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Moving Past the ‘Infrastructure of Hope’: Why Investors, Policymakers and Entrepreneurs Must Build a Modern E-Commerce Ecosystem in Southeast Asia
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for over 95% of all businesses in Southeast Asia, and millions of these entrepreneurs have migrated their hustle online. Yet according to Macy Castillo at Enstack, due to a lack of access to reliable payment options and other tools, they are attempting to build modern e-commerce businesses on a foundation of informal agreements and personal trust: an “infrastructure of hope” that leaves them exposed to payment fraud and locked out of formal finance. She argues that this is the central challenge for economic inclusion in Southeast Asia today, and explores Enstack's solution.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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PlaySuper Secures $1 Million Seed Funding to Power Next-Gen Gaming Monetization
"PlaySuper aims to build the commerce backbone for the next generation of gaming. . . "
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Global
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East Asia Brings Boom to African Fintech Unicorn Flutterwave
The company’s international growth this year has also included securing 20 new licenses in the United States for its remittance app, Send.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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South Africa’s Flood Raises $2.5 Million to Digitise Offline Commerce in Emerging Markets
Founded by serial entrepreneur André de Wet, Flood is a mobile-first digital commerce platform designed to power clicks-to-mortar retail in emerging markets.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Takealot Group Expands Mr D Into On-Demand Marketplace Beyond Food Delivery
Originally focused on restaurant food delivery, Mr D began its pivot during the COVID-19 pandemic, when lockdowns disrupted the restaurant industry.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Why Big Tech Is Threatened by a Global Push for Data Sovereignty
Countries are forcing tech giants to store citizen data locally, challenging the standard business model of harvesting data abroad while keeping profits at home.
- Categories
- Technology, Telecommunications
- Region
- Global
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Agentic AI Platform Raises $3.5 Million USD in a Pre-seed Funding Round to Drive US Expansion to Drive US and Latin American Expansion
As a remote-first company, Oraion is seeking strategic talent in the US and worldwide to accelerate their vision.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Global
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Nigerian B2B E-Commerce Startup Sabi Lays off 20% of Workforce as It Pivots
Nigerian startup Sabi, a B2B marketplace serving Africa’s informal sector, has laid off about 20 per cent of its workforce as it pivots to focusing on commodity exports.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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