THE PHILIPPINES needs to invest more in enhanced educational programs, an open business ecosystem, and digital infrastructure to become a more competitive regional hub for information technology (IT) talent, according to experts. Japanese technology firm Sansan, Inc. said that the Philippines is actively attracting and supporting global IT companies through its high-level IT education and a large pool of talented …

Amili, a Singapore-based gut microbiome company, has raised an undisclosed sum from East Ventures in a new funding round. The fresh funds will be used for its expansion to Indonesia, focusing on addressing gut health issues specific to the local context. Funding details Funding amount: Undisclosed Lead investor: East Ventures Stage: Bridge Source Amili’s current offerings include gut microbiome sequencing …

Just when it looked like the largest of Southeast Asia’s internet firms was yet another poster child of cheap money, a bubbly startup that had grown too much too fast, Sea Ltd.’s top executives took an ax to costs. They closed down some Latin American operations, cut jobs, sacrificed their own salaries and squeezed nearly $500 million out of the …

A CRYPTO startup co-founded by OpenAI chief executive officer Sam Altman has raised new funding to further its mission of providing a digital ID for everyone on the planet. Tools for Humanity, the company behind the cryptocurrency project Worldcoin, said on Thursday (May 25) that it had raised US$115 million from investors. The startup aims to create separate IDs for …

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has launched a talent development program for the financial sector, involving artificial intelligence and data analytics (AIDA). The initiative is aimed at increasing “the supply of AIDA talent to build deep AI capabilities” in finance, the authority said in a statement on Monday. The government has set up a consortium where financial and training …

MAJOR Asian logistics operator GLP was for years sought after by investors, both when it first went public over a decade ago and then when the company was for sale. But sentiment has darkened more recently, with its investment-grade dollar bonds the worst performers in Asia this year and the firm at risk of being downgraded to junk territory. Of …

It is now looking to expand into other regions such as the Middle East. Singapore-headquartered telehealth company ORA has raised $10 million in a Series A funding round – touted to be the largest telehealth funding in Southeast Asia to date – led by TNB Aura and Antler. The round was also participated by Gobi Partners, Kairous Capital, and GMA …

THE Ayala group and the local unit of a Singapore-based service provider plan to build a 124-megawatt data center that they claim to be the largest in Metro Manila. In a launching event on Thursday, ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (Philippines) — a joint venture between Globe Telecom, Inc., Ayala Corp. and Singapore’s ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC) …

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh meets President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. in Indonesia on May 10. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. agreed to raise two-way trade turnover to $10 billion through measures to facilitate the opening of markets for each other’s key exports, including agricultural products, food, and rice. During their meeting on …

SINGAPORE tech startups Krosslinker and Luminis Water Technologies won awards at the 2023 SelectUSA Investment Summit startup pitching competition in Maryland last week. A total of 79 international startups took part in the competition. Deep-tech advanced materials startup Krosslinker clinched the top prize in the Cleantech category, while microbiome analytics firm Luminis Water Technologies clinched the equivalent in the Regional …