Also, JD.com to expand to Europe, HP open IoT Lab in Asia, Grab partners with the Red Cross and Red Crescent, and more
North Korea suspected of stealing US$500M worth of virtual coins [Bloomberg]
South Korea’s spy agency is investigating possible North Korean involvement in the digital heist of US$500 million worth of virtual coins from Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck Inc last month.
The National Intelligence Service said that this analysis is based on similarities with previous cyber attacks conducted by North Korean hackers.
North Korea is also suspected of hacking Seoul-based crypto exchange Youbit.
Cybersecurity experts said that North Korea is stealing crypto coins to fund its nuclear weapons programme as well as combat international sanctions.
JD.com plans to expand to Europe and US [Financial Times]
Chinese internet giant JD.com plans to expand to Europe by 2019 and hopes to be “ubiquitous” in the region in a few years.
It will begin by launching its e-commerce and logistics services; it plans to use US$1 billion to build a logistics network in France, and launch a European research centre in Cambridge in the UK.
Currently, JD.com already has an office in Paris. It plans to establish an office in London to facilitate local partnerships.
Grab partners with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society [press release]
Grab and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have entered into a partnership to accelerate humanitarian efforts in the region.
Grab users can use their GrabRewards points to make donations towards the IFRC. The GrabRewards is a Grab’s loyalty programme which allows users to earn points by taking Grab rides. Using 2,200 GrabRewards points, users can make a donation of S$5 (US$3.80).
Also Read: Singapore’s oBike is eyeing a close alliance with Grab
“This is the first time we’ve partnered with a smartphone app to raise funds. We have in common a commitment to expand people-to-people connections and solidarity and contribute to build resilient communities, cities and countries,” said Pierre Kremer, IFRC Head of Partnerships for Asia Pacific.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise opens IoT Innovation lab in Asia [press release]
Hewlett Packard Enterprise has opened its Global IoT Innovation Lab – APAC in Singapore.
The HPE Global IoT Innovation Lab – APAC is one of four globally that offers immersive Edge Experience Zones to demonstrate practical IoT use cases for industries such as oil & gas, manufacturing, engineering, healthcare, retail, smart cities and more.
The lab also provides a proof of concept environment to test the newest IoT technologies that analyse data and develop solutions.
The HPE Global IoT Innovation Lab – APAC also houses co-developed technology solutions with local start-ups from the InnovateNext program, such as gridComm’s smart street lighting solution and XJERA Labs’ AI-based image and video analytics solution.
Taiwanese startup Whoscall raises US$11.7 million in funding [e27]
Gogolook, a Taiwanese startup that develops the caller ID app Whoscall, today announced it has raised NT$345 million (approximately US$11.7 million).
The capital raised will be used to expand in Taiwan and global markets, besides scaling up Whoscall’s R&D investments.
Gogolook was founded in 2012 by three alumni from National Tsing Hwa University. Whoscall is not just a caller ID app that identifies unknown callers and blocks spam calls for users, but also offers value-added services to small and micro businesses.
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