Tech
Startup Bangladesh invests in SWAP
SWAP, Bangladesh’s first re-commerce platform raises 5 crore BDT in Pre-Series
Startup Bangladesh Limited, the flagship venture capital company of the ICT Division,
decided to invest in SWAP, the first ever re-commerce platform in Bangladesh. Swap
works by offering customers both convenience and safety when selling a product
along with ensuring an environment-friendly way to discard e-waste. The platform
enables many low-income households to purchase, sell and exchange products –
increasing economic participation and access-to-technology in an emerging market
such as Bangladesh.
An agreement was signed recently between the organizations in Dhaka to invest 5
crore BDT in Pre-Series A round.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Khandker Anwarul Islam, Cabinet
Secretary, Cabinet Division. Startup Bangladesh Chairman & Senior secretary of ICT
division Mr. N M Zeaul Alam PAA, Managing Director Sami Ahmed, Head of Portfolio
Investment Hasan A. Arif and Parvez Hossain, CEO and Tonmoy Shaha, COO of SWAP
and other stakeholders were present on the occasion.
Since starting in 2020, SWAP has generated more than USD $43M in Gross
Merchandise Value (GMV), with a current monthly GMV of over USD $2.5M. SWAP has
served over 80,000 customers till date and has also helped to reduce 3650 Metric ton
of carbon emission and saved more than 386 metric ton of e-waste as part of the
commitment to reduce carbon footprint and contribute to an environmentally
sustainable ecommerce industry in emerging markets.
Startup Bangladesh Limited is the flagship venture capital fund of ICT Division. Under
the visionary guidance of Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Startup Bangladesh the first and only venture capital fund sponsored by the government of the people’s
republic of Bangladesh started its journey on March 2020 with an allocated capital of
BDT 500 crore. In this effort to enable the nation to innovate faster, Startup Bangladesh has decided to invest 5 crore BDT in SWAP after recognizing the potential of this re-
commerce pioneer.
On the occasion Mr. Zunaid Ahmed Palak, State Minister for ICT Division said,
“Bangladesh has become a fertile land for startups and innovation, which is
transforming the startup ecosystem. The Government is a strong believer of innovation
and technology, and we believe Startups are the change-makers and Impact creators
in society. To support these innovative Startups, Government has established Startup
Bangladesh venture Capital company. Startup Bangladesh’s role in supporting startup
ecosystem through investments in technology startups is vital towards building Smart
Bangladesh. I hope Swap will make remarkable impact in the industry with this
investment.”
“The work that SWAP is doing in the re-commerce industry is highly commendable
and the investment from Startup Bangladesh Ltd on SWAP will help it to be the leader
of the industry. I hope that they will be able to make a deep impact in Smart
Bangladesh implementation as a Startup. The ICT Division is working diligently in
changing policies that assist the emerging and growing startups in many aspects,
whether it is policy level, training, development etc.” mentioned NM Zeaul Alam PAA,
Senior Secretary, ICT Division and Chairman Startup Bangladesh Ltd.
“Startup Bangladesh aims to support homegrown startups to grow and reach heights
that generate higher standards for more Foreign Investment. The local startup
ecosystem is greatly influenced by prospective ventures like SWAP, With the right
strategy and focus, SWAP will be able to make remarkable example as successful and
sustainable startup in the ecosystem”, said Sami Ahmed, Managing Director, Startup
Bangladesh Limited.
“We believe that SWAP provides a solution that the Bangladesh market greatly needs.
By building an ecosystem for pre-owned goods, we are providing our country’s low
and middle income households access to technology at an affordable price while
encouraging the circular economy mandate. By reusing and increasing the lifespan of
electronics devices & light vehicles, we can also ease the pressure on import of such
goods, easing the stress on our dollar reserve.” said SWAP CEO and Co-founder, Parvez
Hossain.
Startup Bangladesh in its effort to build a vibrant startup ecosystem that nurtures
digitalization, has been investing in most promising and impactful startups in
Bangladesh and has continued that tradition by investing in SWAP. With the
investment in SWAP Startup Bangladesh has invested in 18 companies with more than
50 crore BDT to date.
Tech
Apple to spend $30 billion on Broadcom chips as it boosts US sourcing
Apple , opens new tab plans to spend more than $30 billion under a multi-year chip supply deal with Broadcom, bolstering its U.S. sourcing as President Donald Trump’s administration pushes to expand domestic chip manufacturing.
Broadcom shares rose more than 4%, while Apple shares were down marginally.
Apple said on Wednesday the deal, which was struck earlier this week and runs through 2031, covers FBAR filters – or radio-frequency chips used for wireless connectivity in its devices – that it had been developing with Broadcom since at least 2023.
Broadcom will invest $1.5 billion to expand its Fort Collins, Colorado, factory under the deal, which Apple said would result in the production of at least 15 billion chips and support its work with the Trump administration to source more components domestically.
“The cutting-edge components built in Fort Collins are essential to delivering the incredible performance and connectivity our customers expect, and we’re proud to deepen our investments in U.S.-based suppliers that share our commitment to excellence and innovation,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement.
“We’re grateful to the president and his administration for supporting important projects like this.”
In August 2025, Apple raised its U.S. investment commitment to $600 billion over four years, adding $100 billion to a previously announced spending plan.
China
China plans to let top AI firms buy limited Nvidia H200 chips, the Information reports
China is planning to allow the country’s top AI companies to buy a limited number of Nvidia’s, opens new tab H200 chips, the Information reported on Wednesday, citing two people with direct knowledge of the matter.
Chinese officials have told Alibaba, opens new tab, ByteDance and DeepSeek in recent weeks that they may soon receive permission to buy some H200 chips, the report said.
Shares of Nvidia rose 1% after the report.
The chip giant did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, nor did the U.S. commerce department, which oversees exports of advanced AI chips overseas.
China’s commerce ministry also did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while Alibaba, ByteDance and DeepSeek did not respond outside of regular business hours.
The U.S. government has allowed Nvidia to sell its advanced H200 chips to China, and licensed about 10 Chinese firms to buy the chips. However, Chinese officials, keen to nurture domestic suppliers, have withheld approval so far.
Reuters reported in March that Nvidia had won Beijing’s approval to sell the chips to China, citing sources, and around the same time, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang also told CNBC that the company had clearance from China.
Beijing is still determining the exact number of Nvidia chips to approve, and it could amount to fewer than 200,000 in total, the Information said, adding that was less than half of what the companies requested earlier this year.
Last month, Reuters exclusively reported that Nvidia told Chinese clients its new “Vera” central processors for AI data centres could be available as soon as August and that they can begin placing orders.
Nvidia’s market share in China has effectively fallen to zero, Huang said in October, hurt by U.S. export controls and Beijing’s push for self-reliance in key technologies.
The potential shift in China’s stance underscores the growing computing capacity crunch that the country’s tech companies are facing.
Tech
Australia’s under-16 social media ban fails first age check hurdle, study finds
A team of software testers found that Australian social media platforms did not request age proof for any of 50 accounts that declared themselves to be 16, a result that leaves the country’s world-first under-16 ban “ineffective” at the most basic screening stage, according to a study seen by Reuters.
Since December, platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube have been required to bar people under 16 and take “reasonable steps” to verify age, with regulators recommending multiple layered checks. But the new research, conducted by those who advised the nationwide curb, shows that the initial vetting step, which estimates a user’s age from general online activity, is failing to flag young people for tougher verification.
The testers, who last year trialled age-assurance software on more than 1,000 Australians, opened 50 new accounts after the law took effect and set the age as 16. None of the platforms asked for additional proof, the researchers told Reuters. The findings highlight a flaw that has been largely overlooked while public debate has focused on photo-based age-estimation tools.
The ban’s rollout has been widely criticised after surveys indicated that most under-16s still access the platforms. The government last month doubled the maximum fine and warned of possible court action against tech giants, accusing them of setting the system up to fail. Platforms have countered that they are simply following the regulator’s guidance, which prioritises low-friction checks and prevents reliance on government ID alone due to privacy concerns.
Some advisers to the original trial said they had repeatedly warned that the testing process ignored real-world circumvention, including minors entering false birthdates. “We did want to talk about circumvention, but we kept on being told that that wasn’t part of the actual trial,” Colm Gannon of the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children told Reuters. A youth digital rights academic involved in a longer-term study of the ban said more impressive results might emerge once platforms move to age-inference methods later in the year. The regulator maintains that the recommended layered approach, if implemented correctly, ensures no single point of failure.
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