IDC: How Southeast Asia Buys and Sells (pdf link)
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Indo-Pacific Insight
Geopolitics, emerging risks, supply chains…
Indo-Pacific 5×5: Daily geopolitics newsletters & downloads
December 2024
- New Zealand: Wellington City Council preps to deploy 400 Pay by Plate parking machines in selected districts, automating payments and timekeeping / full item
- New Zealand gains its first hyper-scale data centre with opening of Microsoft facility, a centre part-supplied with geothermal energy / full item
- New Zealand’s Zenno Astronautics gains backing from Mitsubishi Electric ME Innovation Fund with superconducting tech for space and satellite control applications / full item
- New Zealand: An intro to Compostify, aiming to replace single-use plastics with bioplastic that decomposes naturally, initially targeting plant pots / full item
- The UK, US, Canada, New Zealand and Australian governments launched the Secure Innovation program to help tech firms and startups improve baseline cybersecurity / full item
- ICYMI: United Kingdom becomes the first European nation to join the Indo-Pacific’s Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership trade bloc / full item
Australian Government: Australia in the World – 2025 snapshot
November 2024
- New Zealand: Tap to Pay on iPhone is now available in NZ, allowing merchants to take contactless payments with Adyen, ANZ Bank, Stripe, Windcave and Worldline participating / full item
- As of 2024, the cryptocurrency market in New Zealand is projected to generate around USD 134.7 million in revenue, with an anticipated 1.94 million users by 2025. / full item
- New Zealand: Dawn Hypersonics, part of Dawn Aerospace, achieved supersonic flight with prototype, completing a 66,000 foot ascent in just 118.6 seconds / full item
- New Zealand: Airwallex, Australian-founded financial platform, is launching ‘Airwallex for Startups’ program in NZ / full item
- New Zealand: OpenStar Technologies hit nuclear fusion energy milestone, generating plasma for the first time / full item
- New Zealand: X/Twitter is reportedly testing free version of Grok AI chatbot, with early tests confirming access in regions including New Zealand / full item
- New Zealand gov’t finalises Digital Identity Services Trust Framework, mandating rules and regulations for service providers / full item
- Bank of New Zealand acquires Māori-led BlinkPay fintech, looking to further build out open banking services and products / full item
- Australia & NZ: ‘AI and Music’, a study on the impact of technology on Australia and New Zealand music creators / full item
- ‘AI & Music Market Development of AI in the Music Sector and Impact on Music Creators in Australia & NZ’ “…by 2028, 23% of music creators’ revenues will be at risk due to Gen AI…” / full item
- Australia & NZ: A quick intro to the 7 startups graduation from the Founder Institute pre-seed accelerator, with solutions in battery recycling, AI-driven health-tech and more / full item
- Malaysia’s Entomal Biotech takes overall win at the Asian Entrepreneurship Award 2024 in Japan, with New Zealand’s Formus taking 2nd place / full item
Google Cloud Security: Threat Horizons H1 2025 Report
October 2024
- New Zealand: Alimetry raises US$18M with AI-backed gut health diagnosis via a wearable device, looking to commercialize for the US market / full item
- New Zealand: Grandmother scammed out of $224K using an AI-generated deepfake ad on Facebook, featuring a faked NZ Prime Minister encouraging crypto investment / full item
- New Zealand: Google claims it will stop linking to local news items, and ditch agreements with NZ news firms, if NZ gov’t enacts law forcing big tech to remunerate for content / full item
- New Zealand: Whoosh startup is to begin construction of gondola-like ride-hail network in tourist spot, Queenstown / full item
- New Zealand: Emerge fintech raises $12M Series A in bid to challenge traditional banking with app-based services and tools / full item
- Air New Zealand is to roll out Starlink in-flight WiFi service in 2025, joining United Airlines and Air France in trialling satellite connectivity technology / full item
- New Zealand: Startup Queenstown Lakes and Techstars prep for November edition of Startup Weekend / full item
- Paloma Capital has launched its second fund, targeting high-growth tech firms in Australia and New Zealand, looking at 14-18 investments over 3 years / full item
- An intro to 8 Australian and New Zealand startups that raised over $66M between them in the week to October 4th, working in biotech, ad-tech, the future of work and more / full item
Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (pdf link)
