China tech

Singapore's financial district. The banking landscape in the city-state will be transformed by four newly awarded digital banking licenses. (Photo by Akira Kodaka) 
Finance

Singapore digital bank winners surge on hopes for fintech growth

Shares in Singtel and Sea rise while banks drop after award of licenses

7 December 2020
Perfect Diary opened a physical location at this shopping center in Guangzhou, China. (Photo by Yusuke Hinata)
Startups

China's Perfect Diary woos cosmetics shoppers via social media

Its three keys to success: speed, price and big data

6 December 2020
A Treasury Department representative said late on Dec. 4 that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States "is engaging with ByteDance to complete the divestment."
US-China tensions

TikTok divestiture deadline passes but talks will continue

Sources say no extension on way as US seeks to resolve 'national security risks'

5 December 2020
The U.S. has labelled Semiconductor Manufacturing International Co. and China National Offshore Oil Corp. as "Communist Chinese military companies." (Source photos by AP and Reuters)
US-China tensions

US blacklists top China chipmaker SMIC and oil giant CNOOC

Move aims to block investment that could benefit Beijing's military

4 December 2020
Bailing out Tsinghua Unigroup is probably not a priority for the government of President Xi Jinping, an analyst says. (Nikkei montage/AP and Reuters)
Comment

Was Tsinghua Unigroup's bond default a surprise?

Chipmaker's strategic significance 'overrated' -- but its parent is different

4 December 2020
Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou is battling extradition to the U.S. to face bank fraud and other charges related to alleged violations of sanctions against Iran.
Huawei crackdown

US said to be in talks over legal deal with Huawei's Meng

Executive could return to China if she admits wrongdoing

4 December 2020
The Monetary Authority of Singapore is expected to announce the winners of five digital banking licenses soon.
Finance

Asia upstarts await word on Singapore digital banking licenses

Ant and Grab hope to win chance for fintech business post-pandemic

4 December 2020
Hikvision attained double-digit growth in revenue in the third quarter due to surveillance camera demand.
China tech

US-blacklisted Hikvision zooms in on COVID tracking demand

Need for non-contact temperature checks boost Chinese surveillance leaders

3 December 2020
Chinese "superapps," such as Alibaba affiliate Ant Group's Alipay and Tencent's WeChat, have raised concerns about the amount of personal data they collect.
China tech

China to crack down on personal data collection by mobile apps

Guidelines tighten grip on popular platforms like Alipay and WeChat

3 December 2020
Bestechnic of China has made a name for itself as a key Bluetooth audio chip supplier. (Source photos by Manami Yamada and Bestechnic's website)
China tech

China's Bluetooth audio chip king set for $741m Shanghai IPO

Bestechnic's strong growth marks a win for Beijing's goal of chip self-sufficiency

2 December 2020
Xiaomi has moved quickly to seize market share from its beleaguered compatriot Huawei. (Photo by Karina Nooka)
China tech

China's Xiaomi aims past Apple and Huawei with 2021 orders

Smartphone maker raises $3bn as it plans to produce 240m devices

2 December 2020
The regulation is seen as a long-awaited response to the expanding use of facial recognition technology. 
Caixin

The fight over China's law to protect personal data

Legislation aims to address public concerns but industry fears vague rules

1 December 2020
JD.com has lined up six cornerstone investors, including Singapore state investment group GIC and U.S. fund management company BlackRock, for its health unit spinoff.
Health Care

JD.com firms up health unit spinoff with strong investor demand

Chinese online platform to raise $3.5bn in biggest Hong Kong IPO of 2020

1 December 2020
Yitu's exhibition booth at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, pictured in August 2019: the majority of the company's revenues came from governments.
Opinion

China's AI unicorns reveal fatal flaw in rush to go public

Investor should be wary, as risk factors listed in IPO prospectuses are real

1 December 2020
Tsinghua Unigroup has been a key player in Beijing's chip industry ambitions.
China tech

Beijing-backed Tsinghua Unigroup's chip projects hit by delays

Chipmaker faces cash crunch as local governments temper support

30 November 2020
Myanmar is home to over 18 million active social media users. (Getty Images)
36Kr/KrASIA

Xiaomi and other China smartphone titans dominate Myanmar

Companies take nearly 66% of fast-developing nation's market

30 November 2020
Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei tells Honor executives to cooperate with partners in the U.S.
Caixin

Move on and look ahead, Huawei's Ren tells budget arm Honor

Exclusive: Smartphone brand should challenge former parent, CEO says

27 November 2020
Vivo has 70 staff at its new regional headquarters in Dusseldorf, Germany. (Courtesy Vivo)
Telecommunication

Chinese smartphone maker Vivo makes late play for Europe

Huawei's troubles open way for rivals targeting midmarket consumers

27 November 2020
Ant Group makes roughly half its profits from online microlenders Huabei and Jiebei.
Caixin

Ant Group cleared to sell $3bn of asset-backed securities

Fintech giant makes 50% of profit from microlenders but analysts see change

26 November 2020
Integrating Big Tech with finance creates new risks and concerns.
Opinion

Ant Group and WhatsApp show the risks and upside of Big Tech finance

Principles of fairness can help guide sector's growth across Asia

26 November 2020
A man walks by a logo of Bytedance, the China-based company which owns the short video app TikTok, at its office in Beijing.
26 November 2020
A satellite base station equipped with 5G, top center, has been installed at an intersection in Dalian, Liaoning Province.
Caixin

In depth: Lack of alliance plagues China's car navigation services

Government policy needed to push developers to share base stations

25 November 2020
JD Health doctors in Beijing chat online with patients. The company generated 87.6% of its revenue in this year's first half from online retail pharmacy and health care services.
Health Care

JD Health IPO helps cure Hong Kong market blues after Ant

City's new listings haul for this year set to be highest since 2010

25 November 2020
Chinese startups are recruiting from Synopsys and Cadence in bid to break the American grip on chip design tools. (Source photos by AP)  
China tech

China aims to shake US grip on chip design tools

Synopsys and Cadence veterans join local startups amid Beijing tech push

25 November 2020
Trucks in China's Shandong province in September. Full Truck Alliance, a Chinese startup that connects truck drivers with shippers, has raised $1.7 billion in a funding round.
Transportation

Chinese truck-hailing startup raises $1.7bn

SoftBank and Tencent among investors in Full Truck Alliance

24 November 2020