Asia

Global financial crime compliance costs for financial institutions totals more than $206 billion, according to LexisNexis® Risk Solutions released on Wednesday. The cost is comparable to more than 12 percent of global research and development (R&D) expenditure and equates to $3.33 per month for each working-age individual on earth.

Valentino Rossi's company VR46 Metaverse, Hong Kong-based gaming firm Animoca Brands and its subsidiary Gravitaslabs have joined forces to build innovative Web3 experiences for motorsport enthusiasts. VR46 Metaverse has announced a partnership with Animoca Brands and Gravitaslabs to jointly explore innovative gaming and Web3 activations across metaverse…

Animoca Brands, the Hong Kong-based company advancing digital property rights for gaming and the open metaverse, has partnered Daehong Communications, the Lotte Group marketing and advertising arm based in South Korea, to advance Lotte Group’s Web3 business through key initiatives with Mocaverse and Bellygom.

VDX, the Hong Kong-based up-and-coming digital asset platform, has on Tuesday announced a strategic partnership with MaiCapital, an Hong Kong Securities & Futures Commission (SFC)-licensed blockchain and virtual asset manager, to support its upcoming Security Token Offering (STO) projects.

China-based venture capital firm Quest Ventures has appointed Philippine-based April Ong Vaño as its Head of Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG). In this capacity, Ong Vaño will play a pivotal role in advancing the company's mission and advancing sustainability efforts in key markets.

Japan's venture capital firm Incubate Fund Asia has on Thursday announced the first close of its third fund which has a target corpus of $50 million. The fund is expanding its focus on supporting pre-seed and seed-stage startups in India and South East Asia (SEA).

Truckistan Technologies, the Pakistan-based tech-enabled less-than-truckload (LTL) company, has on Tuesday announced its successful seed fundraising round. The final amount is nearly $1 million with some late-stage participants yet to finalize their commitments.

Indian online visa application platform Atlys has raised $12 million in a Series A round led by Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia Capital India) and Elevation Capital. The round also saw participation from existing investors Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Musical Duo Chainsmokers, South Park Commons, Pinterest Founders and other investors.

Terra Drone Corporation, a drone and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) technology provider based in Japan, has expanded into the precision agriculture sector by acquiring the business of Avirtech, a startup providing agricultural drone spraying and mapping service in Southeast Asia.

Petronas Ventures investment arm Twin Towers Ventures (TTV) and Asia-focused venture capital firm Gobi Partners have partnered for resources, proficiency and networks to invest in the ecosystem of sustainable innovation within Southeast Asia (SEA) and the Greater Bay Area (GBA) in China.