One of China’s largest e-commerce companies has launched a blockchain and AI focused accelerator named AI Catapult; the company said they were looking to test real world applications of their technologies at scale; the initial batch of companies include companies from all over the globe focused on dat, e-commerce, trading, wealth management and more. Source.
CB Insights outlines five tech giants' notable investments, partnerships and M&A moves in the Southeast Asia region; the five tech giants included in the article are Alibaba, Ant Financial, Tencent, Didi Chuxing and JD.com; the article highlights Ant Financial's investments in Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and Malaysia, as well as its strategic partnerships throughout Southeast Asia. Source
Looking to broaden their presence in Silicon Valley the e-commerce firm JD.com partnered with accelerator Plug and Play; JD.com said it will share technologies like artificial intelligence, cloud and smart supply chain tech with the new program; they will look to focus on companies in robotics, AI, AR/VR and the cloud; “Partnering with Plug and Play, we hope to unlock the potential of the next generation of companies, and help them succeed both in the US and China,” JD’s chief strategy office Dr. Jianwen Liao told TechCrunch in a statement. Source.
China e-commerce business JD.com has announced the sale of its finance business which is focused on payments and investments; company will sell JD Finance for 14.3 billion yuan ($2.1 billion) in cash while also retaining some share in its future profits; with the spinoff of JD Finance, JD.com's business structure will now be similar to the structure of competitor Alibaba who also focuses on e-commerce and has a stake in payments finance business Ant Financial. Source