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Monday 22 December 2025
Epic Tech Taiwan Unveils a Software-Driven Blueprint for Next-Generation Smart Living Communities
Smart building and lifestyle service solutions are entering a new phase, driven increasingly by software rather than hardware. As demand grows for equipment-free, low-maintenance and rapidly deployable solutions - and as governments worldwide promote net-zero and sustainable building standards - traditional hardware-centric intercom and property-management systems are reaching their limits.Positioning itself around the concept of "software-defined lifestyle services", Epic Tech Taiwan is building a seamless smart-living ecosystem that connects residents' daily routines - from leaving home, navigating their day, to returning safely.Epic Tech Taiwan, a software startup under Taiwan Secom Group, leverages the group's decades of service experience while operating with the agility of a modern software company. According to VP Harry Chang, Epic Tech Taiwan combines strong software R&D capabilities with rapid market responsiveness, enabling it not only to develop software products but to fundamentally solve pain points in residential living. By adopting a SaaS-driven approach, the company aims to accelerate the next stage of smart-living innovation.Epic Tech Taiwan currently offers three major solutions: the Zhongbao Good Life property-management platform, the CES 2026 Innovation Award-winning G.Talk AI intercom solution, and the soon-to-launch LaLa POS system for retail and food-service operators.Zhongbao Good Life is the company's most mature offering, already deployed in over 6,000 communities, covering roughly 300,000 households and serving more than 200,000 members. The platform consolidates essential community management functions - including mailroom registration, announcement distribution, bill payment, facility maintenance requests and security-patrol records - into a single interface, streamlining operations for property managers and residents alike.Building on this foundation, Epic Tech Taiwan developed G.Talk, a software-based intercom system that eliminates the need for dedicated hardware, allowing residents to communicate with visitors remotely. LaLa POS adds the final piece to the "consumer-services" puzzle. Chang notes that the company's vision extends beyond serving residents - it also seeks to empower local merchants. Designed for retail and food-service businesses, LaLa POS delivers comprehensive store-management features and will eventually integrate with Zhongbao Good Life, enabling merchants to address operational challenges while connecting seamlessly with purchasing needs within the surrounding communities.Expanding into North America to Build an Exportable Smart-Living EcosystemIn its global expansion strategy, Epic Tech Taiwan has identified North America as its initial priority market, with G.Talk serving as the company's primary entry point. According to VP Harry Chang, the North American rental market is vast and highly fluid, creating strong demand for communication tools that require no physical installation and can be activated instantly. During the company's participation in CES 2025, local property-management and leasing operators highlighted that G.Talk's hardware-free and wiring-free design significantly reduces deployment costs. Government agencies also expressed interest due to its sustainability and non-invasive implementation.Given the differences in market conditions, regulatory requirements and maintenance models, Epic Tech Taiwan has adopted a distributor-led approach for overseas expansion. Local partners engage directly with end users, while Epic Tech Taiwan provides system-level support, accelerating the company's market entry and operational scale-up.Epic Tech Taiwan is set to return to CES in 2026. Chang notes that the trip carries two strategic objectives: first, to leverage the CES Innovation Award–winning G.Talk to target government agencies and real-estate developers with clear smart-building demands; and second, to debut LaLa POS on the international stage by engaging U.S. retail and food-service distributors. Together, these initiatives aim to present an exportable smart-living model that extends from residential services to consumer scenarios, advancing the company's global footprint in smart-building and smart-lifestyle solutions.Chang emphasized that TTA has played a crucial role in Epic Tech Taiwan's internationalization journey - not only by providing CES exhibition space, but also by helping refine presentations, sales narratives and messaging, translating engineering-heavy language into business-oriented communication aligned with global investor expectations. TTA also assisted in developing sales tools that can be directly applied in international markets.Looking ahead, Chang stated that Epic Tech Taiwan is transitioning from early-stage market validation to full-scale commercialization. In addition to deepening applications of Zhongbao Good Life and G.Talk, the company will position LaLa POS as its key offering for entering the retail and food-service sector in 2026, with the goal of deploying the system in 1,000 stores in the first phase. This expansion not only accelerates Epic Tech Taiwan's business growth but also lays the groundwork for broader cross-scenario integration and the global export of its smart-living ecosystem.Illustration of Epic Tech Taiwan's G.Talk and Zhongbao Good Life products.Credit: Epic Tech Taiwan 
Friday 19 December 2025
Upbit's $30M Hack Sparks New Questions About Custodial vs. Non-Custodial Wallets
Crypto investors in Asia woke to troubling news when South Korea's largest exchange confirmed it had lost 44.5 billion won, about $30 million, in a breach. The first signs were unusual transfers of Solana-based assets into an unknown wallet. Upbit immediately halted deposits and withdrawals and shifted its remaining funds to cold storage. The move contained the damage, yet it left millions of users locked out of their accounts with no ability to move funds.Control and custody in crypto depend on how blockchain systems are accessed.Credit: CryptoIn the broader landscape of crypto hacks, the scale here is smaller, but still significant. Earlier this year, the North Korean-led ByBit hack caused an estimated $1.5 billion in losses, while Coinbase was linked to another attack resulting in around $400 million stolen. Although Upbit's loss sits below those figures, it reinforces growing concerns about the fragility of centralized platforms.For many, the conversation has already moved past the incident itself. The real focus is what these events say about how digital assets should be stored and who should hold the keys.A "Small" Hack With Big ImplicationsUpbit is a major exchange in a country where crypto adoption is high, so users rely on it not only for trading but also for storing assets long term. A breach of this size sends people back to a basic but crucial question: how much control do you actually have over your funds when a third party manages them? The temporary freeze on withdrawals made that question even sharper. Even if your balance remains untouched, it is not fully yours if you cannot access it when it matters most.Custodial Vs. Non-Custodial: What's Actually At StakeA crypto wallet is more than a place to store coins. It reflects who ultimately has authority over your assets. With custodial platforms, such as exchanges, the service provider holds the private keys. This arrangement feels smooth when markets are stable, but during a crisis, it becomes clear that your access depends entirely on the platform's systems and decisions.Non-custodial wallets reverse the dynamic. Whether hardware or paper, control stays with the user. No one can freeze withdrawals, limit access, or intervene. You set your own security standards, and you retain full autonomy over your assets at all times.Why Custodial Wallets Still DominateIf self-custody offers stronger ownership, why do most people still rely on custodial platforms? Convenience remains the biggest factor. Custodial services offer easy onboarding, fiat rails, instant trading, staking and yield products, and recovery options for lost passwords. For newcomers, or for anyone who values simplicity, these advantages are hard to ignore.The trade-off is structural risk. Centralized platforms collect massive amounts of value in one place, which makes them appealing targets. Hackers do not need to attack thousands of users individually; one breach can expose an entire exchange. Even when funds are protected, the response often involves pauses, queues, and uncertainty. Users may avoid losses, but they give up control.What Non-Custodial Wallets Solve (And What They Don't)Non-custodial solutions eliminate platform risk entirely. If an exchange collapses, freezes withdrawals, or suffers a breach, your assets stay protected because they never leave your own custody. Users also gain seamless access to decentralized exchanges and DeFi ecosystems, along with cross-chain flexibility.Still, independence introduces new responsibilities. Managing your own keys requires discipline. A phishing link, a compromised browser extension, or an accidental approval can wipe a wallet instantly. There is no support hotline and no way to reverse a mistake. Non-custodial ownership reduces systemic risk, but it raises personal execution risk. That is not a reason to avoid self-custody. It is a reason to take it seriously.The Practical Middle GroundMost users end up blending both approaches rather than choosing one. A balanced setup usually looks like this:Custodial wallets for frequent tradingNon-custodial wallets for long-term storageCold storage for high-value holdingsThis approach accepts that convenience and sovereignty do not always align. Each user must decide where to draw the line based on their needs, habits, and risk tolerance.Final WordThe Upbit breach adds another reminder that crypto remains a target-rich environment for increasingly sophisticated attackers. There is little indication these incidents will slow down, so users should assume that even major institutions can fail.The safest strategy is to match your custody choices to your goals. If you trade often, some custodial exposure is reasonable. If you hold assets for long periods, there is little upside in keeping them on an exchange where you accept risk you cannot control.A simple rule applies. If losing access to your funds would create real problems, self-custody is not optional. It is essential.
Friday 19 December 2025
DBS and Ant International expand payment network to 150 million merchants across 100 countries
DBS Group and Ant International signed a Memorandum of Understanding on November 13, 2025, that connects Singapore's PayLah! digital wallet to Alipay+'s global merchant network. The partnership connects PayLah! users to over 150 million payment points across more than 100 countries, representing one of the year's largest cross-border wallet integrations. The collaboration removes currency conversion friction and streamlines authorization for Singaporean consumers making international purchases.Singapore's digital infrastructure has expanded across fintech platforms, AI research facilities and smart-city systems. The country's regulated digital entertainment sector has grown in parallel, with platforms on the Singaporean online casinos list now providing substantial welcome bonuses, rapid withdrawal processing and extensive selections of real money gaming options. These developments reflect Singapore's broader push toward comprehensive digital services that operate within strict regulatory frameworks while maintaining high consumer standards.The DBS-Ant agreement goes beyond retail payments. Both parties confirmed they will explore near-instant remittance capabilities between DBS customers and Alipay+'s 1.8 billion user accounts. Current remittance systems in Asia typically require one to three business days for settlement, with fees that can reach 5-7% of transaction value. The proposed infrastructure could reduce settlement windows to seconds while lowering costs through direct wallet-to-wallet transfers that bypass traditional correspondent banking networks.DBS chief executive Piyush Gupta said the bank plans to embed financial services in daily activities instead of treating them as separate transactions. Ant International CEO Eric Jing said cross-border commerce in Southeast Asia has expanded faster than the payment systems that support it, and the partnership will close that gap.The Monetary Authority of Singapore has backed tokenization trials and distributed ledger experiments since 2022. Project Guardian and Project Orchid both tested programmable money and cross-border settlement on blockchain networks. DBS and Ant confirmed they will research blockchain-based tokenized deposits, a sign that Singapore's banks are preparing for scenarios where traditional systems work alongside decentralized technology.Singapore holds its spot as Southeast Asia's main financial hub through rules that push innovation forward but keep the system stable. Microsoft Research Asia set up its first Southeast Asian AI lab in Singapore in September 2025. Razer, which makes gaming hardware, said it will open an AI gaming development center in the city in October. Cloud providers and chip design companies did the same earlier this year, and created a setup where fintech, enterprise software, consumer electronics and digital services use shared infrastructure.The remittance component of the DBS-Ant partnership carries weight for regional labor markets. Remittance flows within Asia hit $280 billion in 2024, based on Asian Development Bank figures, and Singapore, Malaysia and the Gulf states sent most of those transfers. High transfer fees and slow settlement have limited what families can do with remitted funds, and people often wait several days before they can access money sent for urgent needs.The instant remittance system could change how small and medium-sized enterprises handle cross-border working capital if it scales up successfully. Companies with operations in several Southeast Asian markets keep different banking relationships in each country to process local payments, and this setup creates extra costs and makes operations more complicated. Direct wallet transfers would let businesses settle invoices and pay suppliers without duplicate treasury infrastructure.The partnership builds on existing QR code payment standards that Alipay+ has deployed across Asia. DBS will integrate these capabilities into PayLah!, which currently serves over three million users in Singapore. The bank has not disclosed specific timelines for the merchant network expansion or the remittance features, stating only that both will roll out in phases.