Southeast Asia stories

At AppWorks Demo Day in Singapore, 18 startups showcased AI, Web3 and deep tech innovations, highlighting Southeast Asia's rising influence in tech innovation.

Maybank leads RM2.5 billion Islamic financing for DayOne's green data centres in Johor, part of a RM15 billion dual-currency deal supporting sustainable digital infrastructure.

Malaysia, Thailand and Japan are set to lead Asia Pacific's data centre growth, with Malaysia improving capacity per capita by 80% by 2030, says Cushman & Wakefield.

Financial institutions in APAC faced a 245% surge in DDoS attacks last year, accounting for 38% of global incidents amid rising digital vulnerabilities.

Singapore faces rising e-waste with 2.9 million unused smartphones idle, prompting calls for circular tech to cut waste and emissions by up to 40%.

Southwest Power Pool, Hitachi, and NVIDIA will cut US power grid connection delays by 80% using AI to speed energy planning and infrastructure upgrades.

Accelex has opened a Sydney office to tackle data challenges as Asia-Pacific private equity hits USD $138 billion, its second-highest deal volume in a decade.

Yondr Group has completed the first 25MW phase of its Johor AI data centre six months early, advancing Malaysia’s role in Southeast Asia’s digital economy.

YouTube reaches 290 million in Southeast Asia, driving trust in creators and quadrupling video commerce’s share of regional e-commerce GMV to 20%.

Exclusive Networks has appointed Burachai Phaiboonnukulkij as Country Manager for Thailand to lead cybersecurity growth amid rising AI-driven cyber threats.

Ant International has launched the Alipay+ GenAI Cockpit, an AI platform to help fintech firms and super apps develop AI-driven financial services in Asia.

Equinix acquires three Manila data centres to bolster digital infrastructure amid the Philippines' USD $45bn digital economy surge in 2024.

Sertis joins Andersen Consulting, enhancing AI-driven consulting and expanding Andersen’s operational footprint in Thailand and Indonesia.

WongPartnership and Thomson Reuters launch AI legal trial in Southeast Asia, using CoCounsel to enhance legal research across multiple countries.

Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison approved a cash dividend of IDR83.3 per share and advances its AI-driven tech transformation for 2024.

SentBe is the first Korean fintech to win Singapore's Cross-border Remittance Licence amid rising demand from growing expatriate communities.

Alibaba Group and SAP have teamed up to boost enterprise innovation in China, with plans to extend their cloud and AI collaboration across Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Kazunori Fukuda has been named MD of Sansan's Thai subsidiary, driving its strategy to expand digital transformation solutions across Southeast Asia.

Myriota boosts Southeast Asia satellite IoT expansion with AUD $25m funding to address remote connectivity challenges across agriculture, logistics, and water sectors.

Malaysian HR tech startup BrioHR raises USD $6.5 million to expand AI-driven solutions, aiming to boost ASEAN's digital workforce ahead of the 2025 Summit.