Putting a back-end company front and center

We take a look at a crypto company that grew amid the winter. [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} I’ve written several times before about how if I were to ever found a company, I’d do it in an indispensable industry like healthcare or food. Another type of company that piques my interest is one that provides essential back-end services and support. For example, WordPress is the foundation that powers many companies’ websites. Today’s premium article is about Request Finance, which has a suite of financial apps that help businesses manage their crypto invoices, payroll, expenses, and other payment requests. Amid the crypto winter, the company saw the total number of transactions on its platform grow 5x. Read on to find out how. -- Winston  ---------------------------------------------------------------  THE BIG STORY [Request Finance grew 5x amid crypto winter, says CEO]( The crypto payroll startup was an unexpected beneficiary of FTX’s collapse, which saw companies move funds out of CEXs into multisig and MPC wallets. --------------------------------------------------------------- TRENDING NEWS [Tackling gender equity this International Women’s Day]( We dove deep into the topic this week, looking at what it is and how we can create a more equitable tech ecosystem. [Face to Face: Foodpanda’s APAC CEO and VP of comms]( Evelyn Tay candidly grills Jakob Sebastian Angele with some tough questions surrounding gender equity. [UAE wealth fund to invest $500m in India’s Lenskart]( The deal will boost Lenskart’s valuation to more than US$4 billion, Bloomberg reported. [Circle to tap high demand in Asia for digital dollars, says chief strategy officer]( Dante Disparte chats about Circle’s regional expansion, stablecoins vs. CBDCs, the BUSD saga, and how the company is playing the long game. [500 Global-backed Monnai raises $6.5m, tapping into SEA for growth]( The US-based B2B fintech startup plans to bump up its headcount in Southeast Asia, where 50% of its customers are located. [Indonesian lending firm shifts focus from students to businesses]( Pintek’s website currently has no student loan services on its product list. ---------------------------------------------------------------  IN PARTNERSHIP WITH How personalization can keep your customers engaged When conducting street interviews, it’s not really difficult to grab someone’s attention. The hard part is having a meaningful conversation - in marketing terms, that’s the difference between impressions and engagement. 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