Latest news and trends about tech

Maybank Investment Bank said Monday that it sees Singapore's largest mobile network operator a communications technology group Singtel as a long-term beneficiary of Physical AI in ASEAN, while its data centers, GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) offering and connectivity assets position it well to capture near-term growth from digital artificial intelligence (AI).

ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) said Monday it is projecting the ASEAN+3 region to grow by 4.1 percent in 2026, up from its June forecast of 4 percent, reflects sustained momentum in the region’s technology sector, particularly robust demand for semiconductors and other artificial intelligence (AI)-related products.

Cryptocurrencies account for 6 percent of the mean asset allocation among affluent and high net worth investors globally in 2026, down one percentage point from 2025, according to the HSBC Affluent Investor Snapshot 2026.

Egypt-based Fincart, a shipping platform, has closed an oversubscribed $2.8 million seed funding round co-led by Launch Africa and Antler MENAP, with participation from Yango Ventures, Five35 Ventures, Bluestream Capital, Hi2 Global, Kalahari Venture Labs, and other MENA and Africa-focused investors.

KPay Group, a fintech company co-headquartered in Hong Kong and Singapore, has received in-principle approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) for a Major Payment Institution license, under the Payment Services Act 2019 for its Singapore subsidiary, KPay Merchant Service (Singapore).

China's electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer BYD and Australia's salary packaging and novated leasing provider Smart will jointly offer BYD and DENZA electric vehicles available through novated leases to more than 2.5 million Australians employed by Smart's clients.

AI voice agents are expanding across Asia-Pacific, but inconsistent recognition of regional accents, dialects, code-switching, and real-world speech could limit their effectiveness. Businesses need to evaluate whether these systems understand how customers actually speak.

Samsung Malaysia Electronics and Malayan Banking Berhad (Maybank) have jointly launched QR payment functionality within Samsung Wallet in Malaysia, allowing eligible Samsung Galaxy users to access Maybank's MAE Scan & Pay feature natively within the wallet application from July 21, 2026.

PT Danantara Asset Management (DAM) has officially signed a share purchase agreement (SPA) for shares in PT Mandiri Manajemen Investasi (MMI), PT BRI Manajemen Investasi (BRI MI), PT BNI Asset Management (BNI AM), and PT PNM Investment Management (PNM IM) on Wednesday.

Growing up around a family retail business showed Lee Leslee how small inventory errors can build into recurring shortages. He explains where spreadsheets begin to fall short and why growing businesses need clearer, more consistent stock tracking.