Daily Update: K25.ai Secures $2M Investment from NIVF, Manulife Announces CEO Succession; Digital Edge Secures US$575M Loan for Asia-Pacific Expansion; BAI Capital Reaches First Close of US$800M Growth Fund

K25.ai RAISES $2 MILLION FROM NASDAQ-LISTED NIVF HAS OPTION TO RAISE UPTO $10 MILLION

Nasdaq-listed NewGenIVF Group (NIVF) has made an initial US$2 million strategic investment in K25.ai, an APAC-focused AI-native live streaming and watch-to-predict platform. The funding round has an option to scale up to $10 million, K25.ai said Friday.  

Through the partnership, NIVF is expected to support K25.ai’s commercial development across Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and other permitted APAC markets, excluding Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and other restricted jurisdictions.

The partnership is intended to provide K25.ai with strategic capital, regional commercial support, enhanced governance connectivity and broader public-market readiness over time.

MANULIFE HONG KONG AND MACAU ANNOUNCES CEO SUCCESSION

Manulife Hong Kong and Macau Friday said its Deputy CEO Wilton Kee, will succeed Patrick Graham as Chief Executive Officer, Manulife Hong Kong and Macau, subject to regulatory approval. 

Wilton will succeed Patrick effective as of July 1, 2026. Mr. Kee joined Manulife in 2013 and has held a number of senior leadership roles across pricing, product, health and finance in Hong Kong and Macau. He previously served as Chief Product Officer and later assumed the additional role of Head of Health. In 2022, he was appointed Chief Financial Officer, and in March 2026, took on additional responsibilities as Deputy CEO, contributing significantly to the company’s strategic development and market leadership in both markets.

DIGITAL EDGE CLOSES FIRST US$575 MILLION HOLDCO LOAN TO EXPAND GROWTH ACROSS KEY ASIA-PACIFIC MARKETS

Digital Edge Friday said it has closed its inaugural US$575 million holding company (“HoldCo”) financing, to expand in the Asia-Pacific’s digital infrastructure platform space.

Headquartered in Singapore and backed by Stonepeak, the company delivers data center and fiber solutions for hyperscalers and enterprises across nine countries in Asia Pacific and has a capacity of 1.8GW of secured IT power.

The proceeds from the facility will support the continued expansion of Digital Edge’s campus footprint across existing key markets, including South Korea, Japan, India and South East Asia, as the company continues to scale to meet accelerating demand for hyperscale and AI-ready data center infrastructure across the region.

The facility received support from lenders, with Clifford Capital, Deutsche Bank, MUFG, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Standard Chartered acting as mandated lead arrangers and book runners, alongside BNP Paribas and Stonepeak Credit as mandated lead arrangers.

Majority of participating lenders are existing financing partners of Digital Edge, the company added.

The financing includes a feature enabling the borrower to convert the facility into a Sustainability-Linked Loan (SLL), subject to agreement on relevant and ambitious sustainability performance targets. MUFG, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Standard Chartered will support the facility in this capacity as SLL coordinators.

“Since our inception, we have built digital infrastructure platform across Asia-Pacific, supported by more than US$2 billion in green financings,” said John Freeman, Chief Executive Officer of Digital Edge.

BAI CAPITAL ANNOUNCES FIRST CLOSE OF US$800 MILLION FUNDWILL BACK ASIA GROWTH AND GLOBALIZATION OPPORTUNITIES

BAI Capital Friday announced the first close of its latest USD fund, targeting US$800 million. The first close reached US$600 million in commitments.  BAI Capital focuses on investing in Asia’s technology ecosystem, and global investment capabilities.

The new fund will focus on companies that have achieved commercial validation and show strong potential for cross-regional expansion. BAI will focus on three categories of opportunities: new growth platforms created by Chinese champion companies expanding overseas; globally oriented companies emerging from Asia’s innovation ecosystem and scaling into multinational businesses; and international companies with globally leading innovation capabilities that can leverage the Chinese market to achieve scale. The fund will cover sectors including technology and AI, financial services, consumer and entertainment, and business services.

Founded in 2008, BAI Capital has built an 18-year track record, with 22 IPOs and 51 trade sale and secondary sale exits.

Anna Long, Founder and Managing Partner of BAI Capital, said: “The core of BAI’s new fund is not to chase early-stage concepts, but to support companies that have already demonstrated technology strength, customer traction, and commercial viability in highly competitive markets, and that possess the ability to expand across regions. We believe the technological capabilities, business models, and organizational efficiency forged in Asia, especially in China, are becoming an important source of global growth. BAI’s role is to help these validated innovations enter larger markets and grow into companies with true global competitiveness.”

BAI Capital has been deeply rooted in China’s technology and industrial ecosystem, while continuously expanding its global perspective and cross-regional capabilities. Leveraging the partnership ecosystem it has built over the years, particularly its deep collaborations with global technology leaders and strategic industry partners, as well as Bertelsmann‘s global network and industrial resources, BAI has developed a platform advantage that combines local insight with global collaboration.

Bertelsmann is a media, services, and education company with more than 75,000 employees that operates in some 50 countries around the world. The company generated revenues of €19 billion in the 2025 financial year. BAI Capital traces its roots to Bertelsmann Asia Investments under Bertelsmann Group, and completed its first independent fundraising in 2021. Following its independence, BAI Capital has continued to leverage the Bertelsmann platform to provide value-added support to relevant portfolio companies.