CDP Institute

Close to two in five (38%) of TikTok users in Singapore think that the government shouldn’t regulate how social media companies operate, whereas 17% think the government should do so.

Southeast Asia’s (SEA) private equity (PE) market deal value fell 52% in 2022 compared to the previous year, with deal count also declining 15 percent year-on-year. Activity in the region was strong through the first half 2022 (matching 2021 activity levels), before falling in the second half of the year.

In the midst of this shortage of capital for startups,this week the proptech unicorn Habi announced that it received US$100 million from Victory Park Capital. Bogota-based Instaleap raised a US$5 million Series A, they offer software as a service (SaaS) to supermarkets and pharmacies to help them sell online. Kala, a Colombian startup that helps turn any credit company into a fintech, announced that it raised US$6 million in equity in its first 12 months of operations.

Clara, the Mexican corporate expense management unicorn in Latin America, today announced the closing of a US$60 million investment round. The capital received will be used to boost the technological development of the digital payments and expense management platform, in addition to consolidating its market leadership in the region. Today the startup reports that it works with around 10,000 companies in Latin America, which use Clara’s suite of products to automate and simplify their daily operations.

Smile Identity, a KYC compliance and ID verification partner for many African fintechs and businesses, has acquired Inclusive Innovations, the parent company of Appruve, a Ghanaian developer of identity verification software. This strategic acquisition will expand Smile Identity’s footprint across Africa and solidify its position as the continent’s leading identity verification and digital KYC provider.

Nigerian startup Peppa is making it safer to shop online in Africa, with a focus on social buying and selling, via a payment protection scheme that means buyers are protected from fraud and sellers are protected from losses that come from cancelled orders. Founded in September 2021, though conceived of much earlier, Peppa allows users to safely and seamlessly make payments for purchases on social commerce platforms.

South African startup Maholla, a viral consumer rewards app, has concluded a US$1.5 million seed funding round to help it continue to scale. Maholla is a viral consumer app that rewards users for scanning any receipt from any store, allowing users to earn rewards irrespective of where they shop. Rewards come in the form of instant airtime, vouchers, in-app games and more.

Adobe announced the opening of a state-of-the-art office tower in Bengaluru. The all-new facility will host over 2,000 employees and is next to Adobe’s existing Prestige Platina Tech Park campus in Bengaluru. With over 7,800 employees spread across five campuses in the country, India is Adobe’s largest employee base outside the United States, and a major hub for software innovation, and business development.

Global advertising giant, Hakuhodo Inc., based in Tokyo, Japan, has made a strategic acquisition that solidifies their presence in the rapidly burgeoning Indian market. The company has acquired a majority stake in India’s leading brand and entertainment agency group, MA&TH (Marching Ants & Trigger Happy) Entertainment Network, headquartered in Mumbai.

Indian real estate developer RMZ Corp is expanding into three new asset classes, including data centers. The company is expecting to develop 350 million sq ft (32.5 million sqm) of commercial space for industrial and warehousing logistics, hospitality services, and data centers in India and abroad by 2032.

Descartes, a global leader in on-demand, software-as-a-service solutions focused on improving productivity, has acquired Melbourne-based Localz, a platform that helps engage with customers the day they’re having goods or services delivered. The Localz system also helps retailers improve the in-store collection process.

NEXTGEN, which views Australia, New Zealand and surrounding areas as a key  growth area, will work with NightDragon to support portfolio companies in the region. NightDragon is a cybersecurity, safety and privacy investment firm. This comes as Australia’s cybersecurity market is expected to have substantial growth. Its estimated value was reported at $4.6 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow to $5.8 billion by 2024.