Snapchat’s user base in the region grew almost 70% in 2021, to 107 million, compared with just 3.4% in North America.

Shopify works with ecommerce giant JD.com to help its merchants sell in China: The deal marks a major push into China for Shopify and broadens JD.com’s international reach.

China’s grocery ecommerce sales were expected to grow 24.6% in 2021 and reach $198.70 billion (RMB 1.36 trillion).

TikTok is now the third-largest worldwide social network, according to our inaugural forecast. It will have 60% more users than Snapchat and twice as many as Twitter this year.

Asia-Pacific will no longer produce huge increases in new social network users, but the sheer scale of the region means it should remain front and center for social media marketers. Facebook will remain on top, but TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat are making waves.

TSMC makes big investment to meet surging chip demand: Chip leader looks to spend at least $40 billion to expand production capacity in 2022, before competing chip fabs become operational.

Chinese startups defied growing government regulation in 2021: Record investments point to strong momentum and confidence in tech and innovation.

Apple’s record App Store payouts reveal thriving app economy: Developers earned an unprecedented $60 billion in 2021, even as regulators targeted unfair app commission structure.

Indonesia-based Koinworks might follow the lead of larger global players and pursue a one-stop-shop model to drive revenue growth.

Semiconductor sales are expected to normalize after a record-setting 2021 predicated by various shortages and extended gaps between orders and deliveries.

The UK-based neobank’s founder and CEO Anne Boden outlined plans to offer banking as a service globally in 2022, giving Starling a potential opening into embedded finance.

China deems personalized recommendations discriminatory and harmful to user well-being: The new law could discourage users from spending time—and money—on retail and social media platforms.

The vision of augmented reality (AR) headsets replacing smartphones could become a reality sooner than expected in China.

2021 was a year of reckoning across various industries due to the worsening chip crisis. Chip and component supplies ran dry, exposing weaknesses in supply chains, while manufacturers scrambled to adjust product lines.

Digital currencies are coming soon to a country near you: Mexico introducing a plan to launch a Central Bank Digital Currency is only the latest development in the fast-developing market for digital currencies.

The vision of augmented reality (AR) headsets replacing smartphones could become a reality sooner than expected in China. Advances in hardware and new AR commerce use cases are paving the way.

Unlocking the Wi-Fi 6 spectrum could ease the stress on remote workers’ networks: But the cost of compatible routers and devices might not be worth the incremental connectivity benefits.

Rounding up news from the last days of 2021: The news cycle didn’t stop over the holidays. These are some of the most notable stories from the last two weeks.

Tesla remains king of EVs thanks to exponential growth, despite the chip crisis: Strong sales in China and Europe propelled growth, but safety worries and expensive recalls taint Tesla’s rise.

Marvel’s ups and downs in 2021 signal change for the film industry: The superhero franchise returned to theaters this year, but trouble abroad and issues with streaming will force studios to rethink blockbuster release strategies.

Shake-ups in the new year will include hyper-personalization, tech companies venturing further into embedded finance, and the prospect of super apps in Western countries.