🏡 July

Grab grabbed Singapore’s Chope, an app that lets you reserve tables in restaurants or cafes. 

Xurya Indonesia also shone bright with $55M to help more businesses transition to solar power. Meanwhile, Lhoopa’s dreams of addressing the affordable housing problem in the Philippines were boosted with $80M.

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💰 August

More acquisition stories? You bet!

US fintech Payoneer acquired Singapore-based Skuad, a global HR and payroll startup for small business owners. Payoneer, a cross-border payment service with over 2M global customers, paid $61M in cash for the deal.

It’s an all-cash deal again for PropertyGuru. Swedish PE firm EQT Private Capital Asia announced its plans to acquire the publicly-listed company for $1.1B! EQT completed the acquisition around mid-December. 

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☕ September

Don’t count coffee out just yet. 

Malaysia’s ZUS Coffee raised $57.35M to expand in Singapore or Brunei. (They’re currently active in Malaysia and the Philippines.) BillEase also cashed in a Series C this month, becoming one of the few Philippines-based startups to do so. 

Singapore’s Charge+ will accelerate their EV charging infrastructure across SEA with a $8M Series A. Meanwhile, dating companies Paktor Group and Lunch Actually will keep sparks flying with a merger.

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🐔 October

In October, the Philippines’ GCash got the cash! Mitsubishi invested $319M in the e-wallet’s parent company, Mynt. Insider Scoop: GCash is said to pursue an IPO in the second half of 2025.

Supermom also got a $14M Series B to double down on improving their AI tools and on international growth. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s Chickin clucked in a $20M Series A+ to power the local small-scale poultry industry.

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🥟 November 

Some news for Jollibee lovers. The world-famous chicken joint announced its plans to take over the management and ownership of the Tim Ho Wan restaurant chain. FYI, Jollibee’s parent company has stakes in brands like Common Man Coffee Roasters, Tiong Bahru Bakery, Yoshinoya, and more!

Speaking of dim sum, BackScoop also wrote about Beyond the Vines, the Singaporean brand that brought dumpling bags to the spotlight. Meanwhile, Vietnamese menswear e-commerce brand Coolmate raised a $6M Series B for you to look cool, mate. 

🦄 December

One last unicorn before the year ends?

Tyme Group, the parent company of GoTyme, raised $250M in a Series D earlier this month. They’re mostly active in the Philippines and South Africa but are heading to Vietnam and Indonesia next!  Oh, and they’re also looking to IPO in New York and South Africa by 2028. 

Hong Kong-based fintech KPay cashed in a $55M Series A to expand across Asia, while CarDheko SEA will also push the pedal on regional expansion with $60M.

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Get the full picture. Read the first part of our year-ender series here.