Faurecia, SAIC, Kardan, Allied Group and Cyphertech all took part in the round, which increased connected car security platform GuardKnox's overall funding to $24m.

Nubank is in talks with SoftBank to lead a funding round of up to $1bn that could more than double the fintech’s valuation to between $8bn and $10bn as it pursues additional markets.

Teenager-focused digital banking app Step collected $22.5m in the Stripe-led series A round, which featured WndrCo and existing backer Sesame Ventures.

Online services marketplace operator Thumbtack has added $120m to its funding arsenal, bringing the Alphabet-backed company’s total equity to more than $390m.

Twitter is expected to lead the Xiaomi-backed round with an investment of more than $50m, valuing the social networking platform at up to $650m.

Lumar-backed social shopping app Depop has received $62m in a series C round that will fund the company's expansion in the US.

Stanford-StartX Fund joined others including Total Energy Ventures, Samsung Next and RATP Dev to back public transit management software publisher Swiftly.

Woodford Investment Management has reportedly disposed of its stakes in IP Group and Allied Minds, as its scramble to meet regulatory thresholds and redemption demands from investors in its Equity Income fund gathers pace.

Apple is rumoured to be preparing to move in for self-driving vehicle software developer Drive.ai, opening a potential exit for ride hailing service Grab.

Founded in November last year by the former CEO of ZTE, 5G application developer Hongshan IT has secured $14.5m in funding.