Tech in Asia

2021-02-23 13:30:10 Deep Dive: The rising ‘buy now, pay later’ trend
Towards the end of 2020, a number of “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) startups started ramping up their marketing, plastering ads across malls, train stations, and even social media platforms.

What led to the rise of this new payment method? And is BNPL here to stay?

On this episode of Deep Dive, Tech in Asia journalists Melissa Goh and Putra Muskita discuss the growing popularity of BNPL, the potential risks it poses to consumers and businesses, and what it could become in the future.

Listen more: https://techin.asia/3pLJ5RR Open / Comment

2021-02-23 10:50:26 Shopee to roll out ecommerce app in Mexico — The new portal will "offer the same experience" as Shopee's platforms in Southeast Asia.
Read more: http://techin.asia/3bvd5w6

Zomato banks $250m in pre-IPO round — The company's CEO Deepinder Goyal also recently said that Zomato is likely to go public within the first half of 2021.
Read more: http://techin.asia/2P4UEa3

Sources: MobiKwik appoints investment banks to prep for its 2022 IPO — MobiKwik joins a slew of Indian tech startups such as Paytm, Zomato, and PhonePe, among others that are set to go public during this year or next year.
Read more: http://techin.asia/3dEQgIP Open / Comment

2021-02-22 14:42:26 TikTok ramps up ecommerce hiring in Indonesia, Singapore — It is mostly looking for business and operational employees in Indonesia, while focusing on tech talent in Singapore.
Read more: http://techin.asia/3kcCRcl

Sources: India’s competition watchdog begins antitrust probe into GPay — The Indian agency is reportedly speaking with local payment majors such as PhonePe and Paytm Payments Bank as part of the investigation.
Read more: http://techin.asia/37BKdkt

TransferWise to hire over 70 new employees in Singapore after rebrand — It also announced the appointment of Lim Paik Wan as country manager for Malaysia.
Read more: http://techin.asia/3dznKZl

Facebook co-founder’s firm looks to raise $300m in US IPO via SPAC — Facebook's Eduardo Saverin will serve as the special advisor at the SPAC. He is the co-founder and co-managing general partner of B Capital Group.
Read more: http://techin.asia/2NLJ5Us Open / Comment

2021-02-18 11:32:33 AirAsia to launch its food delivery service in Singapore — AirAsia is currently offering the service on its main app in Malaysia.
Read more: http://techin.asia/2ZrDg0Z

Shopee expands logistics services in Malaysia to offer next-day delivery — It also partnered with Parcelhub and MBE Malaysia to bring the total number of drop-off points nationwide to over 300.
Read more: http://techin.asia/2NzM0zu

Graph analytics firm TigerGraph bags $105m in Tiger Global-led round — TigerGraph already has a presence in China and is now opening offices in Singapore and Indonesia.
Read more: http://techin.asia/2ONG06W

We’re back with the first Pitch Night of 2021
Get your startup in front of a panel of investor-judges and an audience of founders, investors, and professionals from top tech companies on March 25!
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2021-02-17 14:30:10 This Rocket Internet-backed coffee startup plans to conquer Asia
When Flash Coffee opened its first outlet in Jakarta in January 2020, it sold over 800 cups of coffee on its first day, far exceeding co-founder David Brunier’s expectations.

After the successful launch, Brunier quickly set his sights on other Asian countries, beginning with establishing branches in Singapore and Bangkok. However, just as he kicked off the expansion plans, the world was hit by the Covid-19 crisis, and brick-and-mortar businesses like Flash Coffee saw their operations grind to a screeching halt.

On this episode of Startup Snapshot, Brunier shares how he built Flash Coffee with co-founder Sebastian Hannecker, the early successes of the business, and the struggles of running a coffee chain amid a pandemic.

Listen more: https://techin.asia/2LYLRoX Open / Comment

2021-02-17 12:26:59 Report: TikTok sees surge in US ad business post Trump’s election defeat — TikTok said it is constantly having conversations with advertisers on brand safety.
Read more: http://techin.asia/3arnMAs

Grab launches initiatives to support drivers, partners in Myanmar — It will top up an additional 50% in earnings for GrabFood bikers and will not be collecting any commission from its drivers and restaurant partners.
Read more: http://techin.asia/2LWCRR1

JD.com to spin off its shipping arm through a Hong Kong listing — It was also previously reported that JD Logistics’ financial debut could net it between US$2 billion and US$3 billion.
Read more: http://techin.asia/3dkxrKV Open / Comment

2021-02-16 13:36:46 Report: Grab teams up with UniPin, Yummy Corp in Indonesia — Games supported by UniPin vouchers include Minecraft, PUBG, and Garena Shells.
Read more: http://techin.asia/3quoh2g

Sources: Indian edtech leader Byju’s to acquire its rival Toppr for $150m — It comes after Byju's acquired WhiteHat Jr. in August 2020 and agreed to absorb Aakash Educational Services in January this year.
Read more: http://techin.asia/3b8ojq1

Israeli alt-meat startup bags $29m as it gears up for global expansion — In September 2019, Redefine Meat raised US$6 million in a seed round led by CPT Capital.
Read more: http://techin.asia/3b98Iqr

Tech in Asia X AWS Fintech Forum — Hear from Asia’s best thought leaders and get a head start on how to accelerate your fintech capabilities at our upcoming fintech forum on 23 February. RSVP for your complimentary seat here :http://techin.asia/3irKFX1 Open / Comment

2021-02-08 10:18:51 PayPal to close local payments business in India — The payments major said it plans to shift its attention to "enabling more international sales for Indian businesses."
Read more: http://techin.asia/3tDTrWQ

Report: TikTok to introduce new ecommerce tools in the US to take on Facebook — TikTok will also roll out a feature where brands can showcase catalogues of their products on the platform.
Read more: http://techin.asia/2OhSfs8

Hong Kong’s Lalamove to cease its food delivery unit in the Philippines — Moving forward, Lalamove said it plans to expand in Manila and to the Pampanga province in February.
Read more: http://techin.asia/2N3cPfl Open / Comment

2021-02-02 13:58:04 Razer to hire 1,000 employees for new Southeast Asia HQ in Singapore — The move comes after Razer said it expects to hit breakeven for the financial year ended December 31, 2020,
Read more: http://techin.asia/3pILm0J

Indian gov’t allocates $205m of its 2021 budget to boost digital payments — Though India's finance minister didn't elaborate on how the funds would be utilized, she said there was a "manifold increase" in digital payments in India.
Read more: https://techin.asia/3tg2ddw

Matrix Partners joins $100m series B round in Chinese social gaming startup — The latest investment comes after the firm completed a series A round led by Matrix Partners China in April last year.
Read more: https://techin.asia/3tgPffz

Tech in Asia X AWS Fintech Forum — Hear from Asia’s best thought leaders and get a head start on how to accelerate your fintech capabilities at our fintech forum on 23 February.
RSVP for free here :http://techin.asia/3irKFX1

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2021-02-01 09:19:04 Grab closes $2b term loan facility — The move comes after it was reported that the Singpore-born internet giant has already chosen banks for a potential US$2 billion US IPO.
Read more: http://techin.asia/3tcRCA7

English learning app ELSA secures $15m to expand globally — Its expansion plans will focus on Latin America, as well Vietnam, India, and Japan.
Read more: http://techin.asia/3ane2pK

Singapore police and central bank launch probe into CoAssets Group companies — The development comes after the authorities received complaints and feedback regarding suspected misconduct by the group.
Read more: http://techin.asia/3cqr4p2

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