South Asia
Coinbase ‘committed’ to India, but disables sign-ups amid regulatory roadblock
Coinbase said Monday that it has disabled new user sign-ups on its exchange product in India but remains committed to the country, where its operations have been in limbo for…
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Where is India in the generative AI race?
India’s technology ecosystem is facing an uphill battle to catch up to global leaders in the generative AI race. Despite being home to one of the world’s largest startup ecosystems, the South Asian economy has yet to make a material impact in the rapidly advancing AI arena. No homegrown Indian contenders have emerged to challenge…
India to block over 230 betting and loan apps, many with China ties
India is moving to block 232 apps, some with links to China, that offer betting and loan services in the South Asian market to prevent misuse of the citizens’ data,…
Sri Lanka central bank warns against use of cryptocurrency amid economic crisis
Sri Lanka has warned its citizens against using cryptocurrency, which it said is “largely unregulated” amid an ongoing political chaos in the South Asian nation. The country’s central bank, CBSL,…
Alibaba extends logistics arm to Pakistan for e-commerce unit Daraz
Cainiao, the logistics service operated by Alibaba, is launching two automated distribution centers in Karachi and Lahore as its first entry into Pakistan, it announced on Friday. Alibaba’s overseas expansion…
Is consolidation on the horizon for Southeast Asia’s tech industry?
An analysis of recent changes in the market reveals four factors that could catalyze consolidation in Southeast Asia in the near future.
RaliCap gets backing from global VCs and launches $30M fintech fund for emerging markets
RaliCap, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on emerging markets fintech, has launched a $30 million fund. Last month, the firm, formerly known as Rally Cap Ventures, reached its first close…
Colabs gets $3 million seed to expand across Pakistan, launch back-office SaaS solution
Lahore-based coworking space startup Colabs is set to roll out a SaaS product to enable businesses to meet back-office needs including company registration, talent sourcing and management, payroll processing, and…
Bazaar raises $70 million from Tiger Global and Dragoneer to digitize Pakistan’s retail
Dragoneer Investment Group and Tiger Global are backing Bazaar, a startup that is attempting to digitize Pakistan’s retail with e-commerce, fintech and last-mile supply chain solutions, they said today, joining…
Stax gets $2.2M for its app that lets Africans make transactions via automated USSD codes
Stax, a startup that allows Africans to buy airtime, send and request money, and transfer funds between accounts via automated USSD codes, has raised a $2.2 million seed extension round.…
NayaPay secures $13 million, largest seed funding in South Asia for its messaging and payment app
Pakistan-based fintech platform NayaPay has raised $13 million in a seed round to roll out its multi-service messaging and payment app, and to build payment acceptance and financial management tools…
Tazah gets pre-seed funding to make Pakistan’s agriculture sector more bountiful
The founders of Tazah Technologies, a B2B agriculture marketplace in Pakistan, met while serving leadership roles at Uber subsidiary Careem. Abrar Bajwa and Mohsin Zaka bonded during long working hours…
This Week in Apps: In-app events hit the App Store, TikTok tries Stories, Apple reveals new child safety plan
Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy. The app industry continues to grow, with a…
YELA secures $2M to reproduce Cameo’s celebrity success with an app for the Middle East
The Cameo app, where celebrities send video messages to paying fans, has taken off globally. But now the concept is set to come to the Middle East and South Asia.…
Kenya’s Wapi Pay raises $2.2M pre-seed for cross-border payments between Africa and Asia
According to the World Bank, it is more expensive to send money to sub-Saharan Africa than to any region in the world. It is also the most expensive region to…
Facebook co-founder Saverin’s B Capital doubles down on SaaS in China
B Capital Group, the six-year-old venture capital fund formed by Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin and Bain Capital veteran Raj Ganguly, is doubling down on China as it looks to allocate…
Maya, a startup focused on accessible healthcare in Asia, raises $2.2 million seed for regional expansion
Maya is dedicated to making it easier for women to get healthcare, especially for sensitive issues like reproductive and mental health. Now the startup, based in Bangladesh and incorporated in…
WarnerMedia to discontinue HBO and WB TV channels in India, and select other South Asia markets
WarnerMedia will discontinue HBO and WB TV channels in India, Pakistan, Maldives and Bangladesh later this year as the entertainment conglomerate struggles to find a sustainable business model in South…
Google’s AI-powered flood alerts now cover all of India and parts of Bangladesh
India, the world’s second most populated nation, sees more than 20% of the global flood-related fatalities each year as overrun riverbanks sweep tens of thousands of homes with them. Two years…
