Yet another super app is on its way

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Hi readers,

Do you have a side hustle? Although the idea of earning a secondary income has become increasingly common nowadays, I personally don’t have one. I do have a blog that I post weekly dad jokes on and some “more serious” content – mainly just basketball and pop culture articles, which I don’t earn from.

But land transport company ComfortDelGro (CDG) Group seems to have its own “side hustle.” Its new super-app entry, Zig, is operated through a wholly owned subsidiary, CDG Zig, instead of as part of its core taxi mobile app. Can this approach succeed in a world that’s becoming increasingly cluttered with super apps?

Either way, I’m sure CDG will earn more from Zig than I will from my blog.

Today we look at,

• ComfortDelGro Group and its super-app plans
• More than a Fewcents of seed funding for this Singapore-based fintech startup
• Other newsy highlights such as 17Live’s blockchain acquisition and Chinese regulators’ continued pressure on big tech companies in the country

PREMIUM SUMMARY

ComfortDelGro is Zig-zagging

ComfortDelGro is the latest company to try its hand at being a super app it seems. In March, it launched Zig, a mobile app centred around “lifestyle and mobility” that offers route suggestions and a small but growing range of lifestyle services.

Talk about going out of your comfort(delgro) zone, huh.

• Livin’ la vida Loca: These lifestyle services currently include restaurant bookings through booking platform Chope and activities such as bike tours, outdoor adventures, and staycations offered through Klook. Soon, Zig will also introduce a “click-to-collect” takeaway order service at selected restaurants and a loyalty program.
• Not a full pivot: Zig runs in parallel with CDG’s eponymous taxi-booking app, and is operated through a wholly owned subsidiary, CDG Zig. It’s almost more like an experiment than a true shift.
• Still missing some ingredients: CDG currently doesn’t have a native digital wallet or payments function, which is arguably necessary to unlock a trove of information about users, such as their financial profile and spending behavior, which can then be further monetized.

Read more: ComfortDelGro’s super-app gambit: Can it succeed?

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