VENTURE CAPITAL POST

The Funding Circle has earmarked $1-billion funding for small business globally and will make this financing in a hassle-free and much-simplified process.

Mark Zuckerberg and Xiaomi Inc CEO Lei Jun discussed a potential investment by Facebook in China's top smartphone maker ahead of its $1.1 billion fundraising last month, but a deal never materialized, several people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

Yuri Milner, the billionaire Russian who holds the largest outside stake in Chinese handset maker Xiaomi, said he expects to invest more evenly between the United States and China in 2015.

China's Xiaomi Inc [XTC.UL], one of the world's fastest-growing smartphone makers, has raised $1.1 billion in a round of funding that cements its status as one of the world's most valuable private technology companies at a valuation of $45 billion.

China's Xiaomi [XTC.UL] is raising over $1 billion from investors including Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC that would value the smartphone maker at over $45 billion, a person familiar with the deal said.

US-based cloud storage firm Box confirmed it closed USD100 million in fresh capital to catalyze its global expansion as it sealed commercial transactions with Japanese firms.

Britain pressured Twitter to get tough on online abuse.