China’s largest car-hailing company is facing relentless pressure from all fronts. Beijing-based Didi Chuxing reportedly lost a staggering 10.9 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) in 2018, according to financial data that Chinese news site 36Kr obtained. For some context, Uber posted a net loss of $939 million on a pro forma basis and an EBITA loss at $527 million during […]
View More China’s Didi reportedly lost a staggering $1.6 billion in 2018Category: alibaba
Amazon, WesternUnion debut PayCode to sell goods in emerging markets and let shoppers pay in cash
While Amazon has been methodical (read: a little slow) in launching local versions of its site for various global markets, it has now embarked on a secondary track to snag more business outside the 14 countries where it has built out full operations. Amazon has partnered with WesternUnion to set up a service called PayCode, […]
View More Amazon, WesternUnion debut PayCode to sell goods in emerging markets and let shoppers pay in cashAlibaba’s Ant Financial buys UK currency exchange giant WorldFirst reportedly for around $700M
Ant Financial, the financial services behemoth affiliated with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, has made its first big move into Europe. It’s acquired London-headquartered payments company WorldFirst in a deal that sources tell us is valued at around $700 million. (That price would also line up with multiple reports from December claiming the two were in […]
View More Alibaba’s Ant Financial buys UK currency exchange giant WorldFirst reportedly for around $700MChina’s Alipay digital wallet is entering 7,000 Walgreens stores
China’s payments heavyweights have been following tourists abroad as their home market gets crowded. Ant Financial, Alibaba’s financial affiliate with a said valuation of $100 billion, now sees its virtual wallet Alipay handling transactions at 3,000 Walgreens stores in the U.S. and is eyeing to reach a roster of 7,000 locations by April. The alliance will […]
View More China’s Alipay digital wallet is entering 7,000 Walgreens storesPayPal shutters Malaysia office as part of customer service reorg
Payment giant PayPal has closed its office in Malaysia as part of a restructuring of its customer support teams. The office, located in capital city Kuala Lumpur, was home to a team of customer service agents that catered to PayPal users across Asian region and beyond. Now, its responsibility will be assumed by other offices, […]
View More PayPal shutters Malaysia office as part of customer service reorgE-commerce startup Zilingo raises $226M to digitize Asia’s fashion supply chain
If you’re looking for the next unicorn in Southeast Asia, Zilingo might just be it. The 3.5-year-old e-commerce company announced today that it has raised a Series D round worth $226 million to go after the opportunity to digitize Asia’s fashion supply chain. This new round takes Zilingo to $308 million from investors since its […]
View More E-commerce startup Zilingo raises $226M to digitize Asia’s fashion supply chainXiaomi-backed electric toothbrush Soocas raises $30 million Series C
China’s Soocas continues to jostle with global toothbrush giants as it raises 200 million yuan ($30 million) in a series C funding round. The Shenzhen-based oral care manufacturer has secured the new capital from lead investor Vision Knight Capital, with Kinzon Capital, Greenwoods Investment, Yunmu Capital and Cathay Capital also participating in the round. The new […]
View More Xiaomi-backed electric toothbrush Soocas raises $30 million Series CChinese e-commerce challenger Pinduoduo is raising over $1 billion more
The price of competing with e-commerce giants Alibaba and JD.com is immense. That’s evidenced by challenger Pinduoduo, commonly known as PDD, which is raising more than $1 billion in fresh capital just six months after it went public. The company announced plans to sell 37 million shares in a move that will raise over $1 billion, going […]
View More Chinese e-commerce challenger Pinduoduo is raising over $1 billion moreA government propaganda app is going viral in China
Besides binge-watching TikTok videos and battling enemies in the magical land of mobile games, many Chinese people may also pass time during the upcoming Lunar New Year on Xuexi Qiangguo, a news and chat app developed by the country’s top ideology officials. The app managed to top the Chinese App Store between January 22 and […]
View More A government propaganda app is going viral in ChinaFirst China, now Starbucks gets an ambitious VC-funded rival in Indonesia
Asia’s venture capital-backed startups are gunning for Starbucks . In China, the U.S. coffee giant is being pushed by Luckin Coffee, a $2.2 billion challenger surfing China’s on-demand wave, and on the real estate side, where WeWork China has just unveiled an on-demand product that could tempt people who go to Starbucks to kill time or […]
View More First China, now Starbucks gets an ambitious VC-funded rival in IndonesiaTencent moves into automotive with $150M joint venture
China’s internet firms are getting pally with giant state-owned automakers as they look to deploy their artificial intelligence and cloud computing services across traditional industries. Ride-hailing startup Didi Chuxing, which owns Uber China, announced earlier this week a new joint venture with state-owned BAIC. Hot on the heels came another entity set up between Tencent and the […]
View More Tencent moves into automotive with $150M joint ventureFoxconn pulls back on its $10 billion dollar factory commitment
Well that didn’t last long. In 2017, Foxconn announced the largest investment of a foreign company in the United States when it selected Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin for a new manufacturing facility. Buttressed by huge economic development grants from Wisconsin, an endorsement from President Trump, and Foxconn CEO Terry Gou’s vision of a maker America, the […]
View More Foxconn pulls back on its $10 billion dollar factory commitment