East Asia
🇨🇳 Mainland China
- Images circulating online hint at the upcoming release of the digital CNY
- The first digital CNY use case could be for issuing transportation subsidies
- More top companies ban Zoom amid China security concerns
- Tesla uses blockchain technology to help its Shanghai factory manage the logistics of imported products
- Chongqing local government to launch blockchain alliance and public platform
- Alibaba-owned Ant Blockchain to launch a blockchain service with competitive pricing
- Tencent and Huawei join a new national committee on blockchain standards
Taiwan
🇯🇵 Japan
- Remote working rate now at 27% nationwide (49% in Tokyo), doubling since the state of emergency was declared
- Many schools remain closed and without online education options
- Koseigakuen Junior and Senior High School go against the status quo in Japan and start online classes
- IT Minister met with criticism after avoiding to comment on whether Japan’s seal system is an obstacle to working remotely
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare publishes “Amabie”, an Edo-era duck-billed mermaid, which is believed to ward off epidemics
- Garmin smartwatches will be able to make payments using Suica, a transportation card
- University of Tokyo tests the theory of general relativity at Tokyo Skytree Observatory with accuracy close to an atomic clock
- 71% of companies now conduct part of their recruitment process online
Southeast Asia
🇮🇩 Indonesia
- Facebook is working with Gojek’s GoPay, Grab-affiliated Ovo, and state-backed LinkAja to launch mobile payment services in Indonesia
- Online freight marketplace Kargo secures $31 million in funding and pledges to cut top salaries to finance COVID-19 fund
- P2P lender KoinWorks raises $20 million in funding
🇲🇾 Malaysia
🇵🇭 Philippines
South Asia
🇮🇳 India
- Facebook reportedly in talks with Indian conglomerate Reliance to create a super app
- E-commerce firms resume sales of non-essential goods
- Ride-hailing giant Ola gives its technology platform to federal and state governments for free
- Ministry of Home Affairs declares Zoom “not a safe platform”
- Broker-avoiding startup raises $30 million
- FarEye raises $25 million to grow its logistics SaaS startup abroad
- AI chatbot startup Yellow Messenger receives $20 million in investments
- Setu raises $15 million for “sachet-sized” financial products
- New app helps people locate open grocery stores, pharmacies, and cash machines closeby during the lockdown
