VENTURE CAPITAL POST

With the spotlight suddenly turned on messaging apps after Facebook acquired WhatsApp, Chinese app WeChat released a major upgrade for the iOS and Android versions with new features such as real-time location sharing and chat history search.

Bathgate, West Lothian-based mobile phone recycling company Redeem Holdings acquired Macclesfield, Chesire-based rival Eazyfone for an undisclosed amount to enhance its processing capability and increase its annual takeover.

San Francisco, California-based online car booking service Uber planned to venture into the Asia Pacific market and start hiring staff members across 14 cities, according to an Uber representative.

China-based coal bed methane producer AAG Energy Ltd may revive its plan for an initial public offering (IPO) in Hong Kong which was shelved last year, to raise funds for its 2014 operations.

Washington, US-based private equity firm Carlyle Group plans to raise $290 million by selling 100 million shares in Hong Kong-based home appliance maker Haier Electronics Group Ltd, according to IFR.

Chinese auto manufacturer BAIC Motor plans to raise around $2 billion in an initial public offering (IPO) in Hong Kong in 2014's second quarter, according to sources cited by Thomson Reuters publication IFR.

UK-based institutional currency investment manager Millennium Global Holdings Inc acquired a 51% stake in Philippine-based seafood exports business Millennium Ocean Star Corp in a deal valued at PHP137.91 million.

China-based car parts conglomerate Wanxiang has sweetened its bid for failed US electric car maker Fisker Automotive in a battle with its rival suitor, Hong Kong-based firm Hybrid Technology.

The government of Taiwan said no to American firm Robocoin's installation of Bitcoin ATMs in the country because it believes Bitcoins are not real currencies, according to a government officer.

China-based firm Harbin Bank is planning to file for a $1 billion initial public offering (IPO) in Hong Kong within January, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Hong Kong-based children's entertainment startup Roam & Wander successfully raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Hong Kong and Taiwan angel investors as it prepares to expand its US retail operations.

Li Ka-shing, the richest man in Asia, has just invested an undisclosed amount in BitPay, a US-based startup that provides services similar to a PayPal for bitcoins.

Shenzhen, China-based taxi app Didi Dache is reportedly raising $100 million in a Series C funding round from investors Citic and Tencent for the integration of a payment platform into the app.

China-based construction equipment manufacturer Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co has bought Germany-based dry mortar equipment producer M-Tec, according to a statement on the company's website.

Washington-based international law and lobby powerhouse Patton Boggs LLP has ended merger discussions with Texas-based law company Locke Lord LLP, according to a joint statement on December 19.