Latest news with #GaryLiu
Business Wire
30-04-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Data Infrastructure Company Terminal 3 Raises US$8M Seed Round to Scale Privacy Technology In New AI Era
HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Terminal 3, a Hong Kong-based Web3 startup, has successfully raised a seed funding round of US$8m. The investment will drive the development of a novel data privacy and security protocol due for launch later in the year and accelerate the adoption of the company's decentralized identity and credentials platform for enterprises. Today, Terminal 3 already serves nearly 8 million users across multiple blockchains and industries. Terminal 3 leverages blockchain and privacy-enhancing technologies to enable secure and self-sovereign storage of user data with fully private access for an array of applications from banking to government credentials, social media, and marketing. Share The funding round was co-led by Illuminate Financial and CMCC Titan Fund, with participation from Animoca Brands, Progression Fund, IDG Blockchain, and Cherubic Ventures. The round also included additional investment from existing investors 500 Global, Consensys Mesh, Hard Yaka, and BlackPine. 'The demand for user data is growing exponentially, increasing the privacy risks for billions of people,' said Gary Liu, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer. 'At the same time, evolving data regulations and security requirements are saddling enterprises with major compliance burdens and costs, impacting user experience and restricting the adoption of emerging technologies such as AI. Our new funding will help advance Terminal 3's enterprise solutions that empower businesses to grow with new technologies while protecting their users and cutting costs.' Terminal 3 leverages blockchain and privacy-enhancing technologies (such as zero-knowledge cryptography) to enable secure and self-sovereign storage of user data with fully private access for an array of applications from banking to government credentials, social media, and marketing. In recent weeks, Terminal 3 has also announced an authentication and authorization platform for AI agents, providing trust, security, and privacy for autonomous transactions. 'We are at a critical inflection point for digital assets and decentralized technologies across global financial markets,' said Luca Zorzino, General Partner and Head of Asia at Illuminate Financial. 'The key for unlocking these massive opportunities is secure data and identity, and we believe that Terminal 3's innovative solutions will accelerate the institutional adoption of both while creating a new era of digital trust. Illuminate is thrilled to be investing in this mission.' Terminal 3 was co-founded by Gary Liu, Malcolm Ong (CPO), and Joey Liu (COO), all with extensive experience at world-class technology companies, including Google, Spotify, Microsoft, and Uber. Most recently, the trio led the digital transformation of the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong's century-old newspaper of record, where Gary was CEO from 2016 to 2022. Over the past 3 years, the co-founders have led the development of Terminal 3's platform while also advancing policies for the adoption of digital assets and open data across Asia and the Middle East. 'Terminal 3 was one of our fund's first investments,' said Shiau Sin Yen, Co-founder and Managing Partner of CMCC's Titan Fund. 'The growth of the digital asset industry hinges on verifiable identity solutions that will address and incorporate regulatory compliance, interoperability, and trust by all industry participants. We believe the complementary mix of experience, expertise, and vision of the co-founders is unique in Web3, and has led to the company's early growth and future potential. Titan is delighted to continue building with these exceptional industry leaders.' AI and Regulations driving data security needs The rapid growth of Artificial Intelligence, and in particular agentic AI, has accelerated the need for scalable, interoperable, and fully trusted data privacy infrastructure. The move towards automated AI agents as a primary interface between companies and their customers creates an immense opportunity for global growth but also introduces fundamental threats to user privacy. A bank, for example, might use AI agents to check customer account balances and perform financial transactions on their behalf, while a travel platform may use AI agents to design and book vacation itineraries for customers. While the benefits to the enterprise and their users are obvious – speed, accuracy, ease, reduced costs – the adoption of AI agents creates numerous trust and data security issues as automation requires a large quantum of sensitive information without a pre-existing framework for authorization and privacy. "The market for agentic AI is set to grow at a staggering 4,000% in the next ten years,' said Yat Siu, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Animoca Brands. 'Trustless networks are critical for this market to scale responsibly, so Web3 technologies must be core to the future of AI. Terminal 3's approach to decentralized data privacy and security for AI is revolutionary, and we are excited to be supporting their vision.' As the demand for user data grows, data privacy regulations are also becoming more stringent while consumer awareness of privacy issues is heightening – a survey last year found that 83% of consumers now consider data privacy as the top condition for brand trust 1. The adoption of emerging technologies can enable enterprise infrastructure to meet escalating compliance requirements and customer expectations without limiting company growth. With this new funding, Terminal 3 will continue to develop world-class data security and privacy solutions that protect the universal rights of users around the world. About Terminal 3 Terminal 3 is a Hong Kong-based Web3 startup building data infrastructure for a decentralized future. The company's solutions are an alternative to centralized data systems that deprive users of privacy and saddles enterprises with compliance and security concerns. Terminal 3 leverages decentralized and privacy-enhancing technologies to empower an equitable Web3 where fully private user data is freely composable. The company's founders are successful corporate executives and entrepreneurs, who have built, scaled, and transformed some of the world's most important companies. Terminal 3 is also backed by world-class investors including Illuminate Financial, CMCC Titan Fund, Animoca Brands, IDG Blockchain, Progression Fund, Cherubic Ventures, 500 Global, Consensys Mesh, Bixin Ventures, BlackPine, Hard Yaka, and Bored Room Ventures. For more information, visit our: Official Website | X | LinkedIn About Illuminate Financial Illuminate Financial is a thesis-driven venture capital firm focused on B2B fintech and enterprise companies defining the future of financial services with offices in London, New York, and Singapore. Illuminate's deep networks and trusted partnerships with key industry participants provide real insight into what the industry needs and helps their portfolio companies achieve their full potential. For more information, visit About Titan Fund Titan Fund offers accredited investors exposure to attractive growth opportunities within the blockchain ecosystem through a traditional equity venture capital investment strategy focusing on pre-seed to series A along the key investment verticals of Infrastructure, Fintech and Consumer Applications. The Titan Fund is CMCC Global's latest fund strategy and complements its Digital Asset Funds, which have been investing directly into protocols and crypto assets since 2016, and its Crest family of funds that invests into crypto quant funds. More information can be found at
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ant International's Antom enters payments alliance with Adobe
Antom, a payment and digitisation provider under Ant International, has partnered with Adobe to enhance payment experiences for Asian customers. The collaboration aims to integrate localised payment solutions to strengthen Adobe's presence in Asia, utilising Antom's payment technology and regional payment method coverage. In the initial phase, customers in eight key Asian markets will gain access to eight new alternative payment options. These are AlipayHK in Hong Kong SAR, China, DANA in Indonesia, GCash in the Philippines, Kakao Pay in South Korea, Momo in Vietnam, PayPay in Japan, Touch 'n Go in Malaysia, and True Money in Thailand. The partnership is expected to aid transaction flows, increase conversion rates, and provide payment settlements for Adobe. The companies are also considering the introduction of further payment methods such as credit cards, bank transfers, and digital wallets. Additionally, they are exploring the integration of Adobe into Antom's A+ Rewards program, an in-app digital marketing platform that leverages privacy-preserving computing and AI to connect brands with e-wallet users in Asia. Adobe global payments vice president Matt Wegner said: 'At Adobe, we're always looking to deliver elevated and localised experiences for our customers. As our base of customers in Asia fast expands, we're excited to announce our partnership with Antom to integrate localised payment options for our customers and unlock new growth opportunities in the various markets we're expanding with Antom into.' Ant International Antom general manager Gary Liu stated: "We are excited to collaborate with Adobe, a pioneer in leveraging AI to enhance creativity and productivity for its users. Through this partnership, we aim to make Adobe's advanced tools more accessible to a broader customer base in high-growth markets. 'Adobe's AI strategy aligns closely with our commitment to supporting merchants with unified payment solutions powered by AI, and we look forward to driving greater synergy together." Antom currently supports merchants in over 50 countries and regions, facilitating connections with consumers in more than 200 markets and processing payments in over 100 currencies. "Ant International's Antom enters payments alliance with Adobe" was originally created and published by Electronic Payments International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Adobe and Antom Forge Strategic Partnership to Empower Digital Creativity with Seamless Payment Access Across Asia
Antom's unified payment solutions help Adobe enhance flexibility and accessibility for more customers and achieve further growth. Adobe and Antom will explore AI-powered promotions through A+ Rewards to enhance user engagement. SINGAPORE, April 15, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Adobe and Antom, a leading provider of unified merchant payments and digitisation solutions under Ant International, today announced a strategic partnership to launch an optimized payment experience and tailored digital marketing offerings for Adobe's customers across Asia. "At Adobe, we're always looking to deliver elevated and localized experiences for our customers. As our base of customers in Asia fast expands, we're excited to announce our partnership with Antom to integrate localized payment options for our customers and unlock new growth opportunities in the various markets we're expanding with Antom into," said Matt Wegner, Vice President, Global Payments, at Adobe. Adobe will integrate localized payment solutions to strengthen its global footprint with its user-centric approach. Leveraging Antom's comprehensive acquiring network, advanced payment technology and broad local payment method coverage across Asia, this partnership will help Adobe optimize transaction flows, increasing conversion rates, and ensuring fast, secure and cost-effective payment settlement. In the first phase of the collaboration, 8 new alternative payment options will be rolled out across 8 key Asian markets, including AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China), DANA (Indonesia), GCash (the Philippines), Kakao Pay (South Korea), Momo (Vietnam), PayPay (Japan), Touch 'n Go (Malaysia) and True Money (Thailand). Moving forward, both companies may explore opportunities to introduce additional payment methods to include credit cards, bank transfers, digital wallets, and more. "We are excited to collaborate with Adobe, a pioneer in leveraging AI to enhance creativity and productivity for its users. Through this partnership, we aim to make Adobe's advanced tools more accessible to a broader customer base in high-growth markets. Adobe's AI strategy aligns closely with our commitment to supporting merchants with unified payment solutions powered by AI, and we look forward to driving greater synergy together," said Gary Liu, General Manager of Antom, Ant International. Beyond payments, the two parties will explore opportunities to introduce Adobe into Antom's A+ Rewards, an in-App digital marketing platform powered by privacy-preserving computing and AI technologies. It connects brands with hundreds of millions of e-wallet users by embedding with leading e-wallets in Asia. This collaboration is expected to help Adobe improve customer acquisition and engagement through targeted campaigns integrated into users' everyday digital payment experiences. "We work with global industry leaders to enhance their presence and advance digital innovations in Asia and beyond, and the partnership with Adobe is part of that effort. We look forward to enabling professionals and enterprises, especially small businesses, to adopt cutting-edge technology and fully unlock their potential," Liu added. Overall, the Antom-Adobe partnership will enhance accessibility to creative professionals, businesses and educational institutions, helping them leverage Adobe's products with greater flexibility. Region-specific payment options built on Antom's robust payment infrastructure will allow Adobe to respond to the evolving needs of customers in the Asia market via an omnichannel marketing approach that will deploy curated offers and content that is supported by their most preferred payment methods. About Antom Ant International's Antom is the leading payment and digitisation services provider for merchants around the world. It offers unified, vertical-specific digital payment solutions to serve businesses of all sizes. Antom supports merchants in over 50 countries and regions, enabling them to connect with consumers in more than 200 markets, with the flexibility to accept payments in more than 100 currencies. Beyond payments, it provides digital marketing solutions and merchant digitisation services to help merchant streamline operations and enhance customer engagement. To learn more, please visit View source version on Contacts Media Contact Ant InternationalJanice Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Adobe and Antom Forge Strategic Partnership to Empower Digital Creativity with Seamless Payment Access Across Asia
Antom's unified payment solutions help Adobe enhance flexibility and accessibility for more customers and achieve further growth. Adobe and Antom will explore AI-powered promotions through A+ Rewards to enhance user engagement. SINGAPORE, April 15, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Adobe and Antom, a leading provider of unified merchant payments and digitisation solutions under Ant International, today announced a strategic partnership to launch an optimized payment experience and tailored digital marketing offerings for Adobe's customers across Asia. "At Adobe, we're always looking to deliver elevated and localized experiences for our customers. As our base of customers in Asia fast expands, we're excited to announce our partnership with Antom to integrate localized payment options for our customers and unlock new growth opportunities in the various markets we're expanding with Antom into," said Matt Wegner, Vice President, Global Payments, at Adobe. Adobe will integrate localized payment solutions to strengthen its global footprint with its user-centric approach. Leveraging Antom's comprehensive acquiring network, advanced payment technology and broad local payment method coverage across Asia, this partnership will help Adobe optimize transaction flows, increasing conversion rates, and ensuring fast, secure and cost-effective payment settlement. In the first phase of the collaboration, 8 new alternative payment options will be rolled out across 8 key Asian markets, including AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China), DANA (Indonesia), GCash (the Philippines), Kakao Pay (South Korea), Momo (Vietnam), PayPay (Japan), Touch 'n Go (Malaysia) and True Money (Thailand). Moving forward, both companies may explore opportunities to introduce additional payment methods to include credit cards, bank transfers, digital wallets, and more. "We are excited to collaborate with Adobe, a pioneer in leveraging AI to enhance creativity and productivity for its users. Through this partnership, we aim to make Adobe's advanced tools more accessible to a broader customer base in high-growth markets. Adobe's AI strategy aligns closely with our commitment to supporting merchants with unified payment solutions powered by AI, and we look forward to driving greater synergy together," said Gary Liu, General Manager of Antom, Ant International. Beyond payments, the two parties will explore opportunities to introduce Adobe into Antom's A+ Rewards, an in-App digital marketing platform powered by privacy-preserving computing and AI technologies. It connects brands with hundreds of millions of e-wallet users by embedding with leading e-wallets in Asia. This collaboration is expected to help Adobe improve customer acquisition and engagement through targeted campaigns integrated into users' everyday digital payment experiences. "We work with global industry leaders to enhance their presence and advance digital innovations in Asia and beyond, and the partnership with Adobe is part of that effort. We look forward to enabling professionals and enterprises, especially small businesses, to adopt cutting-edge technology and fully unlock their potential," Liu added. Overall, the Antom-Adobe partnership will enhance accessibility to creative professionals, businesses and educational institutions, helping them leverage Adobe's products with greater flexibility. Region-specific payment options built on Antom's robust payment infrastructure will allow Adobe to respond to the evolving needs of customers in the Asia market via an omnichannel marketing approach that will deploy curated offers and content that is supported by their most preferred payment methods. About Antom Ant International's Antom is the leading payment and digitisation services provider for merchants around the world. It offers unified, vertical-specific digital payment solutions to serve businesses of all sizes. Antom supports merchants in over 50 countries and regions, enabling them to connect with consumers in more than 200 markets, with the flexibility to accept payments in more than 100 currencies. Beyond payments, it provides digital marketing solutions and merchant digitisation services to help merchant streamline operations and enhance customer engagement. To learn more, please visit View source version on Contacts Media Contact Ant InternationalJanice
Associated Press
12-02-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Ant International Opens First Middle East Office in Saudi Arabia in Drive to Expand Regional Partnership
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 12, 2025-- Ant International, a leading global digital payment, digitisation and financial technology provider, has opened a new office location in the central business district of Al-Olaya, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), following its successful technical certification as a Payment Technical Service Provider (PTSP) from Saudi Central Bank (SAMA). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: Leiming Chen, Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of Ant International, and Gary Liu, General Manager of Antom, led the opening ceremony in Riyadh, KSA (Photo: Business Wire) With the new office launch, Ant International will work more closely with local partners in the payment ecosystem to provide innovative payment solutions and inclusive financial services to local acquirers and merchants, especially SMEs doing business in KSA to empower their sustainable growth. This move also positions Riyadh as a hub for international businesses looking to initiate operations in Saudi Arabia, further enhancing its role as a key player in the global business landscape. Antom is one of Ant International's business pillars, a unified digital payment solution for merchants. Antom will start operation in the local market later this year, enabling e-commerce acquirers and local merchants to achieve new growth, while aligning with the economic priorities which SAMA has laid out for the Kingdom. Leiming Chen, Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of Ant International, said: 'The opening of our Riyadh office represents a significant milestone for Ant International in the Middle East, and strong commitment from Ant International to contribute to the economic growth of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – with the creation of local fintech jobs, inclusion initiatives and a boost to digital transformation in the region. 'Under the continued support and guidance of SAMA and the Ministry of Investment (MISA), we've taken our first steps to support businesses of all sizes across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by offering digital inclusion, and we plan to bring Ant International's innovative business pillars to the Kingdom in time. We greatly value the strong, dynamic payment market in Saudi Arabia, which has been shaped by SAMA's progressive policies and the Kingdom's vibrant economy, providing a great environment for innovation and sustainable growth.' Antom has established local acquiring capabilities across more than 40 markets. It enables merchants to seamlessly integrate with hundreds of payment methods – including credit and debit cards, online banking and digital wallets – and facilitates transactions in over 100 currencies. It also customises payment solutions to meet the distinct needs of various industries. In the future, Antom payment services, including its advanced payment gateway solution, will support local businesses operating in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia via innovative technologies. It seeks to enhance merchants' operations through AI-routed payment orchestration, LLM-powered merchant services and advanced security measures. These solutions aim to reduce costs, improve efficiency and transaction security, and streamline foreign exchange risk management. Additionally, companies will be able to refine customer targeting by utilising Antom's digital marketing tools and privacy-computing solutions. 'Ant International's entry into KSA with Antom payment services aligns closely with the priorities of SAMA, providing stability and consumer protection, supporting KSA consumers to buy safely and conveniently through digital payment methods, and growing KSA's fintech sector through the creation of local jobs and talent inclusion programs,' said Mr. Chen. About Ant International Headquartered in Singapore, Ant International powers the future of global commerce with digital innovation for everyone and every business to thrive. In close collaboration with partners, we support merchants of all sizes worldwide to realize their growth aspirations through a comprehensive range of tech-driven digital payment and financial services solutions. About Antom Ant International's Antom is the leading payment and digitisation services provider for merchants around the world. It offers one-stop, vertical-specific digital payment solutions to meet the payment needs of merchants of all sizes. Antom has established local acquiring capabilities in over 40 markets, with the flexibility to accept payments in more than 100 currencies. It also provides digital marketing solutions and merchant digitisation services to help merchants in digital operations and to better engage with their customers. To learn more, please visit SOURCE: Ant International Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 02/12/2025 05:28 AM/DISC: 02/12/2025 05:28 AM
