Google CEO thinks AI will be more a profound change than fire [The Star Malaysia]
Google’s chief executive officer has left no doubt in how important he thinks Artificial Intelligence will be to humanity.
“AI is one of the most profound things we’re working on as humanity. It’s more profound than fire or electricity, ” Alphabet Inc CEO Sundar Pichai said in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Jan 22.
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Alphabet, which owns Google, has had to grapple with its role in the development of AI, including managing employee revolts against its work on the technology for the United States government. In 2018, a group of influential software engineers successfully delayed the development of a security feature that would’ve helped the company win military contracts.
Indian bike rental startup Bounce raises US$105M [TechCrunch]
Bounce, a Bangalore-based startup that operates over 20,000 electric and gasoline dockless bikes and scooters in nearly three dozen cities in India, said today it has raised US$105 million in a new funding round as it explores sustainable ways to expand within the nation and build its own electric vehicles.
The new financing round, Series D, was co-led by existing investors Eduardo Saverin’s B Capital and Accel Partners, said the startup. The new round valued Bounce at a little over $500 million, up from about $200 million in June last year, a person familiar with the matter told TechCrunch.
Thai stock exchange promotes SMEs, startup fundraising via capital market [Pattaya Mail]
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) is pursuing its initiative to encourage SMEs and startup businesses to raise funds via the capital market, expecting general investment this year to be challenged by external factors, urging investors to properly manage the risks.
SET President PakornPeetathawatchai said the SET aims to promote balanced growth due to technological changes in the capital market this year, by streamlining its services at One-Stop Service points for registered companies, as well as providing opportunities in Thailand and abroad through capital market connections with Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam.
The SET will be urging SMEs and startup companies to raise funds via capital markets, and improve regulations to provide better ease of doing businesses.
Banned cryptocurrency to uphold the integrity of the banking system: central bank [The Economic Times]
The Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday defended in the Supreme Court its 2018 circular directing banks to desist from dealing in any transactions involving cryptocurrencies, insisting that it had always been consistent in its opposition to allowing any other payments systems and undermining the integrity of the banking system.
The central bank, through senior advocate Shyam Divan, argued that though there was no formal ban on cryptocurrencies under any law in existence in India, it had consistently been warning all those dealing with virtual currencies of the risks inherent in them.
Thailand’s DeeMoney rolls out next-day money transfer service DeeNEXT [press release]
DeeMoney, a Thailand-based fintech company specialising in digital cross-border money transfers, today announced the launch of DeeNEXT, a next-day money transfer service.
The new service guarantees transactions are completed within the next business day and is offered at a flat rate of just THB 250 [US$8.27] with no hidden charges and no matter the amount transferred.
DeeNEXT will support outbound money transfers to nine countries and 19 markets under the European Union. This includes the US, the UK, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
The European Union markets are Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Austria, Cyprus, Estonia, Malta, Finland, Ireland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, San Marino, Slovakia, Monaco and Belgium.
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