Plus, there was a business initiative to help Vietnam urban problems and CIMB partners Alipay in Malaysia

Singapore’s ComfortDelGro to trial contactless payments over next month

Whether the cab is booked via ride-hailing apps, or hailed from the streets, ComfortDelGro customers can now use Mastercard’s digital payments product Masterpass to pay for the ride.

According to a press release, how it works is as follows:

  • Before the trip is over, riders select the ‘Pay for street hail’ option in the ComfortDelGro app.
  • They then scan a QR on the taxis cashless payment terminal or key-in the Taxi ID number. This will pair the payment to Masterpass and they should receive a push-notification.
  • At the end of the trip, the customer proceeds to the payment option.

There will be zero administrative or GST fees associated with this process.

iflix launches its first original programming

iflix, the Malaysian company often called “the Netflix of Southeast Asia”, announced today it has officially launched its first original programme. The show is called, ‘Oi! Jaga Mulut’ (which translates to Oi! Watch your mouth).

In a press release from iflix, the show is described as an “edgy, no holds barred” comedy series. As described the show will feature Malaysian stand-up comedians who are willing to push the edges of comedy into quirky, weird, taboo, or “downright rude” shows.

Original contenting has been a cornerstone for the global success of Netflix, so seeing a local player take this step is a big deal.

Alipay partners Malaysia’s second-largest bank to build payments platform

Malaysia’s CIMB Group, the nation’s second-largest bank after Maybank, has partnered with Ant Financial (and its Alipay platform) to build a mobile wallet, according to Reuters.

CIMB will be a majority stakeholder in the project (called ‘Touch ‘n Go Sdn Bhd) and Ant Financial will hold a minority stake. Malaysians will recognise the physical Touch ‘N Go brand (which is comparable to other ‘payment cards’ used to pay for things like transportation fares and shopping).

Also Read: Malaysian insurtech startup PolicyStreet wins Seedstars Kuala Lumpur

This partnership is an attempt to turn that same service into a digital wallet.

TNB Ventures and Mekong Business Initiative are hosting a contest to solve Vietnam’s urban problems

In effort to help Vietnamese cities like Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi solve problems like congestion, waste management and sustainability, two regional stakeholders have launched a competition called the Global Smart City Innovation Challenge.

It is a project started by the VC firm TNB Ventures and the Mekong Business Initiative (which promotes private-sector growth in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam).

The aim of the competition is to help up to 20 companies with a proven Smart City concept to expand into Vietnam.

Oppo opens store in Kuala Lumpur mall, its first shop in Southeast Asia

The Chinese phone maker Oppo has opened its flagship Southeast Asian retail store in Kuala Lumpur’s Suria KLCC shopping centre, according to Digital News Asia.

The store is trying to build excitement through customisation services like laser-engraving, and printing services for camera phones.

Also Read: Has China’s sharing economy finally jumped the shark?

Oppo is one of the smartphone companies that put a lot of energy into developing their phones to target the ‘selfie generation’.

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The post Captain’s Log, July 24: iflix launches original content, Singapore taxi company goes contactless appeared first on e27.