CHINA:
1. Tencent and state-owned UnionPay to merge QR code systems for mobile payments in China
2. TikTok’s daily active users (DAU) exceeded 400 million in Jan 2020
3. Bytedance rebrands Huoshan to support Douyin in lower-tier cities
4. Luckin enters unmanned retail market with new vending machines to speed up expansion
5. Ant Financial-backed Danke Apartment 蛋壳公寓 plans to raise USD 201 million via US IPO
6. Zhiyun Health 智云健康 nets US$144M, progressing towards China’s “healthcare unicorn” status
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MOBILE-ONLY MARKETS:
1. Indonesian wallet Ovo hits one billion transaction in 2019
2. Philippines’s Signet Properties launches real estate crowdfunding platform Flint
CROSS-BORDER:
1. Chinese fintech firms often tap Singapore to ramp up SEA operations
2. Mantra Capital launches $60m tech fund for India, US startups
3. Chinese air taxi company EHang 亿航智能 flies autonomously in the US for the first time
4. Netflix partners Indonesia’s Ministry of Education and Culture to boost local film industry
OVERSEAS:
3. Grab launches first cloud kitchen in Singapore amid GrabFood expansion
4. Tesla surpasses BYD as world’s best-selling NEV brand
5. Tesla receives over 1,000 orders daily for China-made Model 3, after a 15% price drop
6. Korean ecommerce unicorn Coupang to go public in 2021, sources say
7. Fitness classes booking app ClassPass, finally a unicorn, raises $285 million in new funding
9. Evolv raises $30 million to expedite security screenings with AI
11. Virtual Incision raises $20 million for mini surgical robots
12. Esports betting platform startup Midnite raises $2.5M
13. Spotify brings streaming ad insertion technology to podcasts
Image Credits: Technode