Malaysia

Japan’s JCB injects $5M in Malaysian fintech firm Soft Space in strategic partnership

Soft Space Sdn Bhd announced a new strategic partnership with Japanese international payment brand, JCB Co. Ltd. This strategic partnership is the first of its kind in Malaysia for the payment gian. It involves a combination of $5 million investment in Soft Space and a series of business collaborations that are aimed at capitalising on Soft Space's…

Southeast Asia neobank Crowdo closes $5.9M pre-Series B convertible bridge round from Gobi, Ivest

The funds will be used to expand Crowdo’s neobank platform in Singapore and Indonesia and scale its ESG financing portfolio. Crowdo is headquartered in Singapore but fully licensed by the Indonesian financial authority Otoritas Jasa Keuangan for digital lending in since 2017. The fintech is also registered with the Securities Commission Malaysia.

Fintech startup Paywatch raises $5.23M in seed funding round led by Third Prime and others

Paywatch has raised MYR21.9 million ($5.23 million) in a seed funding round led by US venture capital firm Third Prime and prominent family offices in Singapore and Hong Kong. SparkLabs, Won & Partners and CTK Investments also participated in this round. Operating in South Korea, Malaysia and Hong Kong, the company plans to use the fresh funds to…

Malaysia’s Aerodyne enters strategic partnership with Norway’s Astralution to offer drone solutions in Scandinavian region

Aerodyne Group has inked a strategic partnership with Norway’s Astralution to offer drone-as-a-service (DaaS) and software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions in the Scandinavian region. With Astralution’s extensive background in aviation and crisis management in oil and gas, this partnership will bring long-term value to clients by providing tailored unmanned…

S P Setia’s Alex Chi discusses how process, structure, and culture are important in cultivating corporate innovation [ORIGIN Innovation Awards Q&A]

The key success factors of corporate innovation are -- Process, Structure, and Culture. First, process needs to be optimized. Second, enable a structure to facilitate agile resources and empowerment. And third, cultivate culture to embrace change and nurture unorthodox thinking.

AirAsia secures Malaysian regulator license for remote drone pilot training

AirAsia has secured its Certificate of Approval (COA) from the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), to conduct remote drone pilot training. With the approval, AirAsia has become first in Malaysia to provide industry support with quality remote pilot training.

Eric Cheng, Co-founder and Group CEO of Carsome (seated 3rd from right); Juliet Zhu, Group CFO of Carsome (seated 2nd from right) & Carsome’s Senior Management Team

Malaysia unicorn Carsome raises $290M in Series E financing

Carsome Group announced the completion of its $290 million Series E round, increasing the company’s valuation to approximately $1.7 billion. The latest financing round was jointly led by Qatar Investment Authority, 65 Equity Partners and Seatown Private Capital Master Fund. The round also saw strong participation from investors such as Mediatek, Sunway,…

Eric Cheng, CEO of Carsome Group

Malaysia-based Carsome raises $300M from Temasek-backed funds, QIA – report

Carsome, Malaysia's first tech unicorn, is said to be planning for an initial public offering in the US later this year.

Malaysian edtech startup Pandai raises $2.03M from Y Combinator, 500 Global & others

Pandai Education Sdn Bhd has recently raised a total of $2.03 million investment from a group of local and international investors in its pre-seed and seed round. Among the investors that participated in the rounds are Y Combinator, Global Founders Capital, 500 Global, Soma Capital, Harvard. Joining the round included Malaysian investors RHL Ventures,…

Malaysian drone firm Aerodyne makes strategic investment in AI & data analytics firm Synapse Innovation

Aerodyne Group has signed an agreement to acquire a principal stake in Malaysia-based artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics company Synapse Innovation Sdn Bhd. This investment is engineered to supercharge Aerodyne Group’s prowess in AI and data analytics, as well as strengthening Aerodyne Group’s technology support for its international…