Southeast Asia's Ant Financial actually comes from a family in Shantou. In Lujiazui, there is a prominent building called "Zhengda Plaza." I used to only know it as a shopping mall, but later learned that two brothers from Shantou, Guangdong started their business in Bangkok, and over a century built Charoen Pokphand Group into Thailand's largest business group, with over 400,000 employees worldwide, spanning multiple sectors as a global giant. Now, they have entered Web3. Let's dive in! ⬇️ If you are not familiar with Charoen Pokphand Group, did you watch the Charoen variety shows when you were a kid? No? Then you must have heard of 7-Eleven, right? If not, there's also the CP Lotus supermarket? These are all under/invested by Charoen Pokphand. In 1921, the two brothers, Chia Ek Chor and Chia Seow Hui from Shantou, Guangdong, started selling seeds in Bangkok, and through three generations, they built Charoen Pokphand Group into a business empire. Chia Ek Chor has four sons, named Chia Cheng Min, Chia Da Min, Chia Zhong Min, and Chia Guo Min. The youngest, Chia Guo Min (Dhanin Chearavanont), is now Thailand's richest man. The third son, Chia Zhong Min, has a son named Chatchaval Jiaravanon, who is the main character of this article, also known as the founder and chairman of Velo Protocol, dubbed Southeast Asia's Web3 version of Ant Financial. This is the background story of Velo that we will explore today. / Velo is a fintech company established in 2018, claiming on its official website that it is not just Web3, but Web3+. What does that mean? Specifically, Velo consists of five parts: ▰ QUANTUM, a one-stop lightning-fast remittance network ▰ UNIVERSE, a multi-chain decentralized exchange ▰ NOVA CHAIN, a universal blockchain network ▰ ORBIT, a crypto super application ▰ WARP, a multi-network cross-chain bridge I was startled, thinking there was some Web3 high-tech I didn't know about. In fact, Velo is using blockchain technology to empower the entire financial industry, especially in cross-border payments, digital asset management, and decentralized finance. Coincidentally, these areas are also covered by Charoen Pokphand Group, including retail, banking, telecommunications, and agriculture. Adding Southeast Asia into the mix, blockchain technology can perfectly optimize cross-border payment efficiency and reduce costs. Looking at it this way, I agree with Velo's claim that it is not just Web3, but the hub of Southeast Asia's digital financial strategy. With Charoen Pokphand Group as a backing, Velo has integrated Southeast Asia's payment networks, banks, stablecoin issuers, wallets, and exchanges. This circle has led to practical blockchain technology solutions. No wonder the official website recently updated independent white papers on RWA and PayFi... In the wallet sector, Velo has partnered with Bitazza, Thailand's largest digital asset platform, and for cross-border settlements, it collaborates directly with its own company Lightnet. Now, it has integrated DeFi and perpetual contract products with Bitge Wallet, allowing users to directly use this hybrid derivative DEX in their wallets. E-Guard has stood up, BTC has reached new highs, and Velo has not been idle either. On June 16, $VELO was listed on Binance Alpha. Now, they are holding a trading competition with Binance Thailand from July 22 to August 14, where trading at least 1,000 Thai Baht in $VELO gives you a chance to win 500 Thai Baht in $VELO. // Chatchaval Jiaravanon, as a key figure of the third generation of Charoen Pokphand Group, has truly combined finance and technology. I wonder if when he acquired Fortune magazine for $150 million in 2018, he ever thought that Velo would catch the huge wave today: PayFi, RWA, and Stable Coin are all within reach. Under the shade of a big tree, it's nice to cool off. Velo not only has Charoen Pokphand Group behind it, but also UOB, the Unified Group, and DWF Labs. At first, I thought $VELO was just an ordinary coin, but I never expected that after going around, there would be so many stories! This is a soft-core popular science article, through which you can gain a basic understanding of the following knowledge: ▰ Uncovering Charoen Pokphand Group ▰ How Velo became Southeast Asia's Web3 Ant Financial ▰ The Thai richest man's nephew is quite handsome (not really) Author: anymose | A soft-core popular science writer <End of full text> * This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute any investment advice. Always remember to DYOR!