Grab Financial Group announced today it has raised over US$300 million in its Series A funding round, led by Hanwha Asset Management. ○ Tencent and state-owned UnionPay have partnered to make use of the same QR codes on cell payments. UnionPay thereby reinforces its position of different within the Alibaba-Tencent cellular cost duopoly; its app, QuickPass, boasts 240m customers, in contrast with Alipay’s 900m and WeChat’s 1.2bn. ○ Messaging app LINE has partnered with online grocery supply service HappyFresh. ○ Computer imaginative and prescient for startup Clobotics has introduced its plans to expand to Singapore after having raised a US$10m pre-B+ round from Tiger Investment. Use-cases include drone-powered wind asset inspection, packaged goods visible inspection.

According to Bloomberg, the mixed firm could be worth $18 billion, making it a more formidable rival to Grab.

Blockrise has 10,000 users on the ready record for the card, which will launch this yr beneath Gemini’s brand, reports Finextra. Cryptocurrency change Gemini has bought Blockrize, providing entry to a pending credit card and incentives that pay out in crypto. This development comes afterreportssurfaced that Gojek was in superior talks with Tokopedia for a attainable merger. But the Grab-Gojek talks stalled, and Gojek is now reportedly in talks to merge with Indonesia e-commerce platform Tokopedia as a substitute.

I agree to receive PitchBook Data’s electronic newsletters, updates, promotions and associated messages relating to PitchBook Data’s merchandise. In addition, the Grab-Singtel consortium was recently chosen by the Monetary Authority of Singapore to arrange a full digital financial institution. Hanwha Asset Management led the funding spherical, which included funding from GGV Capital, Arbor Ventures, and Flourish Ventures. Informing, connecting, and remodeling the worldwide corporate enterprise capital ecosystem. A consortium between Grab-Singtel was also amongst a quantity of firms awarded a full digital-banking license by the Monetary Authority of Singapore in December 2020.

The Financial Times reviews that the funding values Grab Financial, a subsidiary of ride-hailing and supply giant Grab, at $3 billion. Both K3 Ventures and GGV Capital were early traders in Grab, which was founded in 2012. ○ Gojek has rolled out a food subscription plan, a pickup-at-restaurant choice and a guaranteed under-30m-delivery characteristic in Indonesia. ○ Grab has partnered with insurance coverage company Chubb to offer on-demand travel insurance coverage.

Singapore based mostly monetary services group raised $300m in Series A funding led by Hanwha Asset Management. The license permits Grab to pursue a model similar to Apple Card, combining mass enrollment, account opening, card issuance and banking. Grab has more than 187 million customers and Singtel, the Singapore-based telco that is Grab’s partner within the financial providers project, has more than seven-hundred million customers. South Korean asset management agency Hanwha led a $300 million investment in Singapore ride-hailing app Grab, which is building companies to promote to its appreciable enrolled consumer base. Other VCs similar to K3 Ventures, GGV Capital, Arbor Ventures and Flourish Ventures had been additionally in on the round.

In its funding announcement, Grab Financial Group said its whole revenues grew greater than 40% in 2020, in comparison with 2019. This was pushed by robust consumer adoption of providers like AutoInvest, an investment platform that permits customers to speculate small amounts of cash at a time via the Grab app and insurance merchandise. Grab Financial announced the launch of several financial products for consumers and SMEs in August 2020. “We are at an inflection level in southeast Asia, because the pandemic has accelerated the necessity for digital monetary providers that help us grow and defend our incomes,” mentioned Reuben Lai, senior managing director, at Grab.

Seven Bank notably owns all 7-Eleven stores in Japan – and ~69,200 comfort stores globally. According to credit standing company Moody’s, this is partly because of the company’s determination to proceed spending in its monetary services venture. Meanwhile, Gojek revealed that its gross transaction value increased by 10 p.c in 2020, but it suffered a $17 million impairment loss over Pathao funding. After calling off its bid to buy the information aggregator Plaid, Visa is shifting its focus back to its position as an enabler of digital payments and associated companies. It will do that by further investing in cleverness and increasing its choices in SEA with extra handy financial solutions.

○ MAS-regulated blockchain capital markets agency iSTOX has received US$5m in financing from Hanwha Asset Management. During your trial you should have full digital entry to FT.com with everything in each of our Standard Digital and Premium Digital packages. Grab, which is backed by Softbank, has developed quickly since its inception as a taxi-booking app. It remains to be seen whether or not or not Grab holds on to its FinTech arm if it manages to close escooter ebike use grows so do the deal for a merger with Gojek. Interestingly, there are reports that Gojek is already in advanced discussions for a merger with Tokopedia, an Indonesian firm that specializes in e-commerce. Grab Financial Group’s seemingly discreet fundraising appears to be piquing curiosities over the potential merger between Grab Holdings and its Indonesian competitor Gojek.

What began as Mezu and went via 18 tough months competing as a funds providing has now rebranded as Alviere, with a broader range of digital banking companies. Grab Financial Group currently provides payments and financial providers throughout lending, insurance coverage and retail management to prospects throughout Southeast Asia. Launched in 2018, the monetary arm presents services together with micro-investment, payment, insurance coverage, and loans for retailers, consumers, and drivers.