Dispatches from Rest of World: October 16

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: WhatsApp vigilantes in India are converting Christians by force

Africa

South Africa is targeting tax evaders who lock their assets in crypto. Last week, the national revenue service (SARS) said it will collaborate with the financial market regulator to enforce tax compliance on crypto assets . More than 5.8 million South Africans hold crypto assets, yet many have not declared them in their tax filings, according to SARS. They will now be mandated to declare their holdings of digital currencies. The revenue service will obtain information on registered crypto-asset service providers directly from local exchanges. — dámiláre dòsùnmú from Lagos

China

While living in China, I was surprised to see iPhones everywhere in urban centers. An iPhone 15 Pro Max costs $1,100 this year, and even at a discounted price , that is still nearly as much as the average monthly wage in China. But tides are turning as China’s economy slows and U.S.-China tensions increase. Domestic phone makers offer an array of options with advanced chip technology. Huawei’s smartphone sales in August beat those of Apple for the first time in 46 months. Huawei now leads the market with a 17.5% share in the first half of the year compared to Apple’s 14%. —? Joanna Chiu from Vancouver

Latin America

Last week, Foxconn executives in Taiwan revealed that the company has chosen Mexico to build its largest production facility for Nvidia’s GB200 superchips. The factory will be based in Guadalajara, in Jalisco state . For years, Guadalajara has marketed itself as the “Mexican Silicon Valley,” becoming a prominent hub for outsourced IT services for companies like IBM, Tata Consultancy Services, Oracle, and Amazon. Despite the city’s growing tech ecosystem, it has yet to produce a single unicorn. Daniela Dib from Mexico City

South Asia

Prominent Indian businessman Ratan Tata died at the age of 86 last week. Tata served as the chairman of the Tata Group conglomerate between 1991 and 2012. During this time, the group’s profits multiplied 50 times. Among the many accolades he won, Tata was praised for corporate “reverse colonialism” for the group’s acquisition of British brands like Tetley, Jaguar Land Rover, and Corus. Starbucks called Tata “instrumental” in its India expansion. Outside the boardroom, Tata worked for causes like elder loneliness and animal welfare.?—? Ananya Bhattacharya from Mumbai

Southeast Asia

Asian crime syndicates have integrated generative AI and deepfakes in their romance-investment scams and other fraudulent schemes . Crime groups based in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos raked in up to $37 billion last year from cyberscams. Using generative AI “has not only expanded the scope and efficiency of cyber-enabled fraud and cybercrime, it has also lowered the barriers to entry for criminal networks,” said John Wojcik, a regional analyst. — Rina Chandran from Bangkok