AirAsia’s BigPay teams up with state-linked MIDF, PE firm Ikhlas Capital for digital banking license in Malaysia

Malaysian budget airline AirAsia Group Bhd’s FinTech arm BigPay has submitted its application for a digital banking licence to the country's central bank Bank Negara Malaysia. BigPay has put together a consortium of strategic partners to support its application: Malaysian Industrial Development Finance Bhd (MIDF), a unit of the country’s largest asset manager Permodalan Nasional Bhd, private…

Recognizing startups in the second edition of ORIGIN Innovation Awards

Nominations for the second edition of ORIGIN Innovation Awards, APAC’s accolade for tech innovations, are now open. Organized by TechNode Global, the Awards is established with the goal of celebrating the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship by providing recognition to companies that have shown breakthroughs in technology or have influenced the growth of the APAC tech community. Submit…

7 Little changes that will make a big difference with your ‘phygital’ customer experience

During the pre-digital transformation, customers had to visit the brick-and-mortar showrooms for shopping physically. However, when internet services graduated from 1G to 5G, there has been an explosion in its complexity and advancement in its application. It has brought about a paradigm shift across a broad spectrum of the world's economy and transformed our lives drastically. It has made it…

Fave offers ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ service in Singapore and Malaysia

Southeast Asian loyalty and cashback platform Fave has launched its "Buy Now, Pay Later" (BNPL) service in Singapore and Malaysia. The service is available on the Fave app for iOS users on Monday, followed by an Android release in July 2021, Fave said in a statement. Eligible users will be able to split purchases over three equal, interest-free installments. Repayments will be automatically…

Innovation Partnerships: China & Singapore [Event highlights]

On June 10th, SGInnovate and TechNode Global presented a panel to discuss how the rapid rise of China’s technology sector can lead to the development of local deep tech capabilities, alongside its various stakeholders. SGInnovate is a Singapore government-backed Deep Tech investor and company builder that helps entrepreneurial scientists and tech startups that are looking to innovate in areas…

$360M Series C funding makes online car marketplace Carro Singapore’s newest unicorn

Carro, Singapore’s “Alibaba of Cars,” has breached the $1 billion valuation mark after obtaining a $360 million Series C funding. This makes the company the seventh unicorn based or founded in the city-state and the first automotive marketplace unicorn in Southeast Asia. The latest capital injection was led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, the venture capital fund of the SoftBank Group of Japan.…

In its 2nd year, ORIGIN Innovation Awards will recognize innovators, movers & shakers, and notable achievements

TechNode Global’s inaugural ORIGIN Innovation Awards held in 2020 celebrated the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship across Asia. Our subject matter expert advisory committee selected the companies and individuals that made a difference in the Asia Pacific region’s entrepreneurship and innovation scene. What we have come to realize is that, even as 2020 had been a time of difficulty and…

Malaysia HealthTech startup BookDoc partners with Childhope Philippines Foundation for CSR collaboration

BookDoc is expanding to the Philippines through a collaboration with Childhope Philippines Foundation, Inc. According to the company's announcement, BookDoc has signed a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") with Childhope Philippines Foundation, Inc. in relation to corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs and promotions. Above from left: Elaine, BookDoc’s Partnership Executive; Dato’…

With Flash Express entering Unicorn status, will we see more Southeast Asia Unicorns emerge?

Flash Express, a Thai logistics and transportation company that operates a door-to-door pickup and delivery service, has reportedly entered unicorn status after raising $150 million in its Series D+ and Series E round of funding. The logistics startup plans to use the fresh funding to expand into more communities, introduce payments services, and support online merchants through loans. Earlier…