Chinaccelerator Daily Digest 3/26/2019

Overseas:

1. Apple unveils TV streaming platform Apple TV+ and credit card

2. Google launches a new real-time data product Real-time Content Insights for journalists

3. McDonald’s is acquiring Dynamic Yield to create a more customized drive-through

4. TikTok quietly picked up assets from GeoGif, which created animated, location-specific overlays for video

5. Abundant’s apple harvesting robots get their first commercial deployment in New Zealand

6. Social investment platform eToro acquires smart contract startup Firmo

China:

1. China to implement mobile number portability nationally this year

2. Beijing is the home to most AI companies and patents in China

3. Huawei and BYD 比亚迪 signed a cooperation agreement in Shenzhen to help the digital transformation of the automotive industry

4. Faraday Future Grabs USD600 Million Lifeline From Chinese Internet Firm The9

5. Fintech company Defi awarded millions of dollars in financing to help Internet finance companies achieve joint risk control

6. Hong Kong-based fintech startup Airwallex claims unicorn status with $100m funding

7. Lightspeed co-leads Chinese SaaS startup IfChange’s $80m Series C round

8. Edtech startup 36 Art Education 36艺教育 received Pre-A Series $30m financing for further expansion of the national market

9. TMiRob 钛米机器人 has completed undisclosed B+ round financing to develop more high-end medical robots for smart hospitals

Cross-border:

1. WeChat Pay to reportedly take on Google Pay and Paytm in India later this year

2. ‘Ecommerce for expats’ startup Trusu acquired by Hong Kong logistics firm ZipX

3. Singaporean fintech Hydra X partners with Chicago-based Seed CX

4. UK fintech Revolut hires Uber Eats’ Eddie Lee to run Asia-Pacific operations

Emerging Market:

1. Middle East And North African Startups Gain Traction, But Challenges Remain

2. Gjirafa raises a $6.7M Series B from Rockaway Capital to digitise the Balkans

3. Singapore-based customer engagement and loyalty startup Perx Technologies banks Series B $5m from Line, Eduardo Saverin, and others

4. Vnet Capital leads Series A financing in Vietnam’s social influencer platform Hiip

Cover picture credits from Daily Express.