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WhatsApp payments in Indonesia; tech exports to Korea; Qualcomm, LG deal

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WhatsApp payments in Indonesia; tech exports to Korea; Qualcomm, LG deal

TOP NEWS

* WhatsApp Inc. is in advanced talks with three companies to offer mobile transaction services in Indonesia, Reuters reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. The Facebook Inc.-owned messaging service is reportedly in talks with PT Go-Jek Indonesia, Ant Financial Services Group-backed DANA and financial technology startup OVO, with deals expected to be finalized shortly. It has also approached state-owned PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk, which operates a digital wallet.

* Japan has approved the sale of advanced technology resources to South Korea, tempering its prior decisions to impose strict export controls ahead of scheduled talks to soothe trade tensions, Reuters reported, citing two sources close to the matter. The materials cleared for trade to Korea-based Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. are photoresists, which are essential for the company's chip-based production, and in maintaining the global tech supply chain.

* Qualcomm Inc. entered into a global patent license agreement with LG Electronics Inc. Pursuant to the five-year, royalty-bearing agreement, Qualcomm granted LG a patent license to develop, manufacture and sell 3G, 4G and 5G single-mode and multimode complete devices.

JAPAN

* Nomura Holdings Inc. and LINE Corp. launched an online brokerage venture that will charge zero commissions for trading in Japanese shares, according to Bloomberg News. The new investment service on the LINE platform is a product of LINE Securities Corp., the joint venture of Nomura and LINE Financial Corp.

* Rakuten Wallet, the cryptocurrency exchange unit of Rakuten Inc., launched a smartphone app offering spot trading service for crypto assets. The app will be released on Android, with an iOS version to be rolled out later.

* NTT Docomo Inc. said it will resume taking orders of Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.'s new P30 Pro smartphone. The announcement comes a day after Washington granted Huawei a 90-day extension to its temporary license, enabling the Chinese company to buy supplies from American companies.

SOUTH KOREA

* The Korea Fair Trade Commission conditionally approved the merger of SK Telecom Co. Ltd.'s mobile media platform Oksusu with video service Pooq, which is jointly operated by Munhwa Broadcasting Corp., Seoul Broadcasting System and Korean Broadcasting System, Digital Daily reported. The combination will see the creation of Wavve, an over-the-top service launching in September that is set to compete with global video streaming platforms such as Netflix Inc.

CHINA, HONG KONG AND TAIWAN

* Twitter Inc. suspended 936 fake accounts originating from within China that were in violation of its platform manipulation policies and were used in a state-backed operation to foment political discord and undermine the legitimacy of the ongoing protests in Hong Kong.

* ZTE Corp. formed a joint venture with Chinese automaker Chery Automobile Co. Ltd. to develop connected cars powered by 5G technologies, Tencent News reported. The joint venture will also explore pairing technologies such as cloud computing and cellular vehicle-to-everything, or C-V2X, with driving and smart manufacturing.

* Qihoo 360 Software Co. Ltd. and Israel will team up to form the China-Israel Cybersecurity Technology Innovation Center, Huanqiu reported.

* Beijing ByteDance Technology Co. Ltd.-owned video app TikTok will collaborate with Berlin-based influencer marketing agency WeQ Influencers, Horizont reported. The partnership will allow advertisers to launch native influencer marketing campaigns on the video platform.

* Beijing-based VFine Music signed an agreement with Italian Way Music to bring Italian music to China and expand VFine's non-Chinese music library, 36Kr reported.

INDIA AND SOUTH ASIA

* Eros International PLC's streaming platform Eros Now struck a partnership with China's Wasu Media Holding Co. Ltd. to deliver Bollywood and original Indian content to Chinese digital customers.

* Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. may consider increasing its fees from the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 2019-2020 to fund infrastructure investment trust payouts and the expansion of its network to cater its 500 million subscribers, The Economic Times (India) reported, citing financial services company Edelweiss.

* The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has begun talks with its overseas counterparts to bring down the roaming charges for Indians traveling abroad, according to The Economic Times (India). Discussions with Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Afghanistan have been positive so far, according to officials.

SOUTHEAST ASIA

* PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia, or Telkom Indonesia, through its subsidiary PT. Dayamitra Telekomunikasi expressed an interest in acquiring the telecom towers of mobile operator PT Indosat Tbk. According to Kabar Bisnis, Telkom is considering whether to acquire 1,000 or 3,000 towers.

* Vietnam-based online retailer Tiki made its first acquisition by purchasing Ticketbox, a local event and cinema ticketing platform, DealStreetAsia reported. The deal, financial terms of which were not disclosed, marks Tiki's next step in the entertainment business it has recently entered.

* Go-Jek is preparing for its planned entry into Malaysia, CNN Indonesia reported. The ride-hailing app is scheduled to have a meeting with the Malaysian prime minister, the transportation minister and the youth and sports minister this week to discuss Go-Jek's potential launch in the country.

* Singapore-based digital entertainment platform Garena Online Pvt. Ltd. is hosting the FIFA Online 4 Super League esports competition in Thailand from Aug. 23 to Sept. 20, Manager reported. The winning team will represent Thailand in future international esports events.

AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

* Walt Disney Co. will launch its direct-to-consumer service Disney+ in Australia and New Zealand on Nov. 19, a week after the streaming service debuts in the U.S. For Australians, Disney + will cost A$8.99 per month or A$89.99 per year, while the New Zealand offering will be available for NZ$9.99 per month or NZ$99.99 annually.

* Telstra Corp. Ltd. agreed to sell its live studio and production services business Chief Entertainment Pty. Ltd. to U.K.-based Gravity Media Group Ltd. for an undisclosed sum. The deal is expected to close by the end of August.

FEATURED NEWS

5G Focus: US spectrum battle; rollout in Ireland; product plans from China: 5G Focus is a weekly global roundup of notable 5G trials, launches, use cases and major equipment supply contracts. It also features in-depth analysis of strategies, expansion plans, business models and other related initiatives.

FEATURED RESEARCH

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RECENT EARNINGS

Xiaomi CFO: New brand strategy weighed on Q2 revenue growth: The Chinese smartphone-maker reported a 14.8% year-over-year growth in total second quarter revenue, slowed down compared to last quarter's 27.2%, due to brand restructuring and preparation for 5G.

Baidu reports 62% YOY Q2 profit drop amid increasing competition: Total revenue for Baidu increased 1% year over year to 26.33 billion Chinese yuan in the second quarter, despite challenges related to industry-specific policies, its self-directed healthcare initiative and weak macro environment.

Joji Sakurai, Hyegyu Park, Frances Wang, Kevin Osmond and Wil Hathaway contributed to this report. The Daily Dose has an editorial deadline of 7 a.m. Hong Kong time. Some external links may require a subscription. Links are current as of publication time, and we are not responsible if those links are unavailable later.