Asia

Paytm secures license it needed to survive

India’s Paytm has secured a vital license it needed to survive and maintain continuity of several core features of its eponymous payments app, a day before the firm’s banking unit is sched

Google won’t let you use its Gemini AI to answer questions about an upcoming election in your country

If you want to ask Google’s AI chatbot a question about an upcoming election, you will have to do it from a country where there are no elections taking place. TechCrunch has learned that the sea

Nanonets gets Accel’s backing to improve AI-based workflow automation

Nanonets, a startup using AI to automate back-office processes, has raised $29 million in a new funding round led by Accel as it seeks to improve the accuracy of automation processes that involve larg

Bear Robotics, a robot waiter startup, just picked up $60M from LG

LG Electronics may no longer be a household name in smartphones, but it still sees a big future in gadgets like robots. Today, the company confirmed a $60 million investment in Bear Robotics, the Cali

SuperAGI snags funding from WhatsApp founder Jan Koum’s secretive Newlands VC

Newlands VC, the super-secretive investment firm bankrolled by WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum, is leading a $10 million investment into SuperAGI, TechCrunch has learned exclusively. The startup has ambi

Free Fire India relaunch in limbo six months on

Sea’s Garena has yet to launch its popular mobile title Free Fire in India, more than six months after announcing plans to do so, a prolonged delay that has raised concerns among entrepreneurs a

India’s smartwatch market in flux as unknown brands challenge heavyweights

India’s smartwatch market has transformed, seemingly overnight. For years, it has been dominated by its homegrown players, while global giants like Apple and Samsung have struggled for presence,

India’s Election Commission fixes privacy flaws that exposed citizens’ information-seeking data

India’s federal election commission has fixed flaws on its website that exposed data related to citizens’ requests for information related to their voting eligibility status, local politic

This Korean startup wants to take on Carta in cap table management

A South Korean startup called QuotaLab is on a quest to follow in the footsteps of Carta, the cap table management company that’s used by a host of startups and investors in the U.S. Carta start

Indonesia fintech Wagely makes bank while helping the unbanked

Wagely, a fintech out of Indonesia, made a name for itself with earned wage access: a way for workers in Southeast Asian countries to get advances on their salaries without resorting to higher-interes

India reverses AI stance, requires government approval for model launches

India has waded into global AI debate by issuing an advisory that requires “significant” tech firms to get government permission before launching new models. India’s Ministry of Elec

Taiko raises $37M to build web3 infrastructure for a censorship-free internet

Amid the speculation and volatility in the casino-like crypto land, there remains a subset of individuals who espouse blockchain’s potential to decentralize various aspects of human activities f

Don’t ignore Asia tech

A lot can change in 12 years. When I joined TechCrunch in 2012, I was the only writer it had based out of Asia. For several years, it often felt like I was writing to correct misperceptions I saw in m

India approves $15B in semiconductor plant investments

India has approved allocating up to $15.2 billion (1.26 trillion Indian rupees) to build three new semiconductor plants, including its first semiconductor fab facility — part of the country&#821

Mark Zuckerberg woos Big Tech in Asia to double down on AI chips

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who is touring Asian countries this week, said in a meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday that Meta wants to beef up its cooperation with Samsung Elec

Ex-Meta employees’ Aptos tests Hong Kong’s crypto appetite

Ever since Hong Kong legalized cryptocurrency trading last June, blockchain projects from the West have been paying more attention to the Asian financial hub. Aptos, the a16z- and Tiger Global-backed

Silence Laboratories, a cryptographic security startup, secures funding

Silence Laboratories, a startup that builds infrastructure using multiparty computation (MPC) to help enterprises keep data private and safe, said it has raised a $4.1 million funding round. Pi Vent

‘Taiwan needs to find its own groove’: A plea to the next president

Once Lai Ching-te is inaugurated as Taiwan’s president in May, his administration will mark an unprecedented three terms of Democratic Progressive Party rule. His victory underscored the desire of v

India lays foundations for a new spaceport dedicated to smaller launches

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has received the go-ahead to construct a new spaceport in Tamil Nadu, with which it aims to help private players launch small rockets in space with less f

Yolk is a social app where users swap custom live stickers — no text allowed

With so much fresh competition in social apps right now — plus the usual set of social media platforms and messaging giants sucking up attention — it might feel like there’s precious
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