Bigo Technology, a Singapore-based mobile internet firm, today announced plans to open regional centres in India, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United States. Its goal is to have 20 regional offices and four regional centres by the end of the year.
The firm has raised up to US$272 million to date, with major investors including China’s Ping An and the Nasdaq-listed Chinese tech company YY Inc.
As a first step, Bigo says it will invest US$100 million into India, kickstarting its first regional centre there. This, it says, will lead to more cross-country opportunities for both Indian and Singaporean workers and is likely to avail over 1,000 new jobs in India.
Its flagship live-streaming product Bigo Live launched about three years ago. The app proved to be a hit with millennials in Southeast Asia and elsewhere but has also encountered plenty of controversies. Bigo Technology claims to have more than 200 million users worldwide. Its other video editing and sharing platform LIKE has reached 20 million daily active users globally. The app is available in Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Middle East.
Its push for stronger regional presences comes just as Tik Tok, a Chinese short video app also popular in a similar demographic, is investing into its regional offices.
Editor: Nadine Freischlad