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…

Why FinTechs should embrace Open Finance

Offer an engaging user experience by creating a stress-free onboarding process. Build hyper-personalized products that customers love. Welcome to the future of financial services, where Open Finance makes the above possible. Led by the drive towards an open ecosystem where financial companies can securely exchange the data of their customers with one another, Open Finance is enabling…

Vietnam is emerging as Southeast Asia’s hotspot for venture capital post-COVID

Despite the hardship brought about by COVID-19, Vietnam is becoming ever more capital-attracting. 2020’s difficulties have barely stopped venture capital activity in the country. In fact, the total value of investments poured into Vietnamese startups in Q1 2021 reached more than US$100 million, increasing by about 34 percent YoY with foreign investors being dominant, as reported by South Korean…