Ant International raises USD 1.2 billion in Series A funding
Ant International, an independent subsidiary of Chinese financial technology company Ant Group, has raised about USD 1.2 billion in Series A equity financing. Ant Group, Alibaba Group, and other unnamed international investors backed the round.
Ant International provides digital payment, financial technology, and digitalization services to businesses worldwide. It began operating independently in 2024 and has since built a network across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America.
The company will use the funding to accelerate its international expansion and develop payment, account management, and other financial services for small and medium enterprises and larger businesses. Its technology portfolio includes artificial intelligence-powered tools for merchant payments, treasury management, and credit services, with a focus on improving payment interoperability, or the ability of payment systems to work across markets and platforms, and supporting cross-border commerce.
pQCee raises USD 3.9 million for quantum-safe cybersecurity expansion
pQCee, a Singapore-based provider of quantum-safe cybersecurity technology, has raised USD 3.9 million in a seed funding round. SGInnovate and Lotus One Investment co-led the round, with participation from In Group Holdings, Wavemaker Ventures, SUTD Venture Holdings, and Apsara Investments.
The financing is pQCee’s second institutional round. It previously raised USD 2.8 million in 2022 from investors including Wavemaker Ventures, Seeds, SGInnovate, Mirana Capital, Paragon Capital Management, and Apsara Investments.
pQCee develops tools that help organizations protect data and communications from risks linked to quantum computing. Its products include SafeQuard, an end-to-end encryption system designed to counter “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks, and QKDLite, middleware for managing cryptographic keys. It also offers post-quantum digital certificates and tools for protecting digital assets.
The company will use the new capital to expand its Singapore team, deepen its presence in Asia, and enter the US, Europe, and the Middle East.
Rize closes Series B round to expand sustainable rice platform
Rize, a Singapore-based sustainable rice platform, has closed a USD 31 million Series B round, comprising USD 20 million in equity and USD 11 million in debt. BNP Paribas Asset Management Alts led the equity portion, with participation from the Rockefeller Foundation and existing investors Temasek and Breakthrough Energy Ventures. BIDV, Temasek Foundation, and UOB provided the debt financing.
The round brings Rize’s total funding to USD 47 million. Founded in late 2022, the company says it works with around 17,000 smallholder farmers across more than 50,000 hectares in Vietnam and Indonesia.
Rize promotes farming practices such as alternate wetting and drying, a method that periodically lets rice fields dry instead of keeping them continuously flooded. According to Rize, this approach can reduce water use and methane emissions while improving farmer income. It also helps producers meet residue and safety requirements for export markets.
The company will use the funds to expand exports, improve field-to-buyer traceability, develop technology tools for farmers and field teams, advance carbon certification initiatives, and enter new markets. It aims to reach 300,000 hectares and support more than 150,000 farmers by 2030.
Whale adds USD 40 million to Series C funding
Whale, an enterprise AI company, has raised USD 40 million in a Series C3 extension round, bringing its total Series C funding to USD 100 million. CMB International and SMBC Asia Rising Fund co-led the investment, with participation from Krungsri Finnovate, Singtel Innov8, Hyundai Motor Group, and Charisma Partners.
Whale develops an AI operating system that connects companies’ digital systems with activity in physical locations such as stores, showrooms, factories, and other facilities. Its platform uses camera, sensor, and audio data to support compliance monitoring, customer service, sales training, content distribution, workflow automation, knowledge management, and AI governance.
The company said it serves more than 1,600 enterprises in over 45 countries and manages more than 600,000 edge AI nodes, or local computing units that process data near where it is collected. Its customers span retail, automotive, food and beverage, manufacturing, financial services, and other sectors.
Whale will use the funding to expand its teams, deepen enterprise partnerships, and integrate its platform with local infrastructure. It is targeting further growth in North America and the Asia Pacific, followed by the Middle East and Europe.
Granite-Integral invests USD 10 million in Omio
Granite-Integral, a joint venture between Granite Asia and Integral Group, has invested USD 10 million in Omio, a Berlin-based multimodal travel booking platform, to support its expansion in Japan and Southeast Asia. As part of the transaction, Omio has agreed to acquire Rail Europe, a Paris-based distributor of European train tickets. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Founded in 2013 as GoEuro, Omio offers train, bus, flight, and ferry bookings from various transportation providers. It serves consumers through its app and supplies booking technology to partners including Uber, Kayak, Google, and TUI Group.
Rail Europe sells tickets through its website and app and provides distribution services to travel professionals internationally. The proposed acquisition is expected to expand Omio’s business-to-business distribution network and add Rail Europe’s commercial channels and brand presence to its technology and transportation inventory.
The acquisition is expected to close in September. Granite-Integral’s investment will support local partnerships, transportation network development, and team growth in Japan and Singapore.
Recent deals completed in China:
- Yuequan Bionics, a developer of biomimetic robots and dexterous hands, has raised a nine-figure RMB sum in a pre-Series A+ round. The round drew investment from Changfa Fund, Tsinghua Holdings Capital, China Asset Management, Guoli Minsheng, and Xingke Venture Capital Fund, while existing investor Zhongguancun Qihang Investment also participated. The company will use the funds to expand its team, advance product R&D, raise production capacity, and strengthen its technological capabilities. —36Kr
- Qosmos, an atomic quantum computing company incubated from a Tsinghua University research team, has raised a nine-figure RMB sum in a Series A+ round. Legend Capital led the round, with participation from Cornerstone Ventures, Shanghai STVC Group, CSC Financial, and Peiyang Begonia Fund. Existing investors Shunwei Capital and iFlytek increased their investments. The company will use the funds for R&D, team expansion, and the construction of a full quantum computing system. —36Kr
- IBDTEC, a Zhongshan-based manufacturer of ion sources and ion beam processing equipment, has secured over RMB 100 million (USD 14.8 million) in Series B+ funding. Addor Capital, CSC Capital, Great Filter Venture, FriendTimes, and Nankong Fund participated in the round. The company develops equipment and process solutions for industries including precision optics, semiconductors, aerospace, nuclear fusion, optical communications, and quantum technology. It will use the funds to recruit talent, develop products, expand production capacity, and accelerate commercialization in fast-growing markets. —36Kr
- Redbear AI, a company focused on memory systems for large language models, has raised a nine-figure RMB sum in a Series A+ round, bringing its post-money valuation close to RMB 3 billion (USD 442.6 million). Jiuwei Fund, Jiaxing Zhangyuan Venture Capital, and existing investor Grit Venture Partners jointly invested. Redbear will use the funds to advance R&D, integrate its OpenBear model with the MemoryBear system, and expand applications in customer service, marketing, business intelligence, and education. —36Kr
- Zenlearn New Material, a developer of austempered ductile iron materials, has raised over RMB 100 million in Series A funding. China Merchants Zhiyuan Capital, Yuchai, and Haitong-Fortis Fund led the round, with support from CICC Capital, Jiangsu Coast Development Group, and Huanghai Financial Holding Group. The company will use the funds to expand its production lines, refine its manufacturing processes, and commercialize its materials in passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and construction machinery. —36Kr
- Rimbot, a company developing foundation models for the physical world, has raised a combined nine-figure RMB sum across two consecutive seed rounds. Investors include Topview Innovation, Yuantu Future, Baidu Ventures, Richland Capital, Summitview Capital, and Wanlin International Holdings. A further round is being closed. The earlier funding has supported the development of Rimbot’s LaMPA world model, reinforcement learning systems, data loops, and product delivery capabilities. —36Kr
- BXI Robotics, a provider of ODM (original design manufacturing) solutions for humanoid robots, has raised an eight-figure RMB sum from publicly listed simulation software company Suochen Information Technology. BXI develops humanoid robot bodies, joint motors, motion control algorithms, and application software. It will use the funds to develop its next generation of robots and expand overseas. —36Kr
- Platinum-Hydrogen New Energy S&T, a Suzhou-based producer of metal catalysts and membrane electrodes, has secured an eight-figure RMB sum in pre-Series A funding. Dongyun Venture Capital led the round, joined by Xinhui Capital and existing investor Roton Capital. The company develops catalysts for fuel cells and water electrolysis systems. It will use the capital to construct new catalyst and membrane electrode production lines and expand its R&D and operating teams. —36Kr
- Kuqiqi, an AI hardware company, has raised an eight-figure RMB sum in a seed round. A state-backed AI seed fund based in Pudong, Shanghai led the investment, with participation from SenseTime and Lingyi Capital. Kuqiqi is developing CookiePi, a system comprising portable character devices and triggers that allow personalized AI characters to inhabit toys, figurines, and household objects. —36Kr
- Hanforspace, a developer of civil aviation propulsion systems, has raised nearly RMB 100 million in pre-Series A funding. FG Venture led the round, with participation from Zhidao Capital and Seraph Investment. The company is developing a 400-kilowatt core engine platform that can support turboshaft, turboprop, and turbogenerator configurations. It will use the funds for engineering validation, flight testing, production preparation, and certification work as it moves the platform toward mass production. —36Kr
- Senior, a developer of autonomous driving systems for heavy-duty logistics, has raised RMB 300 million (USD 44.3 million) in Series C funding from Industrial Securities Capital and Yidao Capital. The company provides autonomous driving solutions for ports, industrial parks, mines, and trunk logistics routes, offering both vehicles and transportation services. It will use the funds to develop its next-generation autonomous driving system, including upgraded domain controllers for operations on public roads. —36Kr
- Wolif, a Shanghai-based industrial robotics company, has raised an eight-figure RMB sum in a seed round from the Lighthouse Founders’ Fund, Shangrong Capital, and V Capital. The company develops specialized industrial agents for complex manufacturing processes such as grinding and welding. It will use the funds for product R&D, team building, and market expansion. —36Kr
- Zhichuangxin, a Shenzhen-based developer of RISC-V processors and system-on-chip products, has completed an undisclosed pre-Series A round. Investors include TusStar, an industrial fund launched by Shenzhen Kaihong Digital Industry Development, Zhuhai Zhengling Group, and Yingguang Technology. The company will work with Kaihong to integrate the OpenHarmony operating system with the open-source RISC-V architecture, initially targeting high-volume applications such as smart home devices. —36Kr
PixVerse, SimpleAI, Ant Group, and others made recent headlines:
- PixVerse, a video generation platform, completed an extension of its Series C round, bringing the round’s total to USD 439 million. The extension size was not disclosed. New investors Alibaba, Lollapalooza Capital, Ivy Capital, Grand Mount Capital, Eastern Bell Capital, Mirae Asset, BlueFocus, and CloudAlpha joined returning backers iGlobe Partners and LionX Ventures, which is backed by OCBC.
- SimpleAI, a developer of agentic AI, announced a USD 5 million seed round and secured a separate USD 10 million debt facility to fund acquisitions across the Asia Pacific. The Singapore-founded company said a lead investor committed to the seed round but did not identify the investor or the debt facility provider.
- Ant Group completed a strategic investment in Boohee Health, acquiring a stake of more than 28% and becoming the Chinese health management company’s largest external shareholder. Financial terms were not disclosed. Boohee founder and CEO Ma Haihua remains the company’s largest shareholder overall.
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Note: RMB figures are converted to USD at rates of RMB 6.78 = USD 1 based on estimates as of July 21, 2026, unless otherwise stated. USD conversions are presented for ease of reference and may not fully match prevailing exchange rates.