Issue #067: Real-time payments, VC in Indonesia, Brinc & Chennai Angels, Malaysian funding…

Asia’s tech, startup and funding news in brief, drawn from South & SE Asia, Australia & NZ, with wider-world items for reference. Get the app here

Singapore’s PayNow to link with India’s Unified Payments Interface, enabling real-time funds transfers from… — www.straitstimes.com

“Given that PayNow and UPI are integral components of their respective national digital infrastructures, the link between the two systems also paves the way for establishing more…”

Jungle Ventures announces first close of 4th fund at $225M, with sights on 12 or so startups across SE Asia & India — techcrunch.com

Southeast Asia’s funding boom is set to continue, with Jungle Ventures announcing today the $225 million first close of its fourth fund. Fund IV started raising in mid-May and targeting a total of $350M…

Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre partners Penjana Kapital to boost startup investment — www.digitalnewsasia.com

In bridging the funding gap faced by startups, MaGIC will funnel its alumni, in particular seed stage startups, to venture capitals (VCs) under the Dana Penjana Nasional (DPN) programme. For seed stage…

Hong Kong’s Brinc and India’s Chennai Angels partner for online acceleration program for tech-driven startups — www.thechennaiangels.com

Brinc, one of the world’s leading global venture accelerators, and The Chennai Angels (TCA), a leading angel investor network, are launching an online acceleration program for AgriTech…

China: Sanya, tourist destination in Hainan province, to hand out 28K e-CNY red envelopes worth $1.55M — forkast.news

A tourist spot in South China’s Hainan province to hand out digital yuan, while Shenzhen tests adoption for Hong Kong residents…

Future Finance: What’s happening in the world of open and decentralized finance

Startup Arena Pitch Battle, Rest of SE Asia Semifinals, set for September 22nd — 6 startups pitching ESG solutions — www.eventbrite.sg

If you’re a founder or founder-wannabe, this is a great platform to watch how other startups pitch. If you’re an investor, you could meet your future portfolio startups or capture emerging startup…

Mineski Global SEA-focused esports & gaming firm gains $10.6M Series A with esports leagues, tournaments… — esportsinsider.com

Southeast Asian-based esports & gaming company Mineski Global has announced a $10.6m (~£7.66m) Series A raise, led by Exacta Capital Partners and with participation from New York-based Endeavor…

Indonesia: Vida gains funding with digital signature and ID authentication services for MSMEs — e27.co

Vida helps companies verify identities digitally using biometrics, machine learning and computer vision, and Big Data to run checks on identity cards and facial biometrics against government databases…

Australian Innovation Ecosystem Map — add your listing as a startup, innovator, entrepreneur… — www.northsydneyinnovation.org

A key ingredient of maximising the benefits of an ecosystem is knowing where to find the right help, skills or guidance. It is in this context that we believe it is critical to capture a map of our local, state and…

Download: E-Commerce in Indonesia — Impressive Growth but Facing Serious Challenges (pdf) — ow.ly

“At the same time, the e-commerce industry faces serious challenges such as policy and regulation uncertainties, relatively low internet penetration, poor logistics infrastructure, low quality in…”