Latest news and trends about tech

Q9 Capital, a Hong Kong-based crypto investment platform, announced Thursdasy that it has received a provisional virtual asset (VA) approval from Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA) as it expands into the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and applies for the full operating license in accordance with VARA requirements.

The next era of innovation is gathering pace as businesses look to reimagine their applications in response to rapidly changing customer needs and to enable new models of hybrid work.

Global fintech firm Stripe announced Thursday the launch of its services in Thailand. The launch expands Stripe’s investment in Asia Pacific where its services are available to support businesses in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Thailand.

Southeast Asia’s digital economy is on track to hit $200 billion gross merchandise value (GMV) in 2022, three years earlier than was anticipated in the inaugural report shared in 2016, said Google, Temasek and Bain & Company in its released seventh edition of the e-Conomy SEA report.

Jago, an Indonesia-based mobile café company, announced Thursday the completion of a $2.2 million Pre-Series A round of financing led by Intudo Ventures and BEENEXT.The round also saw participation from CyberAgent Capital, and Arkblu Capital.

Wavemaker Impact, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, GenZero, and Singapore’s Temasek intend to set up a first-of-its-kind agri-tech startup that brings together climate-tech, agri-food, and venture-building capabilities to accelerate rice decarbonisation in Southeast Asia and the rest of Asia.

Hong Kong customer and sales engagement tool WATI (WhatsApp Team Inbox) has on Wednesday announced a $23 million series B funding round to scale the team and product and reach more businesses globally.

Grease Monkey Games, an Australia-based multi-platform video game studio and a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, announced Wednesday a historic industry partnership and collaboration with Nissan Motor Company (Japan).

The answer is prioritizing fun, entertaining gameplay. It’s that simple, although it’s easier said than done. Landmark games like Axie Infinity have forged ahead as early innovators for the next era of gaming. But now the real work starts on how to build Web3 gaming into an industry with staying power.

Toku, a Singapore-based dedicated cloud communications provider, announced Wednesday a $5 million extension of its Series A round, bringing its total funding to $10 million.The extended round was co-led by Delivery Hero Ventures and Malaysia's OSK Ventures International with participation from Betatron Venture Group.