Asia

WeLab Bank, the virtual bank of Hong Kong's FinTech firm WeLab Holdings Limited (WeLab), said Monday it has become the first virtual bank in Hong Kong licensed to offer digital wealth advisory services. Having obtained the Type 1 (dealing in securities) and Type 4 (advising on securities) licenses from the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission…

Hong Kong's Regal Hotels Group announced Monday its entrance into the metaverse with MetaGreen, a project to develop an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) themed plot of "LAND" in The Sandbox, a decentralised gaming virtual world and subsidiary of Hong Kong's Animoca Brands.

Hong Kong rail operator MTR Corporation announced Thursday its entry into the Web3 era and will start its metaverse journey in partnership with The Sandbox, a decentralized gaming virtual world and subsidiary of Animoca Brands, to create new and immersive experiences in the virtual world.

Japan-based convenient store chain FamilyMart Co.,Ltd. announced Friday that it has made a strategic investment in Luup, Inc. a Japanese e-scooter and e-bike sharing service provider. Through this partnership, the two companies will begin full-scale collaboration, including the installation of LUUP ports at FamilyMart stores and joint marketing effort.

Hong Kong-based gaming firm Animoca Brands and United States-based entertainment firm Planet Hollywood Group announced Friday the MetaHollywood joint venture. The MetaHollywood will build the largest online community for movie lovers, studios, and creators to interact within a Hollywood-themed metaverse and marketplace for digital collectibles, moments,…

FundPark, a Hong Kong-based eCommerce liquidity solution and technology provider, announced Wednesday the closing of an asset-backed securitization (ABS) facility of up to $250 million with Goldman Sachs as senior facility provider. Through this ABS facility, FundPark proprietary platform will serve to bridge the working capital finance needs of small to…

South Korea-based real-world metaverse startup DoubleMe said Wednesday it has raised $25 million in a Series A funding co-led by Coentry Investment and NH Investment with a strategic investment from Samsung Electronics.

Recur Club, a Singapore-based FinTech platform facilitating non-dilutive growth capital for companies with recurring revenues, said Tuesday it has closed its $30 million seed funding round, as a combination of equity and debt allocation. The funding round was led by InfoEdge Ventures and Village Global,  with financing for the platform from marquee…

SoftBank Robotics Group Corp., a robotics solutions provider under Softbank, announced Monday that it has partnered with UnaBiz, a massive internet of things (IoT) provider based in Singapore, to initiate a seamless integration of IoT sensors and robotics in building management and maintenance that will streamline work processes, allowing efficient…

Animoca Brands, the company Hong Kong-based firm advancing digital property rights for gaming and the metaverse, announced Wednesday it will acquire Darewise Entertainment, a France-based game developer founded by veterans of the AAA games industry that is currently developing the high-quality blockchain MMO Life Beyond. The collaboration will facilitate…