Alibaba

Baidu

ByteDance (TikTok)

DeepSeek

Meituan

Pinduoduo (Temu)

Xiaohongshu (RedNote)

Most Watched

KrASIA Connection

Deals in Brief

Our Events

View All Collections

Collections

Features

Insights

News

Ecosystem

Our Articles

Alibaba's Quark app has launched a "deep search" feature that interprets complex queries through reasoning, agent coordination, and web-wide content s…

Events

Latest

About

36Kr (EN)

Retail & Commerce

Deep Tech

What fuels startup ecosystems? Review funding rounds, investor strategies, and market insights guiding entrepreneurial growth.

Venture Capital

Indonesia

Malaysia

Singapore

Southeast Asia

Thailand

Vietnam

The guidelines aim to reduce the likelihood of scandals and help firms prepare for exits.

Southeast Asian VCs move to set startup governance standards

Decoding China&#039;s tech and business pulse

KrASIA

As part of 36Kr’s ongoing partnership with Nikkei, you can read selected content from Nikkei Asia on KrASIA.

Nikkei Asia

Photo of Venetia Lee, CEO of AlipayHK and general manager of Ant International for the Greater China region.

Alipay, a fintech platform by Ant Group, offers mobile payments, financial services, and e-commerce integrations, supporting transactions globally.

Alipay

Ant Group, a fintech powerhouse, offers digital payments, wealth management tools, and micro loans, enabling borderless, mobile-first financial services.

Ant Group

China’s tech ecosystem serves as a driving force behind the world’s second largest economy, influencing global digital markets.

China

Explore East Asia’s thriving tech hubs, global electronics producers, and fast-evolving digital platforms shaping cross-border innovation.

East Asia

What sets the bar for convenience? Examine on-demand platforms, subscription models, and personalization transforming consumer expectations.

Consumer Services

How does finance become frictionless? Examine digital banking, payment innovation, and lending platforms redefining financial access.

Fintech

How do policies adjust to a data-rich world? Explore usage-based coverage, automated claims, and analytics guiding risk assessment.

Insurance

What streamlines global commerce? Examine digital wallets, cross-border remittances, and instant settlement technologies.

Payments

What drives global exploration? Discover evolving tourism trends, hospitality services, and the shift toward personalized travel experiences.

Travel

Hong Kong

Q&amp;A

Focusing on transport, dining, payments, and cross-border travel, AlipayHK wants to evolve into a platform that quietly handles the rhythms of daily life.

“We aspire to become Hong Kong’s superapp,” says AlipayHK CEO Venetia Lee

T. K. Lin

How do markets shape wealth creation? Study portfolio diversification, asset classes, and strategies balancing growth and risk.

Investment

When do companies invite public investment? Understand listing criteria, underwriter roles, and regulatory steps defining initial offerings.

Why do firms join forces? Investigate synergy goals, valuation methods, and negotiations driving corporate consolidation.

Merger &amp; Acquisition

What happens after acquisitions close? Examine deal structures, operational improvements, and exit strategies molding corporate outcomes.

Private Equity

Bringing you the latest updates on funding deals and activities in the Asia Pacific.

Deals in brief: Wavemaker Impact leads Arysun’s pre-seed round, Nuevocor raises USD 45 million, latest funding deals in China, and more

An alias used when humans and machines team up in our newsroom. Articles under this byline may be shaped with the help of AI, but are always vetted by a human before publication.

Sudo Lim

KrASIA tracks China’s tech and business stories—alongside key developments across the broader Asia Pacific region.

Header Section | KrASIA

Home

Sections

Header Section

<a href="/company/alibaba">Alibaba's</a> Quark app has launched a "deep search" feature that interprets complex queries through reasoning, agent coordination, and web-wide content synthesis. Built on its in-house model, the update aims to reduce user decision costs across scenarios like health, travel, and learning. Image editing tools were also upgraded.

<a href="/company/baidu">Baidu’s</a> Apollo unit and Car Inc will roll out autonomous car rentals starting in Q2 2025, beginning in cultural tourism zones. The service will iterate based on user feedback and expand over the next 3–5 years as part of a broader smart mobility push.

Autohome reported RMB 1.45 billion in Q1 2025 revenue, down 10% YoY, as ICE automakers cut back on ad spending. Net income declined to RMB 357 million, while adjusted net income reached RMB 421 million. Growth in user engagement and NEV-related demand helped cushion weaker legacy segments.

<a href="/company/kuaishou">Kuaishou’s</a> short video GMV rose over 50% in 2024, while the number of buyers shopping across live streams, short videos, and shelf-based channels grew nearly 20%. In Q4 alone, shelf-based product card GMV jumped more than 68% YoY. High-spending buyers and active creators also rose in April, building momentum ahead of its 618 campaign.

Svolt Energy Technology's overseas battery shipments reached 0.77 GWh in April, up 72% YoY and its highest monthly total to date. Cumulative shipments from January to April rose 126% YoY to 2.76 GWh, powering 63,115 vehicles.

Yili Group saw FY2024 revenue reach RMB 115.8 billion as overseas sales of infant formula and ice cream jumped 68% and 13%. The company returned 100.4% of profits to shareholders, marking a new high in dividends and buybacks.

<a href="/company/sea-group">Sea Group</a> has renamed its digital financial services unit, SeaMoney, to Monee, unifying MariBank, SeaBank, and lending services under one brand. Announced alongside the opening of a new headquarters in Singapore, the move signals a broader push for financial inclusion across Southeast Asia and Latin America, supported by expanded capabilities in AI, product, and compliance.

<a href="/company/goto">GoTo</a> has denied reaching any agreement on a merger with <a href="/company/grab">Grab</a>, saying its board is still reviewing options to enhance long-term shareholder value. While the company confirmed it has received offers, it emphasized that no decisions have been made, following media reports of a pending deal.

Dingdong Maicai has partnered with DFI Retail Group to deliver mainland produce to Hong Kong. Select vegetables are already available in Wellcome stores, its online shop, and on Foodpanda. The rollout will expand to other supermarket brands, with a first-year sales target of HKD 100 million.

Auntea Jenny opened 68.5% above its IPO price at HKD 190.6, lifting its market cap to HKD 19.5 billion after a heavily oversubscribed IPO. The tea chain operates more than 9,000 mostly franchised stores across China and ranked fourth nationwide by outlet count as of 2023.

Baojun is set to debut a new SUV equipped with <a href="/company/huawei">Huawei’s</a> Qiankun ADS system and LiDAR. Slated for launch by year-end and priced at RMB 150,000–250,000, it will be Baojun’s priciest model to date, yet one of Huawei’s most affordable ADAS collaborations, as both firms test cost-performance limits in the EV market.

A new model of state capital is taking root in China—one that’s redefining how venture capital works, from funding mechanics to policy alignment.

Beneath the bureaucracy: How state capital made (and remade) China’s venture ecosystem

36Kr is China's most influential business and technology network, delivering high-quality content focused on China’s innovation and new economy trends since 2010. With its extensive traffic and network, 36Kr has built a comprehensive database and strong data analytics capabilities to provide insights into China’s technology landscape.

https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a6b9ace74da9df391d5f7ba1892f4393?s=96&d=blank&r=g

36Kr English

https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6ff53490f679f358bf543998d228fb32?s=96&d=blank&r=g

https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/aec5e55596415464d13490d0e0caa9a2?s=96&d=blank&r=g

Quark upgrades AI with "deep search" rollout

Latest Pulses

Most Recent

Beneath the bureaucracy: How state capital made (and remade) China’s venture ecosystem

Deals in brief: Wavemaker Impact leads Arysun’s pre-seed round, Nuevocor raises USD 45 million, latest funding deals in China, and more

Southeast Asian VCs move to set startup governance standards