Industry News

Singapore is at the forefront of Southeast Asia’s burgeoning robotics sector, accounting for a staggering 91.7% of the region’s total funding, according to a recent report by Tracxn Technologies Limited. The report highlights that Singapore has raised $986m across 58 funding rounds, significantly outpacing other countries in the region.

The report, titled “Robotics – SEA Report,” reveals that Southeast Asia’s robotics sector has amassed $1.1b in all-time equity funding across 51 funded companies. In 2026 alone, the sector reached a record $696m in funding, largely driven by Sharpa’s $670m Series D round. Despite this impressive growth, the sector remains in its early stages, with no unicorns and limited exit activity.

Singapore’s dominance is underscored by its 108 tracked companies, 37 of which have received funding. The most notable companies include Sharpa, Fourier Intelligence, and Neptune Robotics, which have collectively raised substantial sums. In contrast, Malaysia and Vietnam lag behind, with significantly lower funding figures.

The report also notes that the majority of funding remains concentrated at early stages, with only three companies reaching Series D or beyond. Furthermore, the sector has seen just one acquisition and no initial public offerings (IPOs) to date, indicating that exit opportunities are still limited.

Tracxn’s analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the robotics ecosystem in Southeast Asia, offering insights into funding trends, investor activity, and the potential for future growth. As the sector continues to evolve, Singapore’s leadership position is likely to play a crucial role in shaping the region’s robotics landscape.

Toku Ltd, a Singapore-based AI-powered customer experience platform, has announced the incorporation of Toku Technology L.L.C, its first in-country entity in the Middle East. This marks a significant step in Toku’s regional expansion, which began in December 2025. The new UAE subsidiary allows Toku to contract, invoice, and hire locally, enabling participation in government and semi-government tenders across the UAE and the wider Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

The expansion has been bolstered by a memorandum of understanding with SESTEK, a Turkey-based conversational AI provider, signed in June 2026. This partnership enhances Toku’s capabilities in Arabic-language solutions, addressing the region’s diverse linguistic needs. Toku’s deployment with Talabat, a leading food delivery service, has expanded across all eight Middle East markets, supporting over 8,000 users. The introduction of voice alongside chat has increased customer satisfaction to approximately 80%, a rise of more than 20%.

Thomas Laboulle, Toku’s Founder and CEO, stated, “The Middle East has developed ahead of our expectations since our first deployments there last year. Our UAE subsidiary gives that demand a local foundation: it lets us contract, invoice, and hire in-country, brings us closer to our customers and partners, and positions Toku to participate fully in the region’s digital transformation.”

With its local presence, Toku is well-positioned to address the GCC’s demand for locally hosted, sovereign, and hybrid deployments, shaping enterprise technology decisions across the region. This expansion underscores Toku’s commitment to enhancing customer experience through AI, tailored to the unique needs of the Middle East.

New research by The Bridgespan Group reveals that Asia’s wealthiest families, predominantly first- or second-generation wealth holders, are reshaping philanthropy through their unique approaches. The study, which examined 186 affluent individuals and families across 20 global economies, highlights the influence of newer wealth, ongoing business ownership, and family stewardship on philanthropic practices.

The report, supported by Bridgespan’s Funders Council, including the Institute of Philanthropy, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the Gates Foundation, identifies key characteristics of family philanthropy in Asia. Notably, 94% of Asia’s wealthiest families are first- or second-generation wealth holders, and 95% maintain control over the businesses that generated their wealth. This contrasts with 85% and 68%, respectively, in high-income economies outside Asia.

Xueling Lee, co-author and partner at Bridgespan, stated, “Our research helps fill a knowledge gap on how the world’s wealthiest families organise their philanthropy and pursue impact, and finds distinguishing characteristics in Asia.”

The study finds that Asian families are more likely to support elderly care, religion, and sports, whilst families from other regions focus on science and technology initiatives. Additionally, over 80% of Asian families publicly report outputs from their giving, such as schools built, compared to 45% outside Asia.

Brian San, secretary-general of the Institute of Philanthropy, noted, “These qualities are particularly relevant in Asia, where family-owned businesses remain a powerful force.”

The research underscores the potential for family philanthropies to drive innovation and collaboration, with Deepali Khanna from The Rockefeller Foundation highlighting their role in pioneering solutions to complex problems.

ASEAN businesses are shifting their hiring and investment strategies in response to a complex economic landscape, according to a recent study by Reeracoen Group and Rakuten Insight. The survey, which involved 3,630 consumers and business leaders across six ASEAN countries, reveals a trend towards selective hiring and a focus on operational efficiency and AI investment.

The study, titled *The Great Restructuring: ASEAN Consumer & Business Pulse Survey 2026*, indicates that 32% to 47% of businesses are adopting selective hiring practices, whilst only 7% to 16% are expanding their workforce. This suggests a strategic focus on building long-term capabilities rather than increasing headcount. Operational efficiency emerged as the top growth priority, with 35% to 43% of businesses prioritising it, followed by AI and technology investments at 24% to 33%.

Distinct market strengths are shaping growth across the region. Singapore leads in AI and technology investment intent, Indonesia shows the highest business confidence, and Vietnam records the highest consumer optimism and hiring expansion rate. Meanwhile, income diversification is a key financial strategy for consumers in Indonesia and the Philippines, with 71% and 70% respectively seeking additional income.

Kenji Naito, Group CEO of Reeracoen Group, emphasised the importance of talent strategy, stating, “The companies that will win the next cycle are not the ones that wait for certainty—they are the ones investing in their people, their processes, and their readiness today.” Cheryl Ng, Country Director of Rakuten Insight Singapore, added that the report highlights ASEAN’s adaptability amidst economic challenges.

A recent study by Milieu highlights that the cost of living is the predominant concern for Southeast Asians, with significant variations in optimism about the future across the region. The survey, which included 3,000 participants from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, found that only 38% of respondents believe their country is on the right track regarding key issues.

In Malaysia, 50% of respondents identified the cost of living as a major social concern. Despite these pressures, 51% of Malaysians expressed optimism about the country’s direction. The study also uncovered generational differences in priorities, with younger respondents focusing on jobs and opportunities, whilst older groups are more concerned with healthcare costs.

The findings underscore the diverse perspectives within Southeast Asia, as sentiment about national progress varies significantly between countries. This disparity suggests that whilst economic pressures are a common thread, cultural and national contexts heavily influence perceptions of progress and optimism.

The Milieu study provides a snapshot of the region’s socio-economic landscape, highlighting the challenges and hopes of its people. As Southeast Asia continues to navigate these issues, understanding these varied perspectives will be crucial for policymakers and stakeholders aiming to address the region’s concerns effectively.

APAC Realty Limited has announced its intention to acquire the remaining shares in PT ERA Graharealty Tbk (ERA Indonesia) as part of a plan to delist the company from the Indonesia Stock Exchange. Currently holding 90.6% of ERA Indonesia’s shares, APAC Realty aims to purchase the remaining 9.4% through a voluntary tender offer at IDR250 per share, equivalent to approximately S$0.02. The total cost of acquiring these shares is expected to be around IDR22.33b, or S$1.6m, funded through internal resources.

The acquisition and subsequent delisting are designed to enhance management flexibility, reduce compliance costs, and improve operational efficiency. ERA Indonesia, which no longer requires capital market funding, has no future plans to raise funds from these markets.

ERA Indonesia, incorporated in 1991 and listed in 2021, holds the ERA country master franchise for Indonesia. It operates 103 broker offices and employs 4,576 agents across major Indonesian cities. The acquisition is subject to approval from independent shareholders and relevant authorities, with completion anticipated by March 2027.

APAC Realty’s Chief Financial Officer, Poh Chee Yong, confirmed that the acquisition would not materially impact the company’s financial metrics for the year ending 31 December 2026. Further announcements will be made as the acquisition progresses.

OneByZero, a Singapore-based Frontier Systems Integrator, has announced a three-year Strategic Collaboration Agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to enhance the deployment of governed, production-scale artificial intelligence (AI) across Asia Pacific and Japan. This partnership is designed to help enterprises transition from AI experimentation to full-scale production, addressing challenges such as integration into core operations, governance, and security.

The collaboration will focus on four key areas: scaling OneByZero’s Neo platform for AI deployment within AWS environments, expanding AI-assisted data modernisation using the ETL Crew, redesigning enterprise workflows around AI, and developing outcome-based AI delivery models. OneByZero’s AI Coworkers are already operational across the region, managing over 100,000 enterprise interactions daily, and have demonstrated significant efficiency improvements, including 55% faster delivery and 30% cost savings in one deployment.

Niket Vaidya, CEO of OneByZero, highlighted the importance of moving quickly from AI pilots to production, stating, “Neo, our platform for deploying and governing AI Coworkers, is what makes that possible inside the complex, regulated environments our clients operate in.” Kirsten Gilbertson, Partner Organisation Leader at AWS ASEAN, added, “The next wave of enterprise productivity in APJ won’t come from AI alone, it will come from human-AI collaboration done right.”

As part of the agreement, OneByZero will expand its engineering teams across Asia-Pacific, combining human expertise with AI to support enterprises in adopting AI agents at scale. This initiative underscores the commitment of both companies to unlocking the full value of AI in the region.

Ideal Systems, a prominent player in Southeast Asia’s broadcast and professional audiovisual sector, has rebranded its operations in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia as AVBuddy Integration. This change follows a management buyout by CEO Fintan Mc Kiernan, who acquired the remaining shares from Ideal Systems Group in Hong Kong. The rebranding marks a strategic shift towards delivering integrated audiovisual solutions across various sectors, including corporate, education, and healthcare.

The company, which has grown to over 100 employees in the region, aims to address the increasing demand for immersive digital experiences and AI-enabled audiovisual solutions. “This is much more than a name change,” said Mc Kiernan. “We are now an independently owned Singapore company with a clear focus on the future of audiovisual technology in Southeast Asia.”

AVBuddy Integration’s new identity reflects its transformation from a broadcast heritage to a regional leader in integrated AV solutions. The company plans to continue partnering with leading technology manufacturers whilst maintaining its commitment to innovation, customer focus, and long-term partnerships.

The rebranding process will be rolled out across its offices in the coming weeks, with all existing contracts and customer relationships remaining intact. The new brand aims to make sophisticated AV technology more accessible, ensuring that complex technologies are integrated into practical solutions with reliable support.

AVBuddy Integration’s rebranding includes a new corporate identity, website, and expanded customer engagement initiatives, setting the stage for future investment and regional expansion.

Mastercard has launched Wallet Pay, a comprehensive suite of solutions designed to enhance the interoperability and innovation of digital wallets globally. This initiative comes as digital wallets continue to grow, with over 4.3 billion users worldwide and projections to exceed 6 billion by 2030. Wallet Pay aims to streamline digital payments across contactless, QR codes, and online platforms.

The new service collaborates with major digital payment providers, including Alipay+, GCash, KakaoPay, and Mercado Pago, to expand access to financial tools and ensure global acceptance at millions of locations. Mastercard’s chief product officer, Jorn Lambert, stated, “Wallets are gateways to the digital economy and launchpads for broader financial services.”

Wallet Pay offers several key features:

– **Interoperability:** Facilitates seamless connections between wallets across borders and platforms.
– **Secure issuing:** Supports the launch of credit, debit, or prepaid card programmes.
– **Unified experiences:** Enables merchants to accept payments from cards and wallets both in person and online.
– **Accelerated money movement:** Allows fast transfers across 200-plus countries and 150 currencies.
– **Expanded access:** Provides low-cost financial tools to underbanked consumers, promoting digital inclusion.

Joyce Bo, executive vice president of Core Payments, Asia Pacific at Mastercard, highlighted the importance of interoperability, stating, “The next chapter is interoperability at scale. As wallet ecosystems mature, the challenge is extending their reach across more merchants, use cases, and borders.”

Mastercard’s Wallet Pay is part of its broader commitment to financial inclusion, further supported by initiatives like the Global Financial Health Coalition. This launch positions Mastercard at the forefront of digital wallet innovation and inclusion on a global scale.

Ookla’s latest report evaluates the network performance in Southeast Asia’s digital nomad hubs, revealing that mobile speeds are generally satisfactory for remote workers. The analysis, based on Speedtest Intelligence data from Q2 2025 to Q2 2026, covers 13 destinations across six ASEAN markets. Da Nang in Vietnam leads with mobile speeds of 215.56 Mbps, whilst Cebu in the Philippines records the lowest at 55.48 Mbps.

The report highlights that 5G availability has increased in all destinations, ranging from 83.8% in Phuket, Thailand, to 40.0% in Penang, Malaysia. However, the consistency of 5G speeds has not kept pace, with seven out of 13 destinations experiencing a decline in the share of 5G samples meeting the 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload benchmarks.

Despite some declines in mobile connection stability, no destination has reached a level where video calls are affected. Mobile jitter remains below the 30 ms threshold deemed poor by Microsoft Teams, with Da Nang at 7 ms and Cebu at 18 ms.

Fixed broadband speeds show significant variation, with Singapore offering the highest median download speed at 447.75 Mbps, compared to Jakarta’s 60.33 Mbps. The reliability of these connections also varies, as seen in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where only 65.7% of fixed samples meet the 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload standard.

Wi-Fi technology also plays a crucial role, with Singapore leading in Wi-Fi 7 adoption at 34.4%, whilst Jakarta and Bali still rely heavily on older Wi-Fi 4 technology. This disparity underscores the importance of infrastructure in supporting remote work across the region.