The green gold rush?

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Hello readers,

Did you know? Asia is the region with the highest number of cannabis users in the world — an estimated 86 million in 2019.

And entrepreneurs ain’t turning a blind eye to this high demand. We’re seeing more cannabis-related startups popping up, but what and how exactly are they doing? We uncover this in today’s deep dive (🔒). You can also scroll down for a summarized read.

But first, your quick bytes for the day:

1️⃣ Ka-ching! More money is going into India, as Google plans to invest US$10 billion in the country over the next five to seven years.

2️⃣ The pandemic has sent the use of digital payments soaring in India.

3️⃣ India’s top payment firms are aiming for a slice of that digital dining pie as they reach out to restaurants, upgrade their app interfaces, and partner with third-party logistics providers.

4️⃣ Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma cashed out US$8.2 billion worth of the company’s shares, cutting his stake from 6.2% to 4.8%.

5️⃣ Xiaoice, a Microsoft chatbot that was regarded by many in China as their virtual girlfriend, will be spun off into a new independent entity.

6️⃣ It’s been a better month for SoftBank, as shares more than doubled from their March low.

Cannabis in high demand?

Flying into Singapore, the first thing you’re likely to notice is the “Warning: Death penalty for drug traffickers under Singapore law” printed on your airplane disembarkation card.

So you might ask: Why is cannabis tech an upcoming trend (🔒) in the city-state and the rest of Asia?

Ever heard of blockchain gaming?