Bank of China, DBS & HSBC join GSBN to form Trade Finance Advisory Group to transform global trade

Global Shipping Business Network (GSBN), an independent, not-for-profit technology consortium to build a blockchain-enabled operating system designed to redefine global trade, welcomes Bank of China (BOC), Singapore multinational banking group DBS Bank (DBS), and British multinational banking group The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd (HSBC), to form the consortium’s Trade Finance…

How Carsome became Malaysia’s largest tech unicorn – with a little help from a friend

Gobi Partners’ continued faith and multiple investments into Carsome paved the way for the e-commerce platform to dominate Southeast Asia’s used car scene, en route to becoming Malaysia’s first and largest unicorn. TechNode Global spoke to Carsome Co-Founder and Group CEO Eric Cheng and Gobi Founding Partner Thomas G. Tsao to get the back story. Think used cars, think dingy dealerships,…

Filipino BioTech founder is changing the game in the global fight against cancer with AI, machine learning & ‘glycan’ research

While Filipino athletes are making accomplishments in the international arena, a proud Filipino has also been making waves on the international stage--this time, in innovation, healthcare, and entrepreneurship. For several years now, Aldo Carrascoso, who was raised in San Juan, Metro Manila, has been leaving a mark in the startup scene in the United States. Following his string of successful…

Challenges and opportunities as Buy Now, Pay Later shopping gains traction in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur-based Lau Chi Yan, 33, bought an oven online using Grab’s Pay Later services when the ride-hailing and payment firm ran a cash rebate promotion in Malaysia in June. As a new user, she received a rebate of 65 MYR ($15.34) with minimum spending of 150 MYR ($35.40), equivalent to a 43.33 percent discount on the product. This was her first time using Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) service,…

Where are we headed in this brave new world? Here’s a look into BCE (Before COVID Era) and CE (COVID Era)

We are close to 1.5 years into living with COVID-19, reacting to its multiple variants (alpha, beta, gamma, delta). The shifts in and out of lockdown across the world have been, at the very least, frustrating to individuals, communities, and businesses. But the whole point is probably for the global population to be able to toggle smoothly and efficiently between the two states - lockdown and…

Insights: From platforms to health

Asia’s Most Wanted – Digital Health Part I is part of a three-part HealthTech special series organised by BlueChilli healthtech and TechNode Global to shed light into burning topics and emerging developments in Asia’s healthcare industry.   How are platforms rising to the immense opportunities and challenges for healthcare in Asia? To answer this question, I had the honour of…

Oyo’s Ritesh Agarwal starts VC firm in Singapore

26-year-old Indian tech billionaire Ritesh Agarwal, founder of fast-growing hotel chain startup Oyo, has turned to Singapore to set up a new venture capital firm. With Aroa Ventures, he’s investing between $500,000 and $5 million in early-stage startups, reports Entrackr. According to the VC outfit’s website, it’s on the hunt for fledgling tech companies that make $1 million to $10 million…

Southeast Asia VC lifts lid on new $50m fund

The tech investors at Quest Ventures today debuted their second fund, worth $50 million. Focused on making post-seed and series A investments, Quests’ Fund II is seeking out startups “across Southeast Asia and emerging Asia,” the team said in a statement today. That means the Singapore-based VC is eyeing investments in nations it has yet to explore, such as the Philippines and…