Germany’s BioNTech to set up mRNA vaccine facility in Singapore

BioNTech, the German biotech that developed a widely used COVID-19 vaccine with Pfizer Inc, acquired a manufacturing facility in Singapore, its first in Asia, the company said on Monday. The facility, bought from a Novartis unit, will be its first messenger ribonucleic acid, or mRNA, facility in Singapore and support its vaccines production for the Asia Pacific region, BioNTech said in a statement, without disclosing financial details. MRNA vaccines, which… Continue reading Germany’s BioNTech to set up mRNA vaccine facility in Singapore

The Hunt for the FTX Thieves Has Begun

That means it will be very difficult for the thieves to abscond with their profits in a spendable form without being identified, says Michelle Lai, a cryptocurrency privacy advocate, investor, and consultant who says she’s been tracking the movements of the stolen FTX funds with “morbid fascination.” But the real question, Lai says, is whether… Continue reading The Hunt for the FTX Thieves Has Begun

Senator Ed Markey tells Elon Musk: ‘Fix your companies. Or Congress will’

Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts chastised Elon Musk on Sunday after the billionaire had a snarky response to the lawmaker’s request for information about Twitter’s new verification policies. “Perhaps it is because your real account sounds like a parody?” Musk tweeted Sunday morning after Markey shared a recent letter he sent criticizing the company’s new… Continue reading Senator Ed Markey tells Elon Musk: ‘Fix your companies. Or Congress will’

Twitter will soon let organizations verify related accounts

Less than two days after Twitter’s first attempt to charge for account verification ended in disaster, Elon Musk announced the company is working on a new way to authenticate users. On Sunday afternoon, he tweeted the social media website would soon begin rolling out a feature that will allow organizations to identify accounts that are… Continue reading Twitter will soon let organizations verify related accounts

Taiwan’s AppWorks to make first close of fourth fund this monthAppWorks, which focuses on Taiwan and SE Asia, is looking to hit the first close at $20…

Taiwan-based venture capital (VC) firm AppWorks is looking to make the first close of its fourth flagship fund at about $200 million as early as this month, its top executives told DealStreetAsia in an interview. The total corpus that the firm is targeting to raise by mid-2023 is $360 million, even as the global economic… Continue reading Taiwan’s AppWorks to make first close of fourth fund this monthAppWorks, which focuses on Taiwan and SE Asia, is looking to hit the first close at $20…

Indonesian digital signature startup Privy raises $48m in KKR-led Series C funding

Privy, a Jakarta-based startup that provides universal identity and digital signature services, has raised $48 million in a Series C funding round anchored by private equity giant KKR and backed by existing investors MDI Ventures, GGV Capital, and Telkomsel Mitra Inovasi. New investors, including Singtel Innov8, also participated in the funding round that will help… Continue reading Indonesian digital signature startup Privy raises $48m in KKR-led Series C funding

The LP View: Cautious about growth assets amid global slowdown, says LGT’s Coulter

More limited partners (LPs) may be turning to direct private equity and venture capital deals, saving on general partner (GP) fees, but the dynamics of the industry that require sizeable, on-the-ground teams could be limiting.  Doug Coulter, a partner at LGT Capital Partners, told DealStreetAsia in an interview that while the Switzerland-headquartered firm is taking… Continue reading The LP View: Cautious about growth assets amid global slowdown, says LGT’s Coulter

Indonesia’s Pertamina NRE invests $500m in energy fund with MDI Ventures

Indonesian state-owned firm Pertamina’s new renewable energy subsidiary, Pertamina NRE, will be investing $500 million in an energy fund set up in collaboration with state-owned Telkom Indonesia’s venture capital arm, MDI Ventures. Pahala Mansury, Indonesia’s vice minister of state-owned enterprises, said the energy fund will invest over a five-year period. “We expect more investors to… Continue reading Indonesia’s Pertamina NRE invests $500m in energy fund with MDI Ventures

Canada’s CPP Investments committed $889m to Asia funds, businesses in Q3 2022

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments), one of the world’s largest pension funds, has made at least $889 million in total commitments to Asia, including China and India, in the third quarter of this year. In its latest report, the pension fund said it committed $400 million to CVC Capital Partners Asia VI… Continue reading Canada’s CPP Investments committed $889m to Asia funds, businesses in Q3 2022

Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF reduces majority stake in stock exchange operatorPIF sold a 10% stake in Saudi Tadawul Group through a secondary share…

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has sold a 10% stake in stock exchange operator and owner Saudi Tadawul Group through a secondary share offering, raising 2.3 billion riyals ($612 million), it said in a statement on Sunday. The sovereign wealth fund with over $600 billion in assets said it sold 12 million shares through an… Continue reading Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF reduces majority stake in stock exchange operatorPIF sold a 10% stake in Saudi Tadawul Group through a secondary share…