Financial

Sector focus: Telecoms

The postal service is now the second largest shareholder in Alibaba's financial services and online payment affiliate.

The deal provided an exit to H&R Block and Euronet Worldwide, which each provided an undisclosed amount of seed funding for Wipit in 2012.

The payment services company launched a European accelerator in May 2014, and is now extending the programme internationally with the help of other corporates.

The 'quote to cash' software company is the third Salesforce1-affiliated startup to reach unicorn status, as Salesforce ramps up its corporate venturing activities.

The online brokerage service, launched in June 2014, has closed a series A round led by smartphone maker Xiaomi.

Intel Capital has returned to co-lead the mobile payments company's latest round, which will fund the launch of a merchant lending service.

Peer-to-peer lending platform Dianrong has raised what it claims is the Chinese online finance sector's largest ever round, and Bohai Leasing was among the investors.

Auto parts supplier Wanxiang has invested $10m in incubator InnoSpring, which helps startups expand from the US into China and vice versa.