OVERSEAS:
1. KPMG survey finds that only 17% of companies have smart automation technologies operating at full scale
2. Amazon more than doubled its ad revenue to roughly $6 billion in 2018 and also joined the country’s top 10 ad spenders at number 6 behind P&G, AT&T, Berkshire Hathaway, and others
3. Microsoft officially launched the first official version of its Edge browser with the Chromium engine for Windows 10
4. Sonos Partners With Ikea to Put Speakers Into Everyday Objects
5. Online university degree provider 2U acquires Trilogy for $750M to expand into tech bootcamps and training
6. Loan platform Kabbage raises a record $700 million in debt for its SMB loans platform
7. HealthQuest Beats Target, Raises $440 Million for Third Medical Fund
8. Email marketing firm Klaviyo raises $150M Series B with the entire sum coming from Summit Partners
9. Fleetsmith lands $30M Series B to grow Apple device management platform
CHINA:
1. Jinan 济南, capital of China’s Shandong province, opens China’s first subway featuring 3D facial recognition
2. Tencent’s video game online store WeGame officially launched the international version
3. Tencent doubles down on healthcare, tests medical services on WeChat
4. Chengdu pharmaceutical technology company, 壹号生物科技有限公司 raised first round of financing of 150 million yuan for further biomedical innovations and new drug research
5. Driver safety monitoring system developer Roadefend 径卫视觉 has completed more than RMB 100 million from Series B1 fundraising
6. China’s AI healthcare data company iCarbonX could be forced to sell stake in US firm over security risks
7. Thieves fool smartphone facial recognition to steal Chinese man’s life savings
CROSS-BORDER:
1. TikTok launches talent search competition in Japan, South Korea
2. Partnering with Visa, emerging market lender Branch International raises $170 million to expand its client networks in Africa, South-Asia and Latin America
3. Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC makes first investment in a Vietnamese fintech company
4. Southeast Asian streaming platform iflix gets funding from Japanese entertainment giant Yoshimoto Kogyo, and also announced the formation of an exclusive joint venture
5. Jordan, China’s Huawei sign deal to establish 3 academies in Jordan to enhance skills of young Jordanians in the field of technology
MOBILE:
1. Foldable 5G smartphone Mate X arrives at official Huawei store, where it is estimated to be priced at €2,299
EMERGING MARKET:
1. Garena World offers a preview of what e-sports at the SEA Games could be like
2. Malaysia’s central bank grants approval in principle to fintech startup MoneyMatch
3. SoftBank-backed Grab seeks another $2 billion funding in expansion drive
4. Indian-based Zomato’s revenue soars on robust food delivery business to US$206 million in FY 2019 from US$68 million in FY 2018
Cover picture credits to Digital Music News.
