Why Grab wants to be the go-to app for SEA tourists

More: We look at why the tech giant seeks a central role for tourists in the region and check out the latest funding round of healthtech firm Buymed. [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](. --------------------------------------------------------------- IN FOCUS In today's newsletter, we look at: - Grab’s [strategy]( for the rebound in SEA’s tourism sector - Singapore-headquartered Buymed’s US$51.5 million fundraise - Other newsy highlights such as Indonesian e-grocery firm Tumbasin filing for bankruptcy and Binance resuming Bitcoin withdrawals --------------------------------------------------------------- Hello {NAME} More than three years after the Covid-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill, the World Health Organization last week ended the global emergency status for the virus. But even before this announcement, it seems many have already adapted to the threat of living with the disease. Tourism in Southeast Asia has been on the road to recovery well before this development. It has been more than a year since borders fully reopened in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. While the revival in tourism was off to a slow start, it is gradually picking up pace after China - the largest source of inbound travelers to Southeast Asia - dropped its travel restrictions in January. However, the industry still has some ways to go to reach pre-pandemic levels of demand. That hasn’t stopped Grab from positioning itself to benefit from the rebound in inbound tourism. The food delivery and ride-hailing giant unveiled a slew of new features catering to tourists, who spend twice what locals do on transport per day, according to the firm. Today’s featured piece breaks down how the Singapore-based company is leveraging its range of services to become the go-to app for folks traveling to Southeast Asian countries. The story also details how these initiatives will impact Grab’s balance sheet. -- Shravanth  ---------------------------------------------------------------  THE BIG STORY [How Grab can benefit from rebound in SEA tourism]( The super app wants to welcome travelers back to the region with new and updated features. But what impact will this have on Grab’s top line? --------------------------------------------------------------- TRENDING NEWS [UOB leads $51.5m round of Vietnam’s Buymed]( According to the Vietnamese healthtech firm, its services cater to over 20,000 monthly active customers and cover 63 provinces in the country. [Indonesian e-grocery firm Tumbasin to file for bankruptcy]( According to CEO Bayu Mahendra Saubig, the company suffered from “insurmountable financial challenges.” [Binance resumes Bitcoin withdrawals after two halts in a day]( The halt in withdrawals has caused Bitcoin to drop about 2.2% to US$28,220, its lowest in almost a week. [Alibaba’s Cainiao eyes $2b raise in HK listing]( This is part of Alibaba’s restructuring plan, which involves splitting its business into six units. ---------------------------------------------------------------  LISTICLE OF THE DAY [Meet the 80 top-funded startups and tech companies in Southeast Asia]( Here are the companies in Southeast Asia that are attracting tons of investors and have the resources to spend on software, talent, and expansion. ---------------------------------------------------------------  TECH IN ASIA'S PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE 2023 Take your PM career to new heights with guidance from seasoned professionals A successful conference is nothing without the right speakers. That’s why we got top-of-the-class experts such as Jeff Pan, chief product officer of AirAsia’s Teleport unit; Den Widhana, head of UX and design at Dana Indonesia; and Herdiansyah Rhamadan, product manager lead at Tiket.com, to share insights at our Product Development Conference 2023. 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