Banks enabled, not stifled, the rise of Alipay – Part 1
The state-owned banking network in China has long been criticised for blocking innovation; however, without their support, third-party payment platforms such as Alipay would...
GrabPay is not making full use of its advantages
So GrabPay appointed a new CTO, Vikas Agrawal, who was previously with Paytm. Agrawal is to be based in Bangalore, more than 3000 kilometres...
How to market effectively in SEA without cracking your head
Offline marketing prowess makes all the difference.
It is increasingly becoming a crowded space for advertisers to promote their brands online. Not only is...
Chinese Loan Apps in Indonesia
If you read our earlier articles about the Indonesian payday loan market (Part 1 and Part 2 are linked here for your convenience) you...
Real reason for Alibaba’s US$2.9 billion investment in offline retailer
Alibaba Group today announced that it is making a US$2.87 billion investment into Sun & Art Group, a retail group in China that operates...
The bizarre event that ruined a US$150m company
So the rumours that have been spreading for months have finally authenticated: Bluegogo, once China’s 3rd biggest shared bicycles operator, folded.
There are many...
The failure that defined Alipay’s success
In case you have been living under a rock (or a pile of paperwork) these last few years, here’s an introduction of Alipay (支付宝)...
Stop striving to be productive, think more and embrace change
Many leaders know that they are on a different lane, but still want to put themselves in their employees’ shoes. Somehow, the notion of teamwork...
Will Grab & Uber merge, with Softbank now a shareholder of...
By now you always know what is happening: Uber’s board is allowing Softbank to become a shareholder.
Probably a huge relief for early investors...
Fashion ecommerce in SEA, and why Zalora is struggling
Last month, Pomelo, a Bangkok-based online fashion brand, confirmed US$19 million funding led by JD.com, China’s second biggest ecommerce platform.
This is shortly after Zilingo,...
