Is K25.ai Asia's answer to Kalshi?

K25.ai looks to bring prediction markets to APAC - with a twist. And an AI expert shares her guide to making AI work in the workspace.

Read from your browser Daily Newsletter Welcome to Tech in Asia's daily newsletter, your essential dose of Asia's tech and startup buzz. Subscribe to this newsletter or send story tips to editors@techinasia.com. Ensure our articles appear in your Google searches: IN FOCUS K25.ai eyes prediction markets boom in SEA The dos and don'ts of deploying AI OCBC goes always online with AI-native app Hello reader, If Meta wants a piece of the action, it's usually a sign that the trend is big. Then again, the company doesn't always get these bets right. Remember VR? This time around, the tech giant is reportedly building its own prediction markets offering. This comes as the industry is on track to reach US$240 billion in trading volume this year, surging around 4x compared to 2025 estimates, according to Bernstein analyst Gautam Chhugani. But while the numbers are eye-watering, the path forward is messy. Major players from the West like Polymarket and Kalshi are fighting fires on multiple fronts. Even in the US, Polymarket and Kalshi are facing bans and investigations. The platforms are also outright barred from operating in a number of Asian markets like Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines. But with these two leaders being mostly absent in Asia, the market is open to homegrown up-and-comers. One of them is K25.ai. The Singapore player is blending entertainment into prediction events, as this edition's featured story shows. The platform has actual livestreams showing the events users will be betting on. It will feature insights from key opinion leaders as well as highlights from the events themselves. However, regulatory hurdles in Asian markets can be steep. On this front, K25.ai is leveraging its Curacao online gaming license and an EU virtual asset license while it prepares to dance with local regulators country by country as it scales. And while K25.ai appears to have the AI side of the business figured out, teams from other companies are still working out the kinks, as our guest writer suggests. You can find out more in her piece. Miguel Cordon, journalist TOP STORIES 1️⃣ Bet on it: K25.ai eyes prediction market gap in Asia By using a Netflix-style feed of videos for its prediction markets platform, the startup opened itself up to advertising revenue opportunities. The company has an advertising deal with K-pop group BTS, for instance, and can host, branded prediction events as a result. These can include bets on where BTS will be performing next or when they will drop their next album. Cheung and his team also expect advertising to become K25.ai's main source of revenue within a year of operations. 2️⃣ Why nobody follows your AI coding policy and what works instead Sometimes, rigid corporate policies, like a blanket ban on AI or forcing people to use chatbots, fail because they drive bad habits for employees, our guest writer Svitlana Lysiak found. She suggests that leaders need to treat AI coding assistants less like shortcuts and more like junior new hires who require explicit guardrails. This involves having initiatives like embedding context files directly into repositories to outline coding standards and to establish architectural boundaries. TL;DL No time to listen to podcasts? We've got you covered. TL;DL (Too Long; Didn't Listen) is a series summarizing takeaways from top thinkers and doers in tech. Why digital bank GXBank puts profit before financial inclusion Why mid-tier AI models will die to cheap Chinese open systems How Precursor Ventures uses pre-seed to bet before market fit TRENDING NEWS 1️⃣ OCBC to spend over $770m a year on AI-ready infrastructure The Singapore bank is launching an AI-native app called OCBC WoW. It features 24/7 digital avatars that provide personalized financial advice based on the bank's in-house research and data. 2️⃣ TikTok confirms layoffs in Indonesia TikTok did not disclose how many employees in Indonesia were affected, saying only that "this was not an easy decision" and that it is focused on supporting affected staff. 3️⃣ East Ventures leads $7m round for Amity Robotics The Thai firm plans to use the capital to expand its AI concierge kiosks and develop a customer-guiding robot named ARC Move. The company has kiosks across more than 30 properties in Asia and the Middle East. 4️⃣ Anthropic launches Claude Sonnet 5 The model is now Anthropic's default option for free and pro users. According to Anthropic, the new model features improved coding capabilities over its predecessor and has enhanced safety metrics. 5️⃣ Uber-backed Lime raises $167m in IPO The e-bike and scooter rental company debuted on the Nasdaq on July 1. Earlier filings show that it aims to hit a valuation of over US$1.6 billion with the offering. LET'S BUILD AGENTIC ENTERPRISE'S FUTURE IN BALI Advance AI from pilot to production at ignitePRO at BATIC 2026. Asia's most critical digital conversations happen where ecosystems converge. On August 25, ignitePRO at BATIC brings enterprises, hyperscalers, and infrastructure leaders together in Bali to navigate the "year of autonomy." This forum is designed to advance AI from experimentation to implementation. 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