Hong Kong-based fintech firm WeLab Ltd. has secured $220 million from investors including HSBC Holdings Plc and Prudential Hong Kong Ltd. in its largest round of funding. The financing comprised both debt and equity. Other investors include Fubon Bank (Hong Kong), Hong Kong Investment Corp, Allianz X and TOM Group, which counts billionaire Li Ka-shing’s CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd. as its largest sh...
Hong Kong-based fintech firm WeLab Ltd. has secured $220 million from investors including HSBC Holdings Plc and Prudential Hong Kong Ltd. in its largest round of funding. The financing comprised both debt and equity. Other investors include Fubon Bank (Hong Kong), Hong Kong Investment Corp, Allianz X and TOM Group, which counts billionaire Li Ka-shing’s CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd. as its largest shareholder, WeLab said in a statement. The company did not disclose its latest valuation but people familiar with the matter said in 2022 that it was weighing a new funding round that could value the firm at about $2 billion. WeLab last tapped markets in 2021, when it raised $75 million in a funding drive led by Allianz X, the digital investment unit of the German insurer. The unicorn, whose other investors include Sequoia Capital, Malaysia’s Khazanah Nasional Bhd and China Construction Bank International, applied for an initial public offering in Hong Kong in 2018, which it later postponed citing market volatility. Hong Kong’s IPO market has seen a flurry of high-profile listings already this year, such as MiniMax Group Inc., one of China’s largest generative AI startups, which surged last week. WeLab says it will use the latest influx of capital to expand in Southeast Asia and support mergers and acquisitions. Founded by ex-Citigroup Inc. banker Simon Loong, the company operates two digital banks, including WeLab Bank in Hong Kong and Bank Saqu in Indonesia. It has over 70 million individual users and more than 700 enterprise customers.
Stephen Miller: Feds Have Begun Work Of 'Identifying, Disrupting And Dismantling The Insurgent Networks' In Minnesota Authored by Debra Heine via American Greatness , Stephen Miller, a top White House official, said Tuesday evening that federal law enforcement now has the resources to protect its officers and begin the work of “identifying, disrupting and dismantling the insurgent networks” hamper...
Stephen Miller: Feds Have Begun Work Of 'Identifying, Disrupting And Dismantling The Insurgent Networks' In Minnesota Authored by Debra Heine via American Greatness , Stephen Miller, a top White House official, said Tuesday evening that federal law enforcement now has the resources to protect its officers and begin the work of “identifying, disrupting and dismantling the insurgent networks” hampering Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minnesota. Miller’s message came after President Trump released a statement on Truth Social earlier Tuesday, saying: “ FEAR NOT, GREAT PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA, THE DAY OF RECKONING & RETRIBUTION IS COMING! ” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched a large-scale deployment of federal agents to Minneapolis and St. Paul in early January 2026, deploying approximately 2,000 federal agents from ICE, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) under an operation dubbed “Operation Metro Surge.” President Trump ordered an additional 1,000 CBP agents to deploy to the Twin cities, potentially bringing the total to approximately 3,000 federal personnel there to conduct immigration enforcement operations amidst the violent left-wing insurgency. Miller delivered an encouraging message to these federal officers during an appearance on Fox News’ Will Cain Show, Tuesday evening: “ You have federal immunity in the conduct of your duties. Anybody who lays a hand on you or tries to stop you or tries to obstruct you is committing a felony, he stated. “You have immunity to perform your duties, and no one—no city official, no state official, no illegal alien, no leftist agitator or domestic insurrectionist—can prevent you from fulfilling your legal obligations and duties. The Department of Justice has made clear that if officials cross that line into obstruction, into criminal conspiracy against the United States or against ICE officers, then they will face justice.” During a later appearance on...
Hong Kong stocks rose for a fifth day on Thursday, as investors bet that gains in Chinese assets would outpace those in the US due to cheaper valuations and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty. The Hang Seng Index rose 0.6 per cent to 27,169.80 as of 10am local time, extending a 0.6 per cent gain from the previous session. The benchmark’s fifth consecutive day of increase marked its longest winning s...
Hong Kong stocks rose for a fifth day on Thursday, as investors bet that gains in Chinese assets would outpace those in the US due to cheaper valuations and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty. The Hang Seng Index rose 0.6 per cent to 27,169.80 as of 10am local time, extending a 0.6 per cent gain from the previous session. The benchmark’s fifth consecutive day of increase marked its longest winning streak in a year. The Hang Seng Tech Index fell 0.4 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index fell...
Artificial intelligence has evolved from a niche technical skill into a “universal productivity” engine that is fundamentally reshaping the 2025 workplace, according to a new report released by recruitment platform Liepin on Jan.8. This transformation is driving a stark realignment in the labor market: while demand for AI-related roles is surging, traditional entry-level white-collar jobs are cont...
Artificial intelligence has evolved from a niche technical skill into a “universal productivity” engine that is fundamentally reshaping the 2025 workplace, according to a new report released by recruitment platform Liepin on Jan.8. This transformation is driving a stark realignment in the labor market: while demand for AI-related roles is surging, traditional entry-level white-collar jobs are contracting, the 2025 China AI Talent Singularity Report said.
Never miss an episode. Follow The Bloomberg Australia Podcast today. The mining sector kicked off 2026 with a bang as Rio Tinto and Glencore confirmed early-stage talks that could create the world’s biggest mining company. In this episode, host Chris Bourke is joined by Bloomberg’s Asia-Pacific head of commodities, Clara Ferreira Marques, to unpack why the deal is back on the table, what’s changed...
Never miss an episode. Follow The Bloomberg Australia Podcast today. The mining sector kicked off 2026 with a bang as Rio Tinto and Glencore confirmed early-stage talks that could create the world’s biggest mining company. In this episode, host Chris Bourke is joined by Bloomberg’s Asia-Pacific head of commodities, Clara Ferreira Marques, to unpack why the deal is back on the table, what’s changed since talks first surfaced last year, and whether the “most obvious” merger in mining can actually get done. They dig into the race for copper at record prices, the cultural and regulatory hurdles standing in the way, and what a tie-up would mean for rivals like BHP. From coal and China to scale, strategy and leadership, the conversation explores why mining’s long-anticipated M&A wave may finally be taking shape. Read more: Rio-Glencore Deal Closer Than Ever With Premium and CEO in Focus Listen and follow The Bloomberg Australia Podcast on Apple , Spotify , YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. Terminal clients: Run {NSUB AUPOD } on your desktop to subscribe. And for a daily wrap of the business, finance and economic stories that matter to Australians, from Bloomberg's reporters around the globe, sign up to our free Australia Briefing newsletter. Here is a lightly edited transcript of the conversation: Chris Bourke: Welcome to the Bloomberg Australia podcast. I'm Chris Bourke, coming to you from Melbourne. Well, 2026 has certainly kicked off with a bang in the first week of the new year, usually a rather sleepy time in Australia. Mining giants, Rio Tinto and Glencore confirmed they were in talks to create the world's biggest mining company. It's not the first time this idea has been floated, so what's different now and is a deal even likely to happen? To unpack all of this, I'm joined by Bloomberg's head of commodities coverage for Asia Pacific, Clara Ferreira Marques, who is based in Singapore. Clara, welcome to the podcast. Clara Ferreira Marques: Thanks for having ...