How Saleoid Lets Small Businesses Build Their CRM Around What They Actually Need
Sep 16, 2026
Instead of forcing every business to buy the same software bundle, Saleoid allows small teams to start with a $5 Sales CRM and add applications according to how they sell, communicate and serve customers.
Boca Raton, Florida Sep 15, 2026 (Issuewire.com) - Most small businesses know they need a better way to organize leads, customers and follow-ups. What they do not always need is a large software package containing dozens of applications from the first day.
A consultant may need contacts, appointments, agreements and invoicing. An agency may care more about pipelines, forms, landing pages and email marketing. A subscription business may need plans, recurring billing and customer communication. A small sales team may simply want one reliable place to manage leads and know who needs attention next. These businesses all need CRM software, but they do not need the same CRM.
Saleoid $5 AI CRM addresses that difference with a build-your-own approach. Businesses can begin with the platform's Sales CRM and then add applications based on their current requirements. This allows them to create a connected business system without paying for a large collection of tools they may not use.
The Saleoid Custom Plan starts at $5 per month when billed every two years. Additional business applications start at $1 per app per month. Businesses that prefer a complete, ready-made collection of tools can instead select one of Saleoid's prebuilt plans. The idea behind this model is straightforward: the software should adjust to the business, rather than forcing the business to adjust to a fixed software package.
Small Businesses Rarely Need the Same CRM Setup
The phrase "small business" includes a wide range of organizations. A solo consultant, a 5-person agency, a growing sales team and a local service company may have a similar number of employees, but the way they manage customers can be completely different. The consultant may begin with a small number of high-value prospects and need a simple way to schedule meetings, send agreements and issue invoices.
The agency may collect leads through landing pages and forms, manage several sales pipelines and run email campaigns. The service business may care about bookings, estimates, payments and regular customer communication. The growing sales team may need lead scoring, permissions, follow-up tasks and better visibility across multiple users.
A conventional CRM package often gives all of these businesses the same set of features. The company then has to ignore what it does not need, configure what it can use and pay for the complete plan regardless. Saleoid takes a different approach to CRM for small businesses. It gives companies a working CRM foundation and lets them decide which additional capabilities belong in their setup.
"Small businesses should not have to buy software for the company they might become three years from now," said Vivek Sharma, Founder of Saleoid and EQUP Inc. "They should be able to start with what helps them today, add more when the need becomes real and keep everything connected as the business grows."
What Businesses Receive With the $5 Sales CRM
Saleoid's Custom Plan begins with the core Sales CRM. The plan is designed to provide a useful customer management foundation before a business selects any additional applications. The Sales CRM includes tools for customer engagement, lead scoring, team roles and permissions, dashboards, filters, email verification, email tracking, scheduling, tasks, notes and notifications.
It also includes a complete customer view that helps users see customer information and activity in one place. Businesses can manage up to 2,500 contacts and companies, create five automations and maintain automation history. The $5 plan includes one user, with additional users available at $6 per user. It also includes three accounts, consisting of one main account and two subaccounts.
This means a business can begin by organizing its customer information, tracking activity and managing follow-ups before deciding whether it also needs marketing, appointments, billing or other operational tools. For some businesses, that foundation may be enough at the beginning. Others can use it as the starting point for a more complete setup.
Applications Can Be Added When the Workflow Requires Them
Saleoid's custom CRM pricing plan allows businesses to add applications individually. Available options include landing pages, forms, appointments, invoicing, services and products, email marketing, SMS marketing, WhatsApp marketing, social media management, pipeline deals, plans and subscriptions, agreements, customer engagements, bookings, online payments, estimates and quotes.
Many of these applications start at $1 per month under two-year billing. More specialized options, including API access, white-label functionality and dedicated support resources, have separate prices. The purpose is not to encourage a business to add every application. It is to let the business select the parts that solve an actual requirement.
A consultant could add appointments when manual scheduling becomes difficult. Agreements could be added when proposals begin turning into formal client relationships. Invoicing could be introduced when the consultant wants customer and payment information connected.
An agency could begin with CRM and pipeline management, then add forms and landing pages when it starts running lead-generation campaigns. Email marketing and social media tools could be added when the agency wants outreach and customer information managed from the same platform.
A subscription business could add plans and subscriptions without purchasing unrelated applications for bookings or estimates. The software expands according to the workflow instead of requiring the business to predict every future requirement during signup.
Building a CRM Does Not Mean Connecting Unrelated Tools
Many businesses already follow a form of "build your own" software strategy, although they may not describe it that way. They select one tool for contacts, another for email marketing, another for scheduling and another for invoicing. Each tool may solve one problem well, but the business is left responsible for connecting them.
Customer information may be copied manually between systems. Employees may have to search several applications before understanding what has happened with a lead. A change made in one tool may not appear in another. Each application has its own login, billing cycle, interface and support process.
Saleoid's approach is different because the selected applications operate within one connected platform. When a business adds appointments, forms, invoicing or email marketing, it is extending the same customer management environment. The goal is to keep customer information, communication and business activity connected rather than creating another collection of isolated subscriptions.
This distinction matters for small teams. Flexibility should not require fragmentation. A business should be able to choose what it needs without losing the benefits of a shared customer record and connected daily workflow.
Clearer CRM Pricing Starts With Understanding the Complete Requirement
A low starting price is only useful when a business understands what that price includes and what will cost extra. Saleoid presents 2 main ways to purchase the platform.
The first is the Custom Plan. It starts with Sales CRM at $5 per month under two-year billing. The plan includes one user, and additional users cost $6 each. Optional applications can then be added individually.
The second option is a prebuilt business suite. These plans start at $19 per month with two-year billing and include a prepared collection of CRM, marketing, billing and business management applications. They also include different user allowances and usage limits.
If the applications selected through the Custom Plan would make a bundle more economical, Saleoid can recommend the relevant prebuilt plan before checkout. This gives businesses a choice between control and convenience.
A company with a focused requirement may find the Custom Plan more suitable because it can select a small number of applications. A team that already knows it needs CRM, marketing automation, billing, appointments and other connected tools may find a prebuilt plan easier and more economical.
"Pricing should help a business make a clear decision," Sharma said. "A company should understand what it receives, what it can add and when a bundle becomes the better option. The goal is not to keep a business on one type of plan. The goal is to help it choose the setup that makes sense."
A CRM Can Change Without Forcing a Complete Migration
Small-business requirements rarely remain fixed. A founder may initially manage every lead personally. As the company grows, another salesperson may join. The team may begin running email campaigns, accepting online appointments or sending regular estimates and invoices.
With a fixed software package, growth often creates one of 2 problems. The business may have purchased too much software at the beginning and paid for unused features for months. Alternatively, it may have selected a limited plan and later discovered that adding one important capability requires moving to a much more expensive tier.
Saleoid's modular model provides another route. Businesses can add applications to the existing CRM as new requirements appear. If a ready-made bundle becomes more practical, they can switch between the Custom Plan and a prebuilt plan. This allows the CRM to change without requiring the company to replace the entire system simply because its workflow has developed.
The approach is particularly relevant for startups, consultants, agencies and owner-led businesses. These companies often know what they need today, but their processes may change quickly as they gain customers, hire employees or introduce new services.
AI Should Be Added Where It Makes Work Easier
The same principle applies to AI. Small businesses do not necessarily need every part of their software to be presented as an AI feature. They need AI in the places where it can reduce repetitive work, improve clarity or help the team respond more consistently.
Saleoid's AI CRM for small businesses is designed to support areas such as lead management, follow-ups, communication, scheduling, marketing and customer activity. AI-assisted capabilities are available across relevant parts of the platform, including email marketing, WhatsApp marketing, appointments, estimates, agreements, landing pages and chatbots.
A business can select the applications connected to its workflow instead of purchasing a large AI package simply because it is included in a higher tier. For a consultant, useful AI may mean assistance with follow-up communication and appointments. For an agency, it may support campaign content and lead engagement. For a growing sales team, it may help identify customer activity that requires attention.
The value comes from applying AI to a real task, not from adding another label to the software.
Custom Plans and Prebuilt Plans Serve Different Businesses
The build-your-own model is not intended to suggest that every company should create its plan application by application. Some businesses already know they need a broad set of connected tools. They may want CRM, marketing automation, billing, appointments, projects, agreements and communication ready from the beginning. For these companies, a prebuilt plan can provide faster setup and clearer overall pricing.
Other businesses have narrower requirements. They may want customer management, follow-ups and invoicing but have no need for landing pages, social media management or subscription billing. An affordable CRM pricing plan gives them greater control. Neither option is automatically better.
The right decision depends on:
- What the business needs to accomplish now
- How many employees require access
- Which customer processes need to remain connected
- Whether the company prefers individual applications or a prepared suite
- How quickly its requirements are expected to change
- Which billing term fits its budget and plans
Saleoid allows businesses to compare both routes rather than forcing every customer into the same purchasing model.
Starting Small Should Not Mean Staying Limited
There is an important difference between starting with less and being restricted to less. A small business may begin with basic customer management because that is the immediate priority. That does not mean it will never need automated marketing, appointments, agreements, subscriptions or online payments.
Saleoid allows the first decision to remain small without limiting the business's future options. The company can begin with the Sales CRM, learn which processes need improvement and expand the platform based on real experience. This can produce a more relevant setup than selecting a large bundle before the team understands which applications it will actually use.
It can also make software decisions easier for employees. Instead of introducing many applications at once, a business can establish the CRM foundation and add new capabilities when the team is ready to use them. The result is a platform that can remain focused during the early stages and become broader when the business requires more support.
Putting the Business Before the Bundle
Saleoid's build-your-own model is based on a simple observation: small businesses should not have to purchase identical software packages when they operate in different ways. A useful CRM should reflect the business's customers, team, sales process and daily responsibilities. It should give the company a clear starting point, make additional capabilities available and keep those capabilities connected.
Saleoid is an AI CRM from EQUP Inc., with product roots dating back to 2013. After years of developing custom software solutions for businesses and enterprise organizations, EQUP Inc. made the current AI-powered Saleoid platform broadly available in 2025, giving small businesses access to affordable, practical business management software.
Its Custom Plan gives small businesses direct control over which applications they add. Its prebuilt plans offer a faster route for teams that already need a broader business suite. Together, the two options allow companies to choose software based on how they actually work rather than the contents of a fixed bundle.
Businesses can explore Saleoid with a 15-day free trial and compare the Custom Plan with available prebuilt plans before subscribing.
Source :Saleoid
This article was originally published by IssueWire. Read the original article here.
Why budget phones are disappearing just when they are needed most
Inflation has thinned consumers’ wallets, yet budget and midrange smartphones are losing ground just when buyers need affordable options most. Soaring component costs, particularly for memory chips, are making it harder for manufacturers to sustain a low-margin, high-volume business model. As manufacturers focus on expanding their premium foldable phone lineups, consumers are increasingly turning to repairs and secondhand devices. iPhone 17e surpasses 1 million won Rising prices for budget and midrange smartphones are putting further pressure on consumers. According to smartphone industry observers Monday, Apple raised the price of its entry-level iPhone 17e, released in March, by 16.1 percent on Thursday, from 990,000 won ($726) to 1.15 million won. The company repriced the existing model as it launched its new iPhone 18 series at substantially higher prices amid so-called “chipflation” driven by global chip shortages. Samsung Electronics has also raised prices for its entry-level Galaxy A series. The Galaxy A37, released in Korea in June, costs 598,400 won, up 19.8 percent from la
Korea's Nuri rocket to carry 1st microsatellite constellation in 5th launch
Korea's homegrown Nuri rocket will carry 15 satellites on its fifth launch next month, including five satellites that will form part of the country's first domestically launched microsatellite constellation, the space agency said Tuesday. The launch is scheduled for Oct. 7 between 12:23 p.m. and 1:23 p.m. from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, about 330 kilometers south of Seoul, with the exact time to be decided on launch day, the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) said. The payload consists of five New-space Earth Observation Satellite Constellation for National Safety (NEONSAT) as the primary payload and 10 CubeSats as secondary payloads. The five NEONSATs weigh about 500 kilograms combined, while the CubeSats weigh about 96 kilograms. The mission will be Nuri's first attempt to deploy multiple satellites performing the same mission sequentially into orbit. To prevent collisions, the five NEONSATs will be released in different directions at intervals of 35 to 40 seconds. "On its fifth launch, the Nuri rocket will attempt Korea's first satellite constellation launch mission," Park J
Coupang launches information security committee after data leak
E-commerce giant Coupang Corp. said Tuesday it has launched an information-dedicated committee to overhaul its security system and bolster public confidence in the company. The move comes months after the company was slapped with a record fine of 624.7 billion won ($460 million) by the Korean government in June over a massive customer data leak late last year. "We will continue to improve our security system by incorporating the expertise and know-how of specialists, while striving to exceed global standards," a Coupang official said. The Information Security Advisory Committee consists of seven experts in information security, law, management and information technology (IT), the company said. They include Coupang Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Brett Matthes, Eumene Kang, a senior adviser at law firm Kim & Chang, and Kim Hyun-kyung, a professor at Seoul National University of Science and Technology. At their first meeting Tuesday, the committee members discussed changes in relevant laws and regulations, growing security threats in the market and possible countermeasures. U.S.-li
Hancom to launch AI workforce platform targeting US solo entrepreneurs
Software company Hancom plans to launch Nomadian, an artificial intelligence (AI) workforce platform that allows solo entrepreneurs to assemble teams of task-specific AI agents, targeting the U.S. market with a beta release planned for December. Hancom said Tuesday it has formed a dedicated task force to develop the web-based platform, which will be offered on a software-as-a-service (SaaS) basis, with a full subscription service planned for 2027 following the beta release. Nomadian is designed primarily for the growing number of solo entrepreneurs and small businesses in the United States, allowing users to hire AI agents for roles such as data analysis, content marketing and email marketing, and connect them to the tools they need. Users will be able to issue a task in a single sentence, prompting the platform to break it down into smaller tasks and assign them to appropriate AI agents, while they can also create custom agents for roles that are unavailable. The agents can produce documents, spreadsheets and presentations. The agents' work is displayed in a 3D virtual office, allowing
Asiana passengers can use mileage on Korean Air for 10 years
Asiana Airlines passengers will be able to keep their existing mileage and use it on Korean Air-operated flights for 10 years after the two airlines merge, under a mileage integration plan approved by Korea’s antitrust regulator Monday. The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) approved Korean Air’s revised plan with conditions aimed at preserving customer benefits and expanding opportunities to redeem mileage following the carriers’ merger on Dec. 17. Under the plan, Asiana mileage will be managed separately for 10 years from the merger date, even after Asiana ceases to exist as a corporate entity. Customers will not have to immediately convert their Asiana mileage to Korean Air’s program. During the 10-year period, Asiana customers will retain the airline’s existing redemption standards and expiration rules. They will also be able to use their mileage across all Korean Air-operated routes for award tickets, seat upgrades, mileage-and-cash payments and shopping. Customers who choose to convert their Asiana mileage can do so at any time during the 10-year period. Flight-earned mileage wi
Global X debuts ETF targeting key MLCC manufacturers
Global X, the New York-based provider of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), announced Tuesday the launch of a new fund that seeks to invest in the manufacturers of multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) and related components. A key building block of many modern electronic devices, MLCCs are used in artificial intelligence (AI) servers, electric vehicles, smartphones and other items. Roughly 85 percent of the global MLCC industry is controlled by five manufacturers based in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. The Global X MLCC & Electronic Components ETF provides exposure to all of these companies, which can be difficult for U.S. investors to access directly. Its portfolio includes Murata Manufacturing, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Yageo Corp., TDK Corp. and many others. "The manufacturers of these components sit at a genuine chokepoint in the AI supply chain and could be difficult to access directly through U.S.-listed shares," said Pedro Palandrani, head of product research & development at Global X. Global X has long been known for thematic ETFs, including innovations such as its AI and technology ETF,
Samsung SDS joins Anthropic's Claude Partner Network as Select-tier partner
Samsung SDS has become the first Korean company to earn Select-tier status in Anthropic’s Claude Partner Network (CPN), strengthening its ability to help businesses adopt and operate Claude-based artificial intelligence (AI) services. The designation comes about two months after the company signed a strategic partnership with the U.S. firm in July at an AI summit in San Francisco to expand enterprise AI business opportunities in Korea. The CPN’s Select tier recognizes partners with certified technical expertise and experience deploying Claude-based solutions in customers’ production environments. Samsung SDS said the new status strengthens its end-to-end AI adoption framework, covering consulting on Claude deployment, access to the model through Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) Amazon Bedrock platform, service implementation and operations and ongoing technical support. “By combining Anthropic's frontier AI technology with Samsung SDS's digital transformation expertise across industries, we will accelerate domestic companies’ AI adoption and help create tangible business value,”
Korea cuts space-risk planning cycle from 10 years to 5
Korea is shortening its timetable for preparing for threats in orbit, moving to a five-year cycle for its national space-risk plan as satellites multiply and solar activity creates new uncertainties. The Korea AeroSpace Administration said Tuesday that an amendment to the Space Development Promotion Act was promulgated and took effect the same day, cutting the planning cycle from 10 years to five. The change is intended to give the government more flexibility as private sector space development accelerates, satellite launches increase and the risk of collisions involving orbital debris grows. The previous law required the government to establish its basic plan for preparing against space risks every 10 years. The Korea AeroSpace Administration said the rapid increase in low-Earth-orbit satellites and fluctuations in space weather linked to solar activity have underscored the need for more frequent policy reviews. Under the revised law, the five-year cycle will also apply to plans adopted before the amendment took effect. That means the second Basic Plan for Space Risk Preparedness, adopted
Korea Exchange after-market draws heavy retail trading, sharp volatility
Kim Ji-ho stared at his stock trading app in confusion on Monday evening. He knew that the after-hours market was opening and noticed that a stock he was interested in had risen 10 percent. But by the time he returned from the bathroom, all the gains had disappeared. "It was a little scary, so I don't think I'll be trading in the after-hours market for a while," said Kim, a 25-year-old college student. For investors who eagerly jumped in, the experience was not entirely satisfying either. Some brokerages experienced technical glitches, while some investors said the new system was confusing because they could not easily distinguish regular-session closing prices from prices in the after-hours session. Others said the separate Korea Exchange (KRX) and Nextrade after-hours markets made trading more cumbersome and confusing, as investors had to choose between two different order screens. The KRX extended stock trading hours Monday, allowing almost all listed stocks to be traded between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Until now, Nextrade, an alternative trading system, had been the only option for after-hou
Samsung, Verizon complete key technology trial for 6G networks
Samsung Electronics said Tuesday that it has successfully completed a key technology trial for commercializing sixth-generation (6G) networks with U.S. mobile carrier Verizon Communications Inc. The two companies successfully completed an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) trial at a major international soccer fan event in Texas, enabling real-time sensing-driven intelligence across a virtualized network, the Korean tech giant said. The milestone marks one of the industry's first practical implementations of a key 6G technology, demonstrating how operators can leverage software-driven network architectures to create infrastructure that actively perceives, understands and responds to its surroundings. For the ISAC trial, Samsung integrated commercial AI-powered virtualized radio access network (vRAN) and virtualized core network (vCore) technologies with an ISAC application. This enabled the ISAC trial to leverage connectivity from a 5G network without requiring additional equipment. "This successful ISAC trial underscores how Verizon's decisio
SK chief Chey appeals prosecution's decision not to indict ex-wife's lawyer
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won on Tuesday appealed the prosecution's decision not to indict a lawyer representing his former wife over claims that Chey spent more than 100 billion won ($74.2 million) on his live-in partner. Chey had filed a complaint against his former wife Roh Soh-yeong's lawyer, whose identity was withheld, accusing him of defamation for allegedly spreading false information about Kim Hee-young, the SK chairman's partner, during their divorce lawsuit in November 2023. Chey's legal representatives issued a statement following the prosecution's decision not to indict the lawyer last week, saying the amount claimed had been inflated by more than 50-fold because it included money paid to Roh and charitable donations. The statement said the total amount Chey and Kim spent on living expenses was approximately 2 billion won at the time the claim was made, which was verified through an examination of financial transaction records and fully explained to a court handling the property division between Chey and Roh. The 100 billion won figure cited by Roh's lawyer included not onl
Hyosung Heavy Industries secures $277 mil. in US Big Tech orders amid AI data center boom
Hyosung Heavy Industries has secured 386.5 billion won ($277 million) worth of ultra-high-voltage transformer orders from two major U.S. Big Tech companies this month, strengthening its position as a key power infrastructure supplier amid the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. The company said Tuesday that the transformers will be installed at newly built AI data centers in the northern and southern United States. The orders include 220 billion won worth of 765-kilovolt transformers and 166.5 billion won worth of 345-kilovolt transformers. The equipment will supply electricity to power-intensive data center facilities. The latest deals reflect Hyosung Chairman Cho Hyun-joon’s yearslong efforts to establish a local production and solutions network in the U.S. Cho has described the surge in demand for power infrastructure as a “once-in-60-years supercycle” driven by AI. He has set a goal of making Hyosung Heavy Industries one of the world’s top three power equipment companies within five years by offering a broad portfolio ranging from transformers and ci
Hyundai plays catch-up as Tesla strengthens grip on Korea's EV market
Hyundai Motor’s autonomous driving road map is putting its ability to keep pace with Tesla under scrutiny, as the U.S. automaker rapidly gains stronger ground in Korea’s electric vehicle (EV) market. Last week, Hyundai Motor Group’s self-driving arm — 42dot — said it will introduce cars with Level 2+ autonomous driving technology based on Nvidia’s platform in the first half of 2028, followed by Level 2++ technology later that year. Vehicles equipped with the carmaker’s proprietary Atria artificial intelligence (AI) system will also be mass-produced in the second half of 2029, according to 42dot. Under the road map, the automaker seeks to close the gap with Tesla and other overseas autonomous driving leaders. But the timeline for Hyundai Motor's self-driving commercialization still leaves much to be desired, as Tesla has already turned into a consumer-facing product. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised system is already available in Korea in limited form, although regulatory approval for its broader domestic operation remains a key hurdle. Tesla has also been expand
![[COVER STORY] Hoban's insatiable appetite: Group founder targets Korean Air](https://newsimg.koreatimes.co.kr/2026/09/14/fa1a3404-425c-4e53-aab0-2524a7b327bd.jpeg)
[COVER STORY] Hoban's insatiable appetite: Group founder targets Korean Air
Kim Sang-yeol, founder and former chairman of Hoban Group, has built the company into one of Korea’s most aggressive investors, with his latest bet on Korean Air bringing Hoban’s Hanjin KAL stake nearly level with that of the airline’s controlling shareholder. Hoban Group has so far amassed a 20.15 percent stake in Hanjin KAL, the parent company of Korean Air, putting it just 0.42 percentage point behind Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Won-tae and his related parties, which collectively own 20.57 percent. That narrow gap puts Kim in a position to challenge the balance of power at Korea’s flagship airline — particularly if Korea Development Bank (KDB) decides to sell its 10.58 percent stake. The state-run bank has yet to decide how to sell its stake in Hanjin KAL. The decision may determine who holds the upper hand in the management rights for the integrated airline that is scheduled to launch on Dec. 17 following Korean Air's takeover of Asiana Airlines. Hoban has expanded far beyond its housing construction roots through a string of acquisitions and investments, including Taihan Cab
Will Delta stick to old friend, keep Korean carrier in Cho family's hand?
With Hoban Group’s stake in Hanjin KAL nearly matching that of Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Won-tae and his interested parties, Delta Air Lines and Japan Airlines (JAL) are emerging as potentially crucial allies in maintaining the Cho family's control of Korean Air. As Hoban closes in on Cho’s stake in Hanjin KAL, Korean Air’s controlling shareholder is counting on its old ally, Delta Air Lines, to help hold the line. Delta owns a 14.9 percent stake in Hanjin KAL, making it one of the largest shareholders and a key pillar of Cho’s shareholder base. The U.S. carrier has also maintained a deep strategic relationship with Korean Air for years, and is widely considered to stand in favor of Cho’s leadership. That support could become increasingly important as the ownership structure tightens. Hoban now owns 20.15 percent of Hanjin KAL, just 0.42 percentage point below Cho and his related parties. The gap is small enough to turn every major shareholder into a potential kingmaker, particularly as Korea Development Bank (KDB) still holds a 10.58 percent stake and has yet to decide when an
Grab’s US$1.49B Atome deal signals a deeper race for SEA’s credit economy
Grab Holdings is done dabbling in consumer lending. The Nasdaq-listed superapp operator has announced that it will pay US$1.49 billion in cash for a controlling 60 per cent stake in Atome Financial, the buy now, pay later (BNPL) and digital lending arm of Advance Intelligence Group (AIGL). It is, by some distance, the biggest fintech […] The post Grab’s US$1.49B Atome deal signals a deeper race for SEA’s credit economy appeared first on e27.
Ossoff: ‘Compromised’ Trump won’t regulate AI
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) on Monday said President Trump likely will not heed calls from technology leaders to implement guardrails on the development of AI because of his family’s investments in the industry. The Georgia Democrat pointed to venture capitalist firm 1789 Capital — where Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., is a partner —...
China is beating the US in consumer AI adoption, thanks to super apps: Morgan Stanley
China is surging ahead of the US in consumer AI adoption as technology giants like Tencent Holdings and Alibaba Group Holding embed artificial intelligence directly into popular everyday apps, even as American models lead in capability, according to Morgan Stanley. A survey conducted by the bank and published in a report on Monday showed that 80 per cent of Chinese respondents used AI for personal purposes at least weekly, compared with 54 per cent in the US. China’s generative AI user base grew...
Chris Land: Staff director, Senate Banking subcommittee on digital assets
Chris Land’s journey to becoming the lead negotiator on a major Senate cryptocurrency bill started far from the halls of Congress. Land, who serves as the staff director for the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Digital Assets, was working in the Wyoming Legislature after law school, not planning to work on crypto,...
Crypto regulation bill faces key Senate test
A cryptocurrency regulation bill is poised to face a key test on the Senate floor this week, as lawmakers weigh whether to advance the measure after nearly a year of negotiations. Supporters of the Clarity Act are trying to get crypto-friendly Democrats and a handful of GOP holdouts on board to clear the procedural vote...
GOP leaders throw cold water on AI regulation despite apocalyptic industry warnings
GOP leaders in the Capitol and White House are throwing cold water on the notion of quickly adopting new AI safeguards, despite an apocalyptic new warning from industry titans about the threat the technology poses to humankind. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) quickly dismissed the idea of moving swiftly to enact new regulations on the rapidly...
Ecosystem Roundup: Amilo’s fourth buyout in four years bets on cross-border shipping
Amilo has completed its fourth acquisition in four years, folding Vietnam-based cross-border specialist SG Link into its network as it chases a bigger prize: becoming the operating layer for Southeast Asian merchants selling overseas. SG Link, now rebranded ShipX, connects sellers to more than 220 destinations and pools shipment volumes so smaller exporters can access freight rates […] The post Ecosystem Roundup: Amilo’s fourth buyout in four years bets on cross-border shipping appeared first on e27.
Forget AI KPIs: how China’s tech giants are rationing tokens for employees
When generative artificial intelligence first swept through China’s technology sector, workers faced a clear directive from management: use AI and use it often. Consuming vast numbers of AI tokens – the basic unit of computing power needed to process text or write code – became a badge of honour, with companies often viewing a high token count as a sign that employees were productive and taking initiative. But those computing allowances are now being sharply rolled back as China’s leading...
Justice minister nominee hits back over lobbying allegations
Justice minister nominee Kim Seung-won said Tuesday, that if he is appointed, he will prevent information about an investigation by the police or prosecution from being “used politically.” His pledge is an apparent counterattack against independent Rep. Han Dong-hoon’s disclosure of probe materials about Kim’s alleged illegal lobbying activities. The justice minister nominee said Han, a former prosecutor, should disclose how he obtained the investigation materials. "If I am given the opportunity to serve as minister, I will correct [the practice of] the political use of investigative information," Kim said in his opening remarks at his confirmation hearing at the National Assembly. Kim, also a two-term lawmaker, was suspected of using his influence to lobby for the approval of a pharmaceutical company's COVID-19 clinical drug trial in October 2021, although prosecutors later suspended the indictment following an investigation. Han brought back the allegation after Kim's nomination was announced. Kim and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) then claimed that Han obtained con
![[CONFERENCE] 'Education in AI era should focus on cultivating humanity'](https://newsimg.koreatimes.co.kr/2026/09/15/e4672991-af10-4702-8e17-2e90c7611b7d.jpeg)
[CONFERENCE] 'Education in AI era should focus on cultivating humanity'
Choi Jae-boong, professor of interdisciplinary AI service design at Sungkyunkwan University, said education in the era of artificial intelligence (AI) should focus on cultivating humanity, while universities should move away from simply trying to restrict students’ use of AI and instead rethink how their curricula are designed. Choi shared such visions during his keynote speech at the 2026 Korea Times Global Conference at Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in Seoul, Tuesday. Under the theme of “Beyond AI: building human-centered leadership for the next era,” he stressed that AI innovation is an inevitable future and that both leadership and education must undergo a fundamental shift to prepare for it. “Many Big Tech companies carried out layoffs over the past several years, but when I looked at their headcounts again earlier this year, they had increased because the companies were hiring more AI talent,” Choi said. “However, the focus of Korean universities last year and even this year was how to prevent students from using AI to do their assignments. Almost no
TrueMoney and Fireblocks want Thai users on blockchain rails without them noticing
Southeast Asia’s e-wallet giants have spent a decade making digital payments boring, in the best sense. Tap to pay, scan a QR code, top up a prepaid line: no jargon, no friction, no need to understand what happens underneath. Now TrueMoney wants to apply the same trick to blockchain. The Ascend Money-backed fintech, Thailand’s leading […] The post TrueMoney and Fireblocks want Thai users on blockchain rails without them noticing appeared first on e27.
New parental controls in iOS 27
A few weeks ago I had the chance to get a preview into the new iOS 27 features that is launching today. The more streamlined child safety controls come from feedback from parents who deal with the realities of handing off their iPad or second-hand iPhone to their kids. The new iOS 27 child safety
OpenAI hires former Elastic and Snowflake exec Sanjay Deshmukh to lead Asia Pacific sales
OpenAI has appointed Sanjay Deshmukh as its first Vice President of Asia Pacific sales, a hire that signals the ChatGPT maker is moving beyond product launches and into the harder work of building an enterprise sales machine across one of its fastest-growing markets. Based in Singapore, Deshmukh will lead OpenAI’s commercial efforts across the region […] The post OpenAI hires former Elastic and Snowflake exec Sanjay Deshmukh to lead Asia Pacific sales appeared first on e27.
The CLARITY Act vote could send crypto to US$2.73T or crash it to US$2.6T
Asian and global stocks declined today as the benchmark US 10-year Treasury yield climbed above the critical five per cent threshold. That level pressures risk assets because it raises the discount rate applied to future corporate earnings. Semiconductor shares sold off sharply, dragging technology-heavy indices from Tokyo to New York. Investors are weighing two overlapping […] The post The CLARITY Act vote could send crypto to US$2.73T or crash it to US$2.6T appeared first on e27.
The 90-second pitch that helps foreign founders crack Tokyo’s networking scene
For all the talk of Tokyo’s growing openness to international founders, language still shapes how quickly doors open in Japan’s startup community. English-friendly meetups and conferences are far more common than they were a decade ago, but according to a new guide from Blackbox JP, the first few sentences a founder says in Japanese, however […] The post The 90-second pitch that helps foreign founders crack Tokyo’s networking scene appeared first on e27.
Hyosung Heavy secures $286.7 mil. in deals from US big tech firms amid chairman's AI push
Hyosung Heavy Industries Co. said Tuesday it has secured 386.5 billion won ($286.7 million) in power transformer deals with two U.S. technology companies as Hyosung Group Chairman Cho Hyun-joon step ups the group's push into artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. The Korean company will supply 765-kilovolt (kV) ultra-high-voltage transformers worth 220 billion won for an AI data center in the southern United States and 345-kV transformers worth 166.5 billion won for another facility in the northern part of the country. The latest contracts come as Hyosung Group expands its power equipment business amid surging U.S. electricity demand driven by the rapid growth of AI data centers. "With demand for power infrastructure surging in the AI era, the industry is entering a supercycle for the first time in 60 years," Cho said in a release. Cho said Hyosung aims to become one of the world's top three players within five years by providing integrated power solutions ranging from transformers and circuit breakers to power stabilization systems, including high-voltage direct current (HVDC), st
Gov't approves Korean Air-Asiana mileage integration plan
Korea’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has approved Korean Air’s revised plan to integrate its mileage program with Asiana Airlines' program, setting conditions to preserve customer benefits and broaden opportunities to redeem points after the carriers merge. The country’s top antitrust watchdog approved the plan on Monday, nearly two years after it conditionally cleared Korean Air’s acquisition of Asiana. Under the original remedy package, Korean Air was required to submit a mileage integration proposal within six months of completing the acquisition on Dec. 12, 2024, and obtain regulatory approval before implementing it. Korean Air submitted its final proposal to the FTC on Sept. 1 after seven meetings with the regulator and four rounds of requests for revisions. Under the approved plan, Asiana mileage will be separately managed for 10 years from the date of the airlines’ official merger on Dec. 17, even after Asiana ceases to exist as a corporate entity. During that period, Asiana customers may retain their existing mileage instead of converting it to Korean Air’s program. As
Apple is adding Apple TV and Apple Arcade to iCloud+ in Singapore at no extra cost
Starting from S$1.48 a month, the expanded iCloud+ bundle replaces standalone Apple TV and Arcade subscriptions
The geopolitics of scarcity: Why middle powers must learn to prioritise
When Keir Starmer recently argued that Britain must rebuild its hard power, much of the discussion focused on defence spending. That is understandable. After years of underinvestment, Britain faces difficult choices about military capability at a time of growing geopolitical instability. But money is only part of the challenge. Britain’s more fundamental foreign policy problem […] The post The geopolitics of scarcity: Why middle powers must learn to prioritise appeared first on e27.
GPT-6 Astra cuts AI task time nearly in half. It still can’t fix your audience data
OpenAI released GPT-6 Astra on September 3, and the number marketers should actually care about isn’t a reasoning score — it’s a stopwatch. In OpenAI’s own computer-use simulation, Astra finishes a task in roughly 40 minutes against about 75 minutes for its predecessor, GPT-5.6 Sol — nearly half the time for the same job. It […] The post GPT-6 Astra cuts AI task time nearly in half. It still can’t fix your audience data appeared first on e27.
The SaaSpocalypse will be selective
Every AI lab telling you software is about to write itself runs its company on Slack. These are the people closest to the frontier. They say agents will soon build anything you can describe. And yet they haven’t replaced their own chat app. Or their CRM. Or their payroll. If “just build it yourself” made […] The post The SaaSpocalypse will be selective appeared first on e27.
iOS 27, iPadOS 27, watchOS 27, and macOS 27 are all available to update now
Apple’s next-generation software updates is arriving days before the release of the iPhone 18 Pro, Apple Watch Series 12, and Apple Watch Ultra 4.
What Southeast Asia’s edutech startups can learn from AI’s limits in education
Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming part of the education conversation. For schools, teachers, students, and education technology companies, generative AI offers obvious possibilities: faster feedback, personalised explanations, automated administrative work, and new ways to create learning materials. But the most important question for edutech companies may not be what AI can do. It may be […] The post What Southeast Asia’s edutech startups can learn from AI’s limits in education appeared first on e27.
BYD’s Atto 1 is a compact electric hatchback that aims to be the ideal city-driving companion
The Atto 1 is by no means the first electric hatchback, but more options are welcome in this relatively underserved space.
How to use AI to win (Hint: It has nothing to do with being more productive)
AI is automating tasks that used to take hours for humans to do. It’s pushing some costs down and it’s making some teams more productive. Don’t make the mistake, however, of thinking that using AI to do things more productively is enough to ensure your business has a competitive edge and succeeds. If you strip […] The post How to use AI to win (Hint: It has nothing to do with being more productive) appeared first on e27.
Waters has heated exchange with Bessent on AI
YOUR NEWS, OUR NETWORK.
Do you have Great News you want to tell the world?
Be it updates about your business or your community, you can make sure that it’s heard by submitting your story to our network reaching hundreds of news sites across 6 verticals.