Grab Defence: Grab’s next big hit?

More: How Chinese VC investors are pivoting to Indonesia and the business of fake viewers in China [Read from your browser]( Daily Newsletter Hello {NAME} If you’re anything like me, then online delivery is probably your new best friend this year. From filling up my belly to stocking up on Ben & Jerry's ice cream tubs, I’ve relied on apps like Grab. While the super app’s food and transport services have been turbocharged by Covid-19, its latest business-to-business offering could be a gold mine: Grab Defence, its fraud detection and prevention technology. Today we look at: - Could Grab Defence be [Grab’s AWS]( - A deep dive into telehealth in Asia Pacific - Other newsy highlights such as how Chinese venture capital investors are pivoting to Indonesia and the business of fake viewers in China  ---------------------------------------------------------------  PREMIUM SUMMARY  Grab tackles fraud - the AWS way Originally built by Amazon for internal use, AWS - the big dog in the cloud computing market - accounted for 79% of the retail giant’s total operating income in 2019. Grab Defence has a similar start: The anti-fraud technology was also an in-house tool used to tackle fraudulent activities such as GPS faking and phantom bookings. But can Grab Defence follow AWS’ footsteps to success? - Grab Defence: Launched in 2019, the service is currently being used by an e-payments provider and piloted by a logistics service provider. Last month, Grab also partnered with financial risk technology company Jewel Paymentech to offer a combined suite of fraud solutions to digital banking services. - Is fraud Grab’s promised land? With the explosion of online users comes the rise of cyberfraud. Cybersecurity issues have the potential to cause significant reputational damage and business disruption, the market opportunity for anti-fraud solutions in Asia Pacific’s financial services industry is worth up to US$27 billion. - Not a happy ending yet: The anti-fraud space, however, is a crowded market. Grab Defence faces competition from players like Jumio, whose solutions are already being used by six of the top banks in the Philippines. To add on to Grab’s troubles, there have also been recent reports of fraud involving GrabPay. Read more: [Can Grab’s anti-fraud foray become its AWS?](  ---------------------------------------------------------------  NEWS SPOTLIGHT  The doctor will see you now (virtually) The healthcare sector in Asia Pacific has it tough as the region’s population is getting older and sicker. There’s also a slew of problems that’s preventing people from getting efficient access to quality care, but telehealth could [provide a solution](. - APAC has issues: By 2025, close to half a billion people across APAC will be aged 65 or older. Other problems also include the scarcity of physicians, limited access to hospital facilities in remote areas, and long waiting times during visits to the doctor. - Telehealth apps are already seeing a huge increase in daily active users (DAUs). For example, Doctor Anywhere’s DAUs skyrocketed by 156% in March 2020 compared to last year’s average. - On the up and up: With the region’s telemedicine market expected to skyrocket from US$8.5 billion this year to US$22.5 billion by 2025, we might see the continued widespread adoption of telehealth in the region. Read more: [Why telemedicine is the future of healthcare in Asia Pacific](  ---------------------------------------------------------------  IN PARTNERSHIP WITH What to expect from healthcare startups in Singapore If you’ve been following the news, healthcare has become huge this year, mainly because of Covid-19. But healthttech firms in Singapore have actually been growing for years - in fact, they captured [54% of the US$266 million]( invested into such startups in Southeast Asia. Let’s take a look at who are the healthcare startups making waves. - HistoIndex: Founded in 2010, the company specializes in AI digital pathology that digitizes tissue biopsy slides without the need for staining them. It then analyzes these biopsies to provide an accurate assessment of significant disease features. - Breathonix makes non-invasive breath tests for disease detection. The company recently announced that it had developed a breath test that can detect Covid-19 within a minute. - BioBot explores robotic healthcare solutions. It has built a SwabBot that are designed to make swab tests safer, more comfortable and more consistent. - Respiree has developed a non-invasive sensor to monitor various vital parameters. This enables healthcare workers to monitor a patient’s health easily and respond quickly if necessary. Funding in Singapore’s healthcare sector in Singapore has also exploded this year, going from over US$169 million last year to more than US$350 million in the first half of 2020. Who knows, we might see the city-state giving birth to some of the top healthcare startups in the next few years. Read more: [Behind the success of Singapore’s healthcare and biomedical startups](  ---------------------------------------------------------------  QUICK BYTES  1️⃣ Pivoting from India to Indonesia Chinese VC investors are pouring money into Indonesia instead after India has closed its doors to them. Shunwei Capital, which is owned by the founders of mobile phonemaker Xiaomi, and Ant Group-backed BAce Capital are two of the VCs that have [made the switch](.  2️⃣ The business of fake viewers In China, the practice of buying fake traffic and virtual gifts to boost livestreamers is said to be an [‘open secret’]( in the industry. According to a former owner of a livestreaming agency, “Everyone in the industry does this one way or another.” But this issue of fake traffic caught attention last week: Muddy Waters has accused Chinese livestreaming firm Joyy of being a [“fraud tech company”]( for having fake revenue and fake users. But some investment firms said they’re [still backing]( Joyy despite the report.  3️⃣ Indonesian government gives thumbs up to LinkAja IPO Indonesia’s Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises is pushing fintech firm LinkAja to [conduct an initial public offering]( in the next year or so. This comes after the fintech startup has [raised up to US$100 million]( in a series B round led by regional super app Grab.  4️⃣ Spotlighting 20 Southeast Asian startups AppWorks Accelerator has launched its [first online startup showcase]( which features 20 early-stage startups from across the Greater Southeast Asia region. Some of them include Singapore-based culture company Mighty Jaxx, Indonesian automotive platform Moladin, and Taiwanese face recognition platform Astra.  5️⃣ Alibaba’s fund backs logistics startup Pickupp, an on-demand delivery platform, has raised a [series A round]( from VCs like Vision Plus Capital and Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund. Founded in December 2016, the Hong Kong-based startup provides point-to-point options for businesses, including one- to two-hour express services and four-hour delivery.  6️⃣ Funding on fleek Indian cosmetics firm Plum has [raised US$14.9 million]( in a series B funding led by Faering Capital. The online beauty brand said it posted 2.5x growth over the past year.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  FREE PREMIUM ARTICLE The hunt is still on for Vietnam’s next Flappy Bird About six years ago, Flappy Bird’s global success catapulted Vietnamese indie game developer Nguyen Ha Dong to unprecedented fame and scrutiny. At its peak in February 2014, Flappy Bird topped the charts in more than 100 countries, racked up 50 million downloads, and reportedly earned its creator US$50,000 a day - with zero marketing. The game’s eventual demise - Dong took it down that same month - baffled everyone. Since then, Flappy Bird has become an inspiration to a generation of Vietnamese developers who have suddenly realized that there’s a viable alternative to the usual software outsourcing career. We unlocked this [premium article]( for you to read in full this week.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  EVENTS HAPPENING - Grow with TikTok: SME Series on December 2 Calling all SME owners and marketers! Jump on the TikTok train and uncover new ways to grow your business online. [Join us]( as experts from TikTok and fellow SME owners from Southeast Asia discuss how you can connect and engage with your ideal customers and drive sales! - ** Live Event ** Startup valuation: A VC’s perspective on December 3 What should first-time founders be aware of when setting valuations and raising funds? [Join us]( in this interactive classroom where we analyze and critique the use of appropriate valuation models, led by Kabir Narang, General Partner and Co-Head of Asia for B Capital Group. *Core and Live subscribers can RSVP at no extra cost! - Engage and Retain: The Best Practices for Customer Retention on December 10 Hear from experts as they share the strategies used to retain and engage their customers in their businesses. Discover how you can increase your customers’ lifetime value while building amazing relationships with them and boosting your revenue. [RSVP here]( - Singapore Fintech Festival (SFF) x Singapore Week of Innovation and TeCHnology (SWITCH) from December 7 to 11 This hybrid event brings together two blockbuster festivals: SFF, which discusses challenging topics that the financial services industry faces, from financial inclusion to sustainability; and SWITCH, which highlights innovation and its impact on society. [Join us]( and hear from experts at the world’s first week-long round-the-clock event today! - ** Live Event ** Understanding the M&A process with Singlife-Aviva Singapore merger on December 17 As we close the year, let’s look at the state of startup exits in Southeast Asia and the potential of the region’s startups for building great businesses and selling them to a healthy market. [Hear]( from Walter de Oude, founder and group CEO of Singlife, about the lessons he has learned from the recent Singlife-Aviva Singapore merger, which is valued at US$3.2 billion. *Core and Live subscribers can RSVP at no extra cost!  ---------------------------------------------------------------  WHO'S HIRING - [Mobile App Developer]( at T+ Interactive (Singapore, Singapore) - [System Administrator]( at Stockbit (Jakarta, Indonesia) - [Product Marketing Manager]( at Sampingan (Jakarta, Indonesia)  ---------------------------------------------------------------  SHARE WITH YOUR FRIEND Share this with a friend to brighten up their day and to keep them in the loop with what’s going on in the region’s tech scene. Feel free to [drop us feedback]( if our newsletter today got you feeling smarter (or if it didn’t).  ---------------------------------------------------------------  Thanks for reading! Tech in Asia’s newsletters are handcrafted daily with love - and sometimes powered by good kopi (or tea). [ADVERTISE]( | [PREMIUM]( | [JOBS]( P.S. Don't miss out on the biggest tech news and analysis. Add newsletter@techinasia.com to your address book, contacts, or safe sender list. Or simply move us into your inbox. Was this forwarded to you? You can read this everyday when you sign up [here](. Don't want to receive these emails anymore? [Unsubscribe](.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  Today’s edition was written by Betty Chum, with contributions from Simon Huang and Susi Susianto. It’s edited by Eileen C. Ang. Copyright © 2020 Tech in Asia, All rights reserved. 51 Bras Basah Rd, #05-5061, Singapore 189554