Latest news and trends about tech

Malaysia-based CIMB Bank Bhd has expanded its DuitNow QR payment coverage on the CIMB OCTO app to five additional markets — China, Hong Kong, South Korea, the Philippines and Laos — bringing its overseas payment network to nine markets.

Microsoft's Southeast Asia 3, its second cloud region in Malaysia, will be built in Johor Bahru.

Southeast Asia's initial public offering (IPO) market weakened in the first nine months of 2026, with the number of listings falling 26 percent and proceeds declining 13 percent year on year, despite stronger activity in Malaysia, according to the latest IPO market statistics revealed by EY on Thursday.

Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd and CelcomDigi Berhad have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen digital talent development across CelcomDigi's workforce.

Grab Vietnam, under Southeast Asia's technology giant Grab, will spend VND2,950.9 billion ($112 million) on fee cuts, driver refunds and incentives, and promotions in Vietnam, after the ministry-run National Competition Commission reviewed its fares calculation.

Merchant commerce platform Pine Labs and programmable financial infrastructure provider Stripe have partnered to offer a unified commerce solution in Singapore, allowing eligible retailers to manage online and in-store payments through a single platform from November 2026.

Singapore, New Zealand and South Korea have made significant progress in negotiations on the Green Economy Partnership Agreement (GEPA), with discussions covering trade-related climate measures, low-emissions goods, environmental certificates and sustainable aviation fuel.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the Research Council of Norway (RCN) and the Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) have on Thursday launched a joint research grant call to develop solutions to support the decarbonization of international shipping.

Singapore will require sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) procured using proceeds from its SAF levy to deliver at least 40 percent lower lifecycle emissions than conventional jet fuel, ahead of its first tender for 20,000 to 30,000 tons of the fuel by mid-December 2026,  the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said on Thursday. 

Visa has set up six global capability hubs at its new Solution Center in Paya Lebar Green, Singapore, hosting 1,500 employees working on technology across artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, quantum computing, and next-generation payments.