Malaysia

Malaysia to announce digital bank license winners next month – report

Malaysia’s move to issue digital banking licenses comes at a time when regulators across Asia including Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Philippines are opening up the banking industry to digital players, encouraged by higher smartphone penetration and better internet connections.

Malaysian fintech startup IIMMPACT raises $2 million funding from Sequoia India’s Surge

IIMMPACT announced Wednesday $2 million in seed funding by Sequoia India’s Surge. IIMMPACT is Surge’s first startup founded and based in Malaysia. The funding will be used to accelerate product development and expand hiring.

Indian payment platform Razorpay buys majority stake in Malaysian fintech firm Curlec

Razorpay announced Tuesday its first international expansion into South-East Asia with the acquisition of a majority stake in Curlec for an undisclosed amount. This marks Razorpay’s fourth acquisition overall and its first in international waters, taking one step closer to becoming a fintech leader in emerging markets.

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…

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…

Carsome

Malaysia car e-commerce platform Carsome Group appoints ex-AirAsia officer Ravi Shankar as chief marketing officer

Carsome has appointed Ravi Shankar Mallavarapu as its Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) to head multidisciplinary functions and continue driving Carsome’s leadership in all marketing-related aspects.In his new role, Mallavarapu will oversee brand, marketing, digital, social media, public relations, growth, market research and customer experience.

Malaysia’s MDEC to partner with Asean Fintech Group to facilitate funding opportunities to Malaysian tech companies

The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) in collaboration with ASEAN Fintech Group (AFG), announced Wednesday a strategic partnership to enhance initiatives aimed at scaling up Malaysian fintech companies. Their collaborative efforts will focus on three key areas, namely deal flows, fintech ecosystem support and joint amplification. MDEC will curate…

Malaysian perfume startup Scentses + Co receives seed investment from conglomerate MUI Bhd

Scentses + Co has announced a strategic partnership and a lead investment from Malayan United Industries Bhd (MUI) through its venture arm, Pan Malaysia Ventures Sdn Bhd under Pan Malaysia Corporation Bhd. By leveraging the strength and backing of the conglomerate, Scentses + Co is set to further catapult the company’s growth towards achieving an annualised…

Malaysia launches Financial Sector Blueprint 2022-2026, advancing digitalization of the financial sector’s among the strategic thrusts

Advancing digitalization of the financial sector is among the five strategic thrusts stated in the Blueprint. Among the initiatives include future-proofing key digital infrastructures, supporting a vibrant digital financial services landscape, strengthening cyber security readiness and responsiveness, and supporting greater use of technology for regulation…