Editor’s note:
If Santa Clause only comes to the earth once a year, he would find this planet quite different from what it looks like last year: shared bikes are even more piled up everywhere, gift wishes contain more mysterious stuff like bitcoin…
No matter what, Christmas is all about great food, adequate rest, and fireplace where family members sit around and talk to each other. If you don’t like the ashes, maybe Netflix’s 4k Ultra-HD Yuletide fireplace video would be a good choice.
Kr-ASIA Weekly Roundup highlights tech & startup news of the past week, with a focus on Southeast Asia and China. We also pick up the best features from Kr-Asia and the web that worth your time. Also, there is always something cool for the weekend.
News of the week:
Didi Chuxing, Uber’s biggest rival in China, has mopped up $4 Billion Investment to expand in AI, global market presence, and EVs. (Kr-ASIA)
Sequoia is planning its third global growth fund worth $6 billion, putting pressure on VCs to raise more funds to remain competitive. (Recode)
Mobike lands investment from Japan’s largest messaging app LINE, expanding its bike-sharing service in Japan. (Kr-Asia)
Grab has forayed in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, marking the ride-hailing firm’s entry to an eighth country in the region. Grab now operates in Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Cambodia. (Deal Street Asia)
GrabPay has been rebranded as “GrabPay, powered by OVO”, following a partnership between Grab’s in-app cashless features and Lippo Group’s OVO, an e-money transfer company. coincides with Grab’s rival Go-Jek, announcing to have acquired three Fintech companies last week. (Deal Street Asia)
European Court rules Uber is a taxi service. (TechCrunch)
The stock price of Ping An Insurance Company has surged by 99% and its total capitalization hits $189 billion, marking the company become the third-largest companies in China by market value after Tencent and Alibaba, among non-state controlled companies. (Bloomberg)
Youtube signed a new long-term agreement with Universal Music and Sony Music, paying the way for a new paid service while promising stronger regulation on copyright infringement. (Bloomberg)
Best of Kr-Asia Features:
Tencent founder and CEO Pony Ma: 7 flaws that a perfect product manager would avoid (Part 2).
How to build a successful business? The VC behind Didi explains with classical examples.
The war on AI talent rages in China.
Blog posts that worth your time:
An A to Z tour through the tech that troubled the news in 2017.
34 questions to ask a potential co-founder to make sure you are all on the same page.
SoftBank’s record-setting 2017.
Cool thing of the week:
Have you ever imagined a rigid robot can do more push-ups than you? Humanoid used to be a block that cracks every time they move. Well, things aren’t totally different yet, but maybe soon. Kengoro, humanoid developed by Japanese engineers, is already way better than its ancestors in whole-body exercises.
