Asia's tech news: August 16
In this edition: Bytedance's $1.5BN healthcare move; Australia looks into a CBDC; Web3 acceleration in Vietnam; Thai Nat'l Security Agency partners Huawei; Taiwan's new Ministry of Digital Affairs...
Get all-day updates on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and mobile app.
• India: Reserve Bank issues tough guidelines, mandating digital loans must be disbursed and repaid through bank accounts of regulated entities only, with no pass-through of loan service providers or other third parties / read in full
• Sri Lanka: Magicbit takes national Startup of the Year Award at recent SALSSCOM Integrity Awards with mini-computer edtech focused on STEM education / read in full
• Indonesia: Cooperatives & Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry launches Business Incubation Bootcamp in 7 regions, aiming to help create 100 sustainable startups / read in full
• New Zealand: Parliamentary Service strongly recommends lawmakers and MPs delete TikTok over security concerns / read in full
• Philippines: Roxe blockchain backbone firm partners Cebuana Lhuillier microfinance firm to boost cross-border remittances / read in full
• China: ByteDance steps further into healthcare with $1.5BN acquisition of Amcare, network of high-end children's and women’s hospitals / read in full
• “Despite PNG's relatively large rural population, social media use is predominantly centralised in urban areas. Port Moresby...is home to more than half of PNG’s social media users...” / read in full
• Thailand: National Cyber Security Agency inks MoU with Huawei, hoping to create "a globally trusted cyberspace in Thailand" / read in full
• Apple has reportedly asked Taiwan suppliers to label products as produced in China in effort to avoid disruption resulting from US House Speaker Pelosi's visit to Taipei / read in full
• Thailand: Central bank to launch pilot study of a retail central bank digital currency with 10,000 retail users selected by the bank / read in full
• Taiwan: Audrey Tang to lead new Ministry of Digital Affairs, aiming to boost digital infrastructure and data-driven collaboration, push private sector data-sharing for public benefit and more / read in full
• South Korea: The 6 startups selected for Incheon Startup Park's 2022 Boost Startup Program, working in e-commerce, the metaverse, semiconductor testing & more / read in full
• Cambodia: Startup Technology Sharing Conference is set for August 20th in Phnom Penh / read in full
• Indonesia's Private Electronic System Operators license: "Most worryingly, MR5 includes a provision allowing the government to demand access to electronic data without needing a court order." / read in full
• Australia: Reserve Bank to trial its own digital currency as part of a CBDC research project looking at economic benefits and how a CBDC could maximise those benefits / read in full
• India: CoinSwitch Kuber crypto trading platform launches Web3 Discovery Fund with initial corpus of $10M to incubate up to 100 early-stage Web3/blockchain startups / read in full
• China: Baidu gains approval for 5 fully driverless robotaxis in districts in 2 cities, covering 13km in Wuhan and 30km in Chongqing / read in full
• India: Microsoft the first 'big tech' firm to join gov't-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce, a project to provide SMEs usually deployed by large e-commerce platforms / read in full
• Philippines: UnionBank set to become country's first bank allowing users to buy and sell cryptocurrencies directly from bank app without a third party wallet / read in full
• Malaysia: 'A Digital Revolution' Conference featuring NFT art competition & exhibition set for September 14-18, with sessions on DeFi, Metaverse and Web3 technologies / read in full
• Indonesia: DANA digital wallet raised $250M from Sinar Mas conglomerate and Alibaba-owned Lazada, aiming to offer lending, wealth mgmt and insurance to over 115M registered users / read in full
• Australian Sports Technologies Network has released the Sports Innovation Report 2022, estimating the sector's value at near Au$3.1BN and employing over 10K individuals / read in full
• Cambodia: TapEffect gains Habitat for Humanity backing to $300K, providing clean tap water to underserved rural and semi-rural communities and using IoT for remote monitoring and management / read in full
• Cambodia: SmartStart Young Innovator Program unveils 5 startups selected, working in AI-assisted translation, home security, financial inclusion and more / read in full
• Vietnam: BNB Chain launches Web3 Stars program in Vietnam, seeking projects to take their next step in Web3 - registration window is just one week, closing August 20th / read in full
• Twala gains $80K grant from Dep't of Science and Tech boost company uptake of blockchain-backed digital signatures / read in full
• Lufthansa Technik Philippines Startup Challenge launches open call for new tech solutions for the aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul industry / read in full
• India: Lysto Web3 startup raises $12M with tools for gamers including Proof of Play Protocol, aiming to standardise gamer credentials and reputation across the industry / read in full
ICYMI: In Case You Missed It
Wider-world tech news items with Asia-Pacific / Indo-Pacific relevance, alongside items providing meaningful points of reference in relevant fields. ICYMI also covers news items that may be older, but which remain noteworthy.
» Tornado Cash virtual currency 'mixer' sanctioned by US Dep't of Treasury over transaction obfuscation that has helped North Korean hacking collective in money-laundering / read in full
» The significance of Tornado Cash being sanctioned: "Instead of targeting said hackers or going after identifiable bad actors, the [US] government has imposed a sweeping ban on the protocol." / read in full
» Cybersecurity and 'identity sprawl': "Is Jane Doe in your payroll system the same as JaneD in your CRM, and is it the same JDoe in your SaaS application?" / read in full
» The rise of 'recommendation media': "...distribution of content is through opaque, platform-defined algorithms that favor maximum attention and engagement from consumers." / read in full
» Saudi Arabia's Neom Oxagon city gigaproject - a 7km floating city combining automated port and logistics - launches hackathon and accelerator initiatives focusing on KSA challenges / read in full
» 7-Eleven acquires Skipcart, a white-label delivery startup providing same-day and on-demand deliveries, adding competition for existing partner DoorDash, and responding to Circle K's delivery moves / read in full
More tech news
• Connect with me: Wade K Wright
• App / Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn / Insta
• Get this for your site, blog, e-news, socials
