A digital Tonik for the Philippines’ unbanked woes

More: An Indonesian point-of-sale startup raises US$12 million. [Read from your browser]( Daily Newsletter --------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to Tech in Asia's free Daily Newsletter! Get full access to our subscribers-only Daily Newsletter and other insightful analysis on the big and messy topics of Asia’s tech and startup community by [registering here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Hello {NAME} As a skeptic, I can sometimes be a wet blanket when it comes to the goings-on in the startup world. As an industry, we tend to keep looking for that next game-changing tech or the next visionary founder, sometimes without stopping to analyze and think about whether the new hotness is really all it’s being made out to be. To paraphrase a quote from BoJack Horseman, when you’ve got rose-tinted glasses on, all the red flags just look like flags. Of course, I don’t mean to be an utter pessimist. I just think it’s more convincing when people have balanced views and speak honestly about the opportunities and challenges of a given industry or market. Today’s premium article features digital bank Tonik’s CEO Greg Krasnov sharing his views on the Philippine market, and his tone certainly makes me more invested than I would be otherwise. -- Winston  ---------------------------------------------------------------  THE BIG STORY [Tonik CEO on BNPL: ‘I prefer to call it sales finance’]( Tonik Digital Bank may offer installment shopping loans too, but it’s doing it the good ol’ “bank way.” --------------------------------------------------------------- TRENDING NEWS [Indonesian POS startup bags $12m in Intudo-led series B round]( With the deal, iSeller also completed its acquisition of local payment gateway Yukk. [Grab offers cash advance for driver-partners]( LinkedIn News’ Ting Wei Toh showed Grab quoting a 9% admin fee for a six-month tenure, which he likened to a loan with an 18% interest rate per year. [Sea Group mulls selling game maker Phoenix Labs]( The plan is part of Sea’s efforts to cut costs and focus on its core business, Bloomberg reported. [Malaysia gold-trading firm HelloGold to shut shop]( Robin Lee, the firm’s CEO and co-founder, said HelloGold’s services were “no longer commercially viable.” [Hawker food delivery firm gets served $1.1m in series A2 money]( Kairos Capital Group led WhyQ’s latest round. [Mark Cuban-backed blockchain firm launches $150m Web3 initiative]( Injective’s new initiative is backed by investors such as Pantera Capital, Jump Crypto, and KuCoin Ventures. ---------------------------------------------------------------  A TECH IN ASIA MASTER CLASS How to connect with your audience with quality storytelling Whether it’s the autobiography of a famous athlete, an account of how a country’s startup scene was born, or even a talk with a friend, an engaging story can capture hearts and minds. Quality storytelling enables us to empathize with others and encourages meaningful connections. The same applies to brands - after all, what is a company but the brainchild of people wanting to make a difference? However, it can be difficult to craft captivating stories for a brand, especially ones that your target audiences will connect with. Tech in Asia Studios, which works with firms to produce diverse, quality, and in-depth stories, is holding a master class on February 7. We’ll give you a peek behind the scenes, showing you how we come up with compelling content ideas that you can add to your storytelling toolbox. Attendance is free, and you can [register your interest here](. ---------------------------------------------------------------  WHO'S HIRING You can post a job [here]( or search for jobs [here](. - [Social Media Manager (theAsianparent)]( at The Parent Inc (theAsianparent) Jakarta, Indonesia - [IT Business Analyst (Accounting)]( at Jubelio Jakarta, Indonesia - [Senior Performance Marketing]( at Griity Jakarta, Indonesia - [Senior Product Manager (Igloo)]( at Female Daily Network Jakarta, Indonesia - [DevOps Engineer]( at NRI Indonesia Jakarta, Indonesia - [Business Development - Bandung]( at Mekari Bandung, Java, Indonesia [ADVERTISE]( | [SUBSCRIBE]( 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. Too many emails? Switch to a different frequency or get new content through our [preference center]( or [unsubscribe](. You can also break our hearts and remove yourself from all Tech in Asia emails over [here](  ---------------------------------------------------------------  Copyright © 2023 Tech in Asia, All rights reserved. 63 Robinson Road, Singapore 068894