Dispatches from Rest of World: November 7

Here are this week's biggest stories in tech from the regions that we cover. For more exclusive content, sign up for Rest of World's weekly global newsletter .

Image source: Malaysia’s new data centers create thousands of jobs — and worries about power and water shortages

Africa Africa has minted a new unicorn. Last Wednesday, Nigerian fintech company Moniepoint announced a $110 million series C funding round led by Development Partners International (DPI) and Google. The new capital injection has pushed the company’s valuation to $1 billion. Over the years, Moniepoint’s blue point-of-sale machine has become synonymous with payment in Nigeria. The company claims it’s profitable, and that it processes $17 billion every month. —? dámiláre dòsùnmú from Nairobi

China The U.S. Treasury has released final rules to ban outbound investments in Chinese technologies related to semiconductors, quantum computing, and AI. The restrictions, which take effect on January 2, are aimed at preventing American capital and “intangible benefits” such as access to talent networks from supporting China’s military, intelligence, and cyber capabilities. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said in a statement that his nation “strongly deplores and firmly rejects” the new rules. The announcement came days after the White House released a strategy memo for harnessing the power of AI to support U.S. military and intelligence agencies. —? Joanna Chiu from Vancouver

Latin America Tata Consultancy Services, India’s biggest software maker, is looking to expand its services in South America. Last week, Tata signed a 10-year strategic partnership with the Brazil-based Insper, a leading higher education and research institution. As part of the deal, TCS will offer Insper AI technology to accelerate new drug development and satellite-based geosensing technology to enhance crop yields and reduce downtime in offshore oil rigs. TCS’ plans to grow in Brazil come in the midst of declining revenue growth in North America. — Karla Zabludovsky from Mexico City

South Asia Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed that India is getting more Apple stores. According to reports , these stores will be located in Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai, and Delhi's national capital region. The company is hiring 400 workers. Apple’s two existing stores in Mumbai and Delhi reportedly raked in a combined 8 billion rupees ($95 million) in their first year of operation. Apple is also apparently using an Indian factory to start early manufacturing of the base model of the iPhone 17. — Ananya Bhattacharya from Mumbai

Southeast Asia Days after the Indonesian government blocked Apple from selling iPhone 16s in the country, it also blocked the sale of Google Pixel phones, saying the company had failed to meet domestic investment requirements. Both companies have not fulfilled the government’s requirement of 40% local parts for smartphones, the Ministry of Industry said . Southeast Asia’s largest economy is also cracking down on Chinese e-commerce firms for flouting its law by selling directly to customers. — Rina Chandran from Bangkok