Khamila Mulia

Jan 15, 2025 | moniify.com | Khamila Mulia |Ankush Chibber

Vietnam is racing to modernize its manufacturing sector, and Vingroup, the country’s chaebol, wants a slice. In just two months, it’s launched two robotics subsidiaries, signaling big ambitions in this high-tech space. Vingroup has committed 1 trillion Vietnamese dong ($39 million) each to VinMotion and VinRobotics. Launched in January, VinMotion will focus on general-purpose humanoid robots, while VinRobotics, introduced in November, will specialize in industrial robots.  Ownership is tightly held.

Jan 14, 2025 | moniify.com | Khamila Mulia |Azar Zaidi

Ever since he got the keys to X, Elon Musk has been using the platform as his personal loudspeaker. Imagine what he would do with TikTok. Earlier, Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal reported that Chinese officials had discussed Musk as a possible buyer of TikTok’s US operations if it can’t put the brakes on a planned 19 January ban of its short-video app. Contacted by MONIIFY, a TikTok spokesperson dismissed reports of a sale to Musk as “pure fiction.”But a US ban would hurt TikTok, really bad.

Jan 12, 2025 | moniify.com | Khamila Mulia |Tabita Diela |Azar Zaidi

A perfect storm of tax hikes and slowing economic activity is squeezing Indonesia’s shrinking middle class. But that does mean companies with goods and services catering to the budget-friendly stand to gain. A hike in value-added tax for luxury goods to 12% that kicked in at the start of the year will make passenger cars even more out of reach for most people. The Indonesian government expects its economy to expand by 5.2% in 2025, a slight increase from 2024’s target of 5%.

Jan 8, 2025 | moniify.com | Khamila Mulia |Tabita Diela |Victor Loh

Indonesia’s been playing hard to get — and Apple has finally got the message. Its $1 billion investment fee offer was “welcomed” by Indonesia, but an iPhone sales ban won’t be lifted just yet. Why? Apple’s $1 billion proposal was still short on details of how it would produce smartphone components in Indonesia, which means it has to resubmit its proposal.

Jan 7, 2025 | moniify.com | Tabita Diela |Khamila Mulia |Azar Zaidi

When there’s a funding drought, you may end up praying for some divine intervention… or angel investors. Across Southeast Asia, institutional investors and venture capital firms have been hesitant about putting their money into startups due to tightening monetary policy and a shift that prioritizes profit over growth. Enter angel investors, who usually step in to fill financing gaps in the early days of a startup when there aren’t any products or outcomes to show just yet.