india
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Hike beats WhatsApp to launching messenger app payments in India
India-focused mobile messaging service Hike landed funding from Tencent last year, and today it took a major step to emulating the Chinese firm’s WeChat app with the introduction of mobile payments. The launch of Hike Wallet not only shows an ambition to build a messaging platform, it also means Hike has beaten WhatsApp, the chat app that dominates India, to the punch. Facebook-owned… Read More
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Crunch Network
Banking the unbanked in emerging markets
As countries progress, citizens migrate from remote villages to large cities and foreign countries. Their economic power rises and they participate in the global economy. People need to purchase food, pay electricity bills, top up transportation cards, arrange online services, buy overseas goods, repay loans, and send money to relatives. Unlike the U.S., however, where 93% of people have… Read More
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India’s MobiKwik is raising new funding at $1B valuation to battle payment rival Paytm
With high-profile investments from Alibaba and SoftBank fueling an impressive growth story since demonetization last year, you could be forgiven for thinking that Paytm has India’s payments market sewn up. But at least one company will agree to differ on that. MobiKwik, the mobile payments startup that is number two to Paytm in India, is quietly confident that it can take advantage of… Read More
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India’s Supr Daily raises $1.5M to expand its milk and grocery delivery service
Milk deliveries may not sound like an industry in need of disruption, but that’s exactly what one startup in India is working to do. Supr Daily — the company in question — graduated the Y Combinator accelerator program this year and now it has raised $1.5 million from a range of investors to expand its service. The Supr Daily service is designed to bring formality and order… Read More
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Spotify steps up Asia expansion with plans to launch in Vietnam and Thailand
Fresh from speculation around an impending IPO, Spotify is hitting the gas on its expansion plans in Asia. Two sources close to the company told TechCrunch that the firm is working to launch its music streaming business in Vietnam and Thailand, two countries with a combined population of over 160 million. Read More
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Naspers gobbles up another food delivery startup with $80M round for Swiggy
Naspers has taken a bite out of yet another food delivery startup, with its commitment to lead and $80 million investment in the Indian online ordering and food delivery startup, Swiggy. Read More
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Acko is an ambitious digital play to disrupt India’s $10B insurance industry
Acko is an under-the-radar startup that wants to disrupt India’s insurance industry through a digital-only model. This week it stuck its head above the parapet and announced that it has raised $30 million to get started on its bold plan. Founded by Varun Dua, the man behind insurance comparison site Coverfox, Acko is designed as a wholly digital take on insurance in India. The… Read More
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Apple starts assembling iPhones in India in play for the world’s fastest growing smartphone market
Apple has taken an important step in its longstanding goal of penetrating the world’s second largest smartphone market. The Wall Street Journal first reported that the company has completed its first trial run assembly of the iPhone SE in India – a key step in gaining a foothold for a market that has thus far proven elusive for the smartphone maker. The company has since… Read More
Latest Crunch Report
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Crunch Report | Waymo v. Uber is going to trial
Makers of Gorilla Glass Corning gets a $200 million investment from Apple, Waymo v. Uber is going to trial and Xiaomi is set to open 100 stores in India. All this on Crunch Report. Read More
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Xiaomi puts the focus on India with plans to open 100 retail stores
Xiaomi is increasing its office retail presence in China as bids to gain ground stolen by rivals in its homeland, and now it is making that very same push in its second largest market, India. The Chinese company, which is valued at $45 billion, suffered a tough time last year as sales growth slowed — Xiaomi, notably, didn’t go public with sales figures for 2016 — but India… Read More
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Facebook’s Express Wi-Fi launches commercially in India
Express Wi-Fi is one of Facebook’s many connectivity initiatives under its internet.org umbrella. Unlike more futuristic projects like the Aquila drone, though, the emphasis here is on existing Wi-Fi technologies and allowing local entrepreneurs to resell internet access. The company is currently trialing this project in India, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria and Indonesia. Read More
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India-based health platform Lybrate quietly raises $3M more
Indian health tech startup Lybrate has raised $3 million in new funding, according to a filing in the U.S., where it is incorporated. Lybrate declined to comment on the filing, nor would it provide details of the investors who participated in the round. Make what you will of that cagey response. The company last raised $10.2 million led by Tiger Global in July 2015, which is some time ago. Read More
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WhatsApp will reportedly launch peer-to-peer payments in India within 6 months
WhatsApp may be about to introduce peer-to-peer payments in India, its largest market with over 200 million users. A report from The Ken, an India-based subscription media company that we recently profiled, claims that WhatsApp plans to use UPI, a cross-bank payment system backed by the government, to begin enable payments between users within the next six months. “India is an… Read More
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Apple opens its App Accelerator in India
Apple is investing into the Indian ecosystem by opening its first App Accelerator in Bengaluru. The company announced plans to open this program back in May 2016. Developers who sign up will get support from Apple’s team in India. Apple engineers will provide feedback, best practices and tools. There will also be presentations. Once you’re selected into the program, it looks… Read More
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Truecaller adds payments and Google Duo video calls in move to rival WhatsApp in India
Sweden-based startup Truecaller made its name as a nifty mobile app that helps people filter out unwanted phone calls and messaging, but now it is making a move to become a platform. At a press event in India, Truecaller’s largest market based on its 150 million users, the company announced a series of partnerships, including a tie-in with Google which will see the U.S. Read More
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BlackBuck closes $70M to digitize freight and logistics across India
BlackBuck, a startup that is digitizing logistics and cross-country freighting in India, has closed out a $70 million Series C round. Read More
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Vodafone India confirms it is merging with Idea Cellular to form India’s largest telco
Vodafone India has confirmed that it has reached an agreement to acquire rival Idea Cellular. The deal, which is being painted as a merger, will create India’s largest operator with some 377 million customers. The company revealed it was in talks with Idea Cellular over a deal in January, and the coming-together was announced today. Subject to the relevant approvals, it is expected… Read More
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