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☆ Google-backed ShareChat cuts 20% of workforce
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Aditya Kalra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, Jan 16 (Reuters) - India's ShareChat, a short video-sharing platform backed by Google (GOOGL.O) and Temasek, said on Monday it let go of around 20% of its employees at a time when startups are facing increasing pressure from investors to cut costs. Bengaluru-based ShareChat is valued at $5 billion, has more than 2,200 employees and is "spreading its team globally across India, USA and Europe," according to its website. It was not immediately clear if the company has updated its website since the decision to reduce its workforce. Investors have become more circumspect of high valuations in a turbulent stock market that has hammered tech shares across the globe. Reporting by Anuran Sadhu in Bengaluru; Writing by Praveen Paramasivam in Chennai; Editing by Rashmi Aich and Savio D'SouzaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Olam’s Saudi-Singapore IPO sign of shifting times
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Jan 11 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Signs of deepening ties between Asia and the oil-rich Gulf are coming thick and fast. A planned Saudi Arabia-Singapore dual listing this year for Olam Agri, a trader of grains and seeds, is the latest example. Corporate and financial moves underscore how the global pin-code, as Olam’s co-founder and Chief Executive Sunny Verghese puts it, is changing. Between population trends, the Russia-Ukraine war and polarising geopolitics, expect the Gulf and Asia to get cosier. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Alphabet to cut staff of health sciences unit Verily by 15%
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In an email to employees on Wednesday, Verily CEO Stephen Gillett said the company will lay off 15% of its staff in a restructuring move, as it strives for financial independence from parent company Alphabet . Verily, which specializes in health sciences, is one of Google's sister companies, operating within Alphabet’s "Other Bets" category. It's the first known layoff to hit the Google parent company following a wave of industry layoffs and fears of a recession. Gillett’s note stated that it will be "reducing or sunsetting" some parts of the business while increasing investment in others. Those who work out of the U.S. will hear from their business leaders on Wednesday or Thursday, the note stated.

First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) (FAB.AD), the $50 billion Gulf lender that the brother of the United Arab Emirates’ president chairs, last week said it had considered a bid for the $23 billion UK-listed bank. Half its revenues come from Hong Kong, China and other Asian countries, where much of Abu Dhabi’s oil goes. StanChart’s commodities trading strength fits with Abu Dhabi’s keenness to become an energy trading hub. CONTEXT NEWSFirst Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) on Jan. 5 said it had considered a bid for London-listed Standard Chartered but was no longer doing so. The Abu Dhabi lender said it had been in "the very early stages of evaluating a possible offer".

☆ StanChart suitors track banking’s flighty fortunes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Peter Thal Larsen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But one reliable rule of thumb is that Standard Chartered (STAN.L) will be the subject of periodic bouts of takeover speculation. The latest prospective suitor, First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB.AD), reflects the shifting fortunes of global banking. Under UK rules, First Abu Dhabi cannot make an offer for StanChart for six months, unless another bidder emerges. The Abu Dhabi lender said it had been in “the very early stages of evaluating a possible offer” for the emerging markets-focused bank. Standard Chartered declined to comment.

☆ Market misery deals sovereign wealth funds historic setback in 2022 -study
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SummarySummary Companies Assets managed by sovereign wealth funds fell nearly 8%Assets of public pension funds dropped almost 6%LONDON, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Heavy falls in stock and bond markets over the last year have cut the combined value of the world's sovereign wealth and public pension funds for the first time ever - and to the tune of $2.2 trillion, an annual study of the sector has estimated. The report on state-owned investment vehicles by industry specialist Global SWF found that the value of assets managed by sovereign wealth funds fell to $10.6 trillion from $11.5 trillion, while those of public pension funds dropped to $20.8 trillion from $22.1 trillion. Despite all the turbulence though, the money funds spent buying up companies, property or infrastructure still jumped 12% compared with 2021. A record $257.5 billion was deployed across 743 deals, with sovereign wealth funds also sealing a record number of $1 billion-plus "mega-deals". Two months later, Italy's CDP Equity wealth fund spent $4.4 billion on Autostrade per l’Italia alongside Blackstone and Macquarie.

☆ Market misery deals sovereign wealth funds historic setback in 2022: Study
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Global SWF's Diego López said the main driver had been the "simultaneous and significant" 10%-plus corrections suffered by major bond and stock markets, a combination that had not happened in 50 years. Despite all the turbulence though, the money funds spent buying up companies, property or infrastructure still jumped 12% compared with 2021. A record $257.5 billion was deployed across 743 deals, with sovereign wealth funds also sealing a record number of $1 billion-plus "mega-deals". Two months later, Italy's CDP Equity wealth fund spent $4.4 billion on Autostrade per l'Italia alongside Blackstone and Macquarie. "If financial markets continue to fall in 2023, it is likely that sovereign funds will keep 'chasing elephants' as an effective way of meeting their capital allocation requirements," the report said.

☆ Asia's year in review: Who had it good — and who had it bad — in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Curtis Chin | Jose Collazo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

As the new year approaches, we turn again to our annual look at Asia's winners and losers. Government and business leaders in every major economy — China now included — may well hope 2023 is the year when draconian pandemic-related lockdowns become a matter of history. Underscoring the Taiwanese tech industry's critical role, a Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA)/Boston Consulting Group 2021 study found that 92% of the world's most advanced semiconductor manufacturing capacity is located in Taiwan. With numbers like those, Taiwan's semiconductor industry ends the year on the move, still building ties and winning growing support from business and government in the United States and elsewhere. Mixed Year: Asia's 'love' for cryptoAs in much of the world, investors in Asia — once bedazzled if not bewitched by the crypto industry — end the year in a mixed mood.

☆ Exclusive: Temasek's PSA evaluates multi-billion dollar exit from Hutchison Ports-sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SINGAPORE, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Port operator PSA International, fully owned by Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings, is considering selling its multi-billion dollar, 20% stake in the ports business of CK Hutchison Holdings (0001.HK), two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. PSA, the world's second-biggest container terminal operator, whose global network encompasses 160 locations in 42 countries, had acquired the stake in the Hong Kong-based conglomerate's ports business for $4.4 billion in 2006. Both Temasek and CK Hutchison, the conglomerate of retired billionaire Li Ka-shing, declined to comment. Temasek reported a nearly 6% rise in its portfolio value to a record S$403 billion ($297 billion) in the year to March 2022. Economic conditions have worsened since then, with global markets selling off along with a sharp increase in interest rates.

☆ Slowing crypto startup funding may still surpass 2021 record - Pitchbook
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Medha Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 8 (Reuters) - Total funding at crypto startups this year is set to exceed investments in 2021, research firm Pitchbook said on Thursday though the pace of capital deployment is slowing as a series of crypto blowups sapped private equity investment appetite. Crypto projects globally attracted $19.9 billion in venture capital (VC) investments in the first nine months of 2022, 41% higher than a year ago, according to Pitchbook data. In total, last year drew in a record $21.2 billion. "The lack of clear regulation and guidance remains one of the crypto industry's greatest concerns and limiting factors," said Robert Le, crypto analyst at PitchBook. VCs infused $1.5 billion in the so-called Web3 companies in third quarter, a 44.5% growth sequentially, according to Pitchbook.

☆ BlackRock's Fink says crypto technology still relevant despite FTX
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Carolina Mandl | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, Nov 30 (Reuters) - BlackRock Inc (BLK.N) Chief Executive Larry Fink said on Wednesday that there appear to have been "misbehaviors" by the now-bankrupt FTX crypto exchange, but that the technology behind crypto is relevant for the future. "We're going to have to wait to see how this all plays out (with FTX)," Fink said. "I mean, right now we can make all the judgment calls and it looks like there were misbehaviors of major consequences." BlackRock invested $24 million in FTX through a billionaire fund it manages, he said. Despite all the problems around FTX, Fink said he considers the technology behind crypto "will be very important."

☆ Singapore's Temasek holds internal review of $275 mln FTX-related loss
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A Temasek logo is seen at the annual Temasek Review in Singapore July 7, 2016. But Singapore's leader-in-waiting told parliament the loss was "disappointing" and had caused reputational damage to Temasek. After pumping about $275 million into FTX, Temasek decided to write down the investment following the spectacular collapse of the exchange. The review will be conducted by an independent internal team reporting directly to the board and will not involve those who made the investment, Wong said. Wong told lawmakers the individual loss did not impact returns to Singapore's reserves, which are tied to long-term returns.

☆ Singapore's deputy prime minister calls FTX loss 'disappointing,' pledges to improve the process
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Lawrence Wong, Singapore's finance minister, speaks during the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore, on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022. Bryan van der Beek | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesTemasek's investment loss of $275 million in the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX was "disappointing" and damaging for Singapore, said Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong. What happened with FTX therefore has not only caused financial loss to Temasek, but also reputational damage. "What happened with FTX therefore has not only caused financial loss to Temasek, but also reputational damage," Wong said. The FTX loss will also not impact the net investment returns of Singapore's reserves, which are "tied to the overall expected long term returns of our investment entities and not to individual investments."

☆ Singapore's Temasek reviews $275 mln FTX-related loss
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] A Temasek logo is seen at the annual Temasek Review in Singapore July 7, 2016. REUTERS/Edgar SuSINGAPORE, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Wednesday that Temasek Holdings [RIC:RIC:TEM.UL] has initiated an internal review of its investment in the now-bankrupt FTX crypto exchange. Temasek had invested about $275 million in FTX, which it said it has decided to write down after the spectacular collapse of the exchange. The loss was "disappointing" and had caused reputational damage to Temasek, Wong said in parliament. "The fact that other leading global institutional investors like BlackRock and Sequoia Capital also invested in FTX does not mitigate this," he said.

☆ This startup helps Fortune 500 companies build computer vision AI models. Check out the 44-slide animated pitch deck V7 used to raise a $33 million Series A.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The startup allows machine learning teams to build computer vision AI models. Computer vision models extract information from visual data sources, such as images and videos, to help computers and machines to better interpret these visual inputs. Many computer vision models are powered by machine learning technology, but this process can be time-consuming to engineer. This helps companies to develop AI models much faster and cuts down on the time needed to manage machine learning data, according to V7. V7 labels data automatically, so that teams do not have to annotate the data from scratch.

☆ Singapore state investor Temasek to open Paris office in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SINGAPORE, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Singaporean state investor Temasek Holdings (TEM.UL) will open an office in Paris next year as it seeks to focus on investments in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, it said on Tuesday. "Our decision to open a new European office reflects the continuing importance of EMEA as an investment destination," Temasek's EMEA head Uwe Krueger said in a statement. Ranked among the top 10 state investors in the world, Temasek's portfolio value rose to a record S$403 billion ($293 billion) in the year to March 2022. Temasek, which has stakes in large listed Asian companies such as DBS Group (DBSM.SI) and China Construction Bank (601939.SS), is mainly focused on Asia. ($1 = 1.3759 Singapore dollars)Reporting by Yantoultra Ngui; Editing By Anshuman Daga and Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ As Coinbase shares slide, Morgan Stanley lists major firms with potential FTX exposure
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Strategists at Morgan Stanley on Nov. 17 compiled a list of 63 institutions that may be exposed to losses or have their capital stuck on FTX's platform. The below table shows 19 of the companies identified by Morgan Stanley as having significant exposure to FTX. Of the 19 companies listed, 15 have confirmed some exposure to FTX (although figures may differ from Morgan Stanley's estimates). Temasek, the Singaporean state-owned holding company, said it had invested more than $200 million in FTX and FTX's U.S. subsidiary. Morgan Stanley also named Ledn, BlockFi, Amber Group, Skybridge Capital and Selini Capital as among the funds with potential exposure to FTX, but where values had not been disclosed.

☆ Singapore's monetary authority defends its treatment of Binance after FTX 'debacle'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“While both Binance and FTX are not licensed here, there is a clear difference between the two: Binance was actively soliciting users in Singapore while FTX was not,” the MAS said. “With regard to FTX, there was no evidence that it was soliciting Singapore users specifically.”Regulators are expected to step up their oversight of the industry as a result of its worst-ever turmoil. Unlike other industry players, Binance has emerged relatively unscathed during what some are calling a “crypto winter,” which refers to the sector’s ongoing global liquidity crisis. FTX, by comparison, recently filed for bankruptcy after failing to secure a lifeline from Binance over its own money troubles. In recent weeks, investor Sequoia Capital and Singapore’s state-owned investment firm, Temasek, have each written down the value of their respective FTX stakes down to $0.

☆ FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried cashed out $300 million during funding spree - WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 18 (Reuters) - FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried sold a stake in the company worth $300 million when the crypto exchange raised capital last year, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing the firm's financial records and people familiar with the transaction. Bankman-Fried and FTX did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment on the matter. The Journal's report cited FTX's October 2021 funding round where the company had raised $420 million from a clutch of big name investors including Temasek and Tiger Global, valuing the crypto exchange at $25 billion. Last week, FTX filed for U.S. bankruptcy protection and Bankman-Fried resigned as chief executive, after Binance walked away from its proposed acquisition. Several crypto firms have since been bracing for a fallout from the FTX collapse, with many counting their exposure in millions to the beleaguered exchange.

☆ FTX flop evokes history’s great financial swindles
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Edward Chancellor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

As Walter Bagehot wrote in “Lombard Street” in 1873, “The good times too of high price almost always engender much fraud. As cryptocurrencies declined in value, FTX provided a line of credit to BlockFi, a stricken crypto-lender. He talked about Three Arrows Capital, the failed crypto hedge fund, as engaged in “punting”. His firm launched a product based on a basket of crypto assets that it called Shitcoin Index Perpetual Futures, with the unsubtle ticker SHIT-PERP. He commissioned an advertisement, aired during the Super Bowl, in which the comedian Larry David casts doubt on the viability of FTX.

☆ New CEO says FTX had 'complete failure of corporate control'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Nov 17 (Reuters) - New FTX CEO John Ray said there was flawed regulatory oversight and a lack of corporate control of the bankrupt crypto exchange founded by Sam Bankman-Fried in a U.S. court filing on Thursday. "Never in my career have I seen such a complete failure of corporate controls and such a complete absence of trustworthy financial information as occurred here," Ray said in the filing, which was lodged with the District of Delaware bankruptcy court. Bankruptcy specialist Ray, who took over from Bankman-Fried as CEO when FTX filed for protection on Friday, did not name any specific overseas regulator in that part of the 30-page filing. FTX founder Bankman-Fried did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the allegations contained in the filing. Vox on Wednesday published an interview with Bankman-Fried in which he said he regretted his decision to file for bankruptcy protection and criticized regulators.

☆ Singapore's deputy PM: FTX case has raised 'serious allegations'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SINGAPORE, Nov 17 (Reuters) - The collapse of crypto exchange FTX has raised "very serious allegations that amount to potential fraud", Singapore's finance minister and deputy prime minister said on Thursday. FTX was one of the largest exchanges in the world but had a spectacular collapse in recent weeks and has filed for bankruptcy. A Reuters report found that at least $1 billion of client funds were missing at the failed crypto firm. FTX founder and former chief executive Sam Bankman-Fried has said he expanded the business too quickly and failed to notice red flags. Singapore is in the midst of tightening rules around retail investment in cryptocurrencies, such as not allowing exchanges to offer incentives for referrals.

☆ Singapore's Temasek writes down $275 mln investment in FTX
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 17 (Reuters) - Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings said it would write down the value of its entire investment of $275 million in collapsed crypto currency exchange FTX, in the latest move by FTX's investors. "In view of FTX's financial position, we have decided to write down our full investment in FTX, irrespective of the outcome of FTX's bankruptcy protection filing," Temasek said in a statement on Thursday. Temasek said it had invested $210 million for a minority stake of about 1% in FTX International, and $65 million for a minority stake of about 1.5% in FTX US, across two funding rounds from October 2021 to January 2022. FTX filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States last week in the highest-profile crypto blowup to date, after traders pulled $6 billion from the platform in three days. Reporting by Sameer Manekar in Bengaluru and Anshuman Daga in Singapore; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Singapore's Temasek writes down $275 million in FTX, calls belief in Sam Bankman-Fried 'misplaced'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Diksha Madhok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New Delhi CNN Business —Singapore has become the latest backer of crypto exchange FTX to admit being burned by its spectacular collapse. FTX Group abruptly filed for bankruptcy in the United States last Friday when its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, resigned as CEO. This “write down of our investment in FTX will not have significant impact on our overall performance,” Temasek said in the statement. Last week, investor Sequoia Capital said it had marked the value of its FTX stake down to $0. Last week, crypto lending platform BlockFi said it was pausing customer withdrawals.

☆ Singapore's Temasek writes down its $275 million investment in collapsed FTX, calling its belief in founder Sam Bankman-Fried 'misplaced'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Singapore's state-funded investment firm is writing down its entire investment in FTX following the crypto exchange's implosion. Temasek invested $275 million in FTX over two funding rounds. It called its belief in FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried "misplaced." Venture capital heavyweight Sequoia Capital said last week it's writing down the full value of its roughly $214 million investment in FTX's US and global businesses. "There have been misperceptions that our investment in FTX is an investment into cryptocurrencies.

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