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How do markets shape wealth creation? Study portfolio diversification, asset classes, and strategies balancing growth and risk.

Investment

When do companies invite public investment? Understand listing criteria, underwriter roles, and regulatory steps defining initial offerings.

Why do firms join forces? Investigate synergy goals, valuation methods, and negotiations driving corporate consolidation.

Merger &amp; Acquisition

What happens after acquisitions close? Examine deal structures, operational improvements, and exit strategies molding corporate outcomes.

Private Equity

What fuels startup ecosystems? Review funding rounds, investor strategies, and market insights guiding entrepreneurial growth.

Venture Capital

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Bringing you the latest updates on funding deals and activities in the Asia Pacific.

Deals in brief: Accel invests in Vite+ maker VoidZero, Rolo Robotics and Videotto raise seed funding, Coolmate completes Series C round, and more

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Decoding China&#039;s tech and business pulse

KrASIA

An alias used when humans and machines team up in our newsroom. Articles under this byline may be shaped with the help of AI, but are always vetted by a human before publication.

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Sudo Lim

Ant Group, a fintech powerhouse, offers digital payments, wealth management tools, and micro loans, enabling borderless, mobile-first financial services.

Ant Group

China’s tech ecosystem serves as a driving force behind the world’s second largest economy, influencing global digital markets.

Explore East Asia’s thriving tech hubs, global electronics producers, and fast-evolving digital platforms shaping cross-border innovation.

East Asia

How do trustless ledgers transform industries? Investigate decentralized databases, smart contracts, and infrastructure powering secure transactions.

Blockchain

What happens when banking goes virtual? Study no-branch platforms, biometric authentication, and seamless financial services.

Digital Banks

How does finance become frictionless? Examine digital banking, payment innovation, and lending platforms redefining financial access.

What streamlines global commerce? Examine digital wallets, cross-border remittances, and instant settlement technologies.

Payments

Ant Group is expanding its cross-border business from Hong Kong as the city rolls out initiatives to help Chinese enterprises expand overseas.

In Hong Kong, Ant Group finds an anchor for its global fintech ambitions

CHENG Zi is based in China, covering technology and business-related events. She works with her colleagues at 36Kr Global to provide coverage in both English and Chinese.

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Cheng Zi

How is power evolving? Review renewable sources, grid innovations, and efficiency measures driving cleaner, more resilient energy systems.

Energy

How do businesses grow responsibly? Examine green policies, sustainable materials, and climate commitments guiding corporate strategies.

Sustainability

The country continues to expand installations even as high costs hit the US and Germany.

China to account for half of new offshore wind capacity through 2030

As part of 36Kr’s ongoing partnership with Nikkei, you can read selected content from Nikkei Asia on KrASIA.

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Nikkei Asia

Ant Group | KrASIA

Alibaba, China’s e-commerce giant, operates online retail marketplaces, cloud computing services, and digital payment networks across Asia and beyond.

China's central bank and three other financial regulators summoned Ant Group on Monday, demanding the company to correct "serious problems" in its business and improve its competitiveness, months after its USD 34.4 billion IPO was suspended in November.

China's Ant Group forced to rectify and make sweeping changes under pressure from regulators

China&#8217;s Ant Group forced to rectify and make sweeping changes under pressure from regulators

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Song Jingli

Baidu leads Chinese search engines, voice assistants, autonomous driving research, and AI platforms connecting users with information and services.

Baidu

JD.com, a Chinese e-commerce leader, ensures trusted transactions, efficient logistics, and a wide product selection for online shoppers.

JD.com

Taobao, Alibaba’s consumer-to-consumer marketplace, connects Chinese shoppers with diverse products, from fashion and electronics to everyday essentials.

Taobao

Xiaomi crafts affordable smartphones, wearables, and IoT devices, appealing to users who seek innovation, quality, and budget-friendly tech.

How does credit flow online? Explore digital lending tools, alternative scoring, and services accelerating capital access.

Lending

China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) and four other government bodies have specified that all micro loan firms in the country cannot extend consumer loans to university students, according to an announcement on Wednesday.

China bans microlenders from granting consumer loans to university students

Tencent, a Chinese tech conglomerate, invests in gaming, social media, and cloud services, supporting entertainment and connectivity worldwide.

Videos

Preparations for a nationwide rollout of the digital yuan are underway. China's digital currency is referred to by many names including digital yuan, e-yuan, and digital RMB, in addition to its official name, Digital Currency Electronic Payment (DCEP). 

VIDEO | 5 things you need to know about China's digital yuan

VIDEO | 5 things you need to know about China&#8217;s digital yuan

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James Chan

WeChat, Tencent’s superapp, combines messaging, social media, mobile payments, and mini-programs, streamlining daily tasks for over a billion users.

WeChat

What sets the bar for convenience? Examine on-demand platforms, subscription models, and personalization transforming consumer expectations.

Consumer Economy

How do clicks replace aisles? Explore global marketplaces, payment solutions, and technology accelerating online retail’s growth.

E-commerce

Tencent's WeBank also joins the six state-owned banks in the pilot. Ant Group-backed MYbank and Tencent-backed WeBank will be the first two digital banks to join China's central bank's push in issuing electronic forms of its fiat currency, Bloomberg reported on Monday, echoing previous reports from Chinese media.

China enlists Ant-backed MYbank in expanding digital yuan trial

Wency Chen is a reporter KrASIA based in Beijing, covering tech innovations in&amp;beyond the Greater China Area. Previously, she studied at Columbia Journalism School and reported on art exhibits, New York public school systems, LGBTQ+ rights, and Asian immigrants. She is also an enthusiastic reader, a diehard fan of indie rock and spicy hot pot, as well as a to-be filmmaker (Let’s see). Follow her on Twitter: @ChenWQ45 Tips go to: wency@kr-asia.com

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Wency Chen

The regulator intends to bring down the leverage ratio of Chinese fintech companies. China's Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) has set new quantitative requirements for commercial banks that grant online loans in a move to boost the healthy development of the sector.

China issues new online loan rules to lower financial risk

Ant Group's valuation is estimated to fall by more than half after the business overhaul. Ant Group and Chinese financial regulators have reached an agreement on the firm's restructuring plan that will put the fintech giant's businesses, including food delivery, blockchain, and mobile payments, into a financial holding company, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources.

Ant Group restructures into a financial holding company, explores IPO revival

Didi, a Chinese mobility platform, connects riders to taxis, private cars, and ride-sharing options, integrating AI-driven route optimization.

Didi

Meituan, China’s all-in-one local services platform, covers food delivery, travel bookings, and lifestyle deals, simplifying daily consumer choices.

Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, and Meituan have all used variable interest entities to dodge rules on capital activity.

China's tech giants must navigate new antitrust rules on investments

China&#8217;s tech giants must navigate new antitrust rules on investments

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Julianna Wu

Major platforms, such as Alipay and JD Finance, removed deposit products last month.

China prohibits proxy sale of bank deposit products

Proposed reshuffle includes under-fire lending and insurance platforms.

Ant Group

China’s Ant Group forced to rectify and make sweeping changes under pressure from regulators

China bans microlenders from granting consumer loans to university students

VIDEO | 5 things you need to know about China’s digital yuan