsia Group Berhad has announced a name change for the group holding company to become Capital A Berhad, to reflect the group’s new core business strategy as an investment holding company with a portfolio of synergistic travel and lifestyle businesses, which have rapidly transformed the AirAsia brand into much more than just an airline.. By…

VinFuture Sci-Tech Week: How artificial intelligence is the key to unlock the future of humanity

As part of VinFuture Sci-Tech Week, the VinFuture seminar featured discussions that envisioned the future of AI with Vietnam’s potential contributions to AI research and development.

Singapore edtech company Cialfo raises $40M in Series B led by Square Peg and SEEK Investments

Cialfo has on Thursday announced it has secured $40 million in funding as part of a Series B round, led by global investment firm Square Peg, and Australian-headquartered SEEK Investments. It also saw existing investors, including SIG Global, Vulcan Capital, DLF Venture, January Capital, and Lim Teck Lee, double-down on earlier investments.

Hong Kong’s The Sandbox partners with Warner Music to create music-themed world in the metaverse

The Sandbox announced Thursday that it has partnered with Warner Music Group (WMG) to create the first music-themed world in The Sandbox gaming metaverse. A combination of musical theme park and concert venue, the Warner Music Group LAND in The Sandbox will feature concerts and musical experiences featuring WMG’s leading roster of artists,

Australian no code expert process automation platform Checkbox raises $4.5M from Sequoia India’s Surge and Tidal Ventures

Checkbox has raised AU$6.3 million ($4.5 million) in pre-Series A funding to accelerate local and international expansion, including the appointment of personnel for key regions and the launch of a product-assisted growth model. The round is led by Sequoia India’s rapid scale-up program, Surge, and Australia’s Tidal Ventures. Checkbox will use the funding…

AirAsia logistics arm Teleport invests in Indonesian trucking marketplace Kargo Technologies

In its efforts to be a major player for delivery in the Southeast Asia region, Teleport, the logistics venture of Airasia, has invested in Kargo Technologies (Kargo), Indonesia’s largest trucking marketplace, in the form of convertible notes. This acquisition was funded through Teleport’s internally generated sources,

Malaysia, Indonesia central banks launch cross border QR payment linkage

The central bank of Malaysia and Indonesia on Thursday launched a cross-border QR payment linkage, to enable instant, secure, and efficient cross-border payments between Malaysia and Indonesia. Through this linkage, consumers in both countries will be able to make retail payments by scanning the DuitNow or Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) QR…

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Singapore’s Blockchain Founders Fund announces first close of $75M venture fund

Singapore venture capital (VC) fund Blockchain Founders Fund (BFF) announced Thursday the principal close of its $75 million BFF II. Some of the notable investors participating in BFF II include NEO Global Capital (NGC), Appworks, Sebastien Borget COO of The Sandbox, GSR, LD Capital, Metavest Capital, TechMeetsTrader, Zipmex, Baksh Capital, Octava, Aria…

Indonesian people management and salary-on-demand platform Gajiku raises $1.1M in seed financing led by AC Ventures

Gajiku announced Thursday the completion of a $1.1 million seed round of financing led by AC Ventures, with participation from Agung Ventures, Monk’s Hill Ventures, Sampoerna, as well as several influential Indonesian entrepreneurs and angel investors. With this round of financing, Gajiku plans to focus on product development to roll out new services and…