DECEMBERASIA BUSINESS OUTLOOK8NEWSROOMNTT INVESTS 2,400 CR IN NEW BENGALURU DATA CENTER CAMPUSNTT Data Group, a Tokyo-based global IT and business services provider, has announced a major investment of 2,400 crore (US$288 million) to develop a new data center campus near Bengaluru International Airport in Devanahalli.Spread across eight acres, the site is designed to house three data centres, with the first building, "Bengaluru 4A," now operational.According to India Managing Director Alok Bajpai, the facility adds to NTT's existing network of 22 data centres across India, including three operational sites already in Bengaluru, raising the company's total investment in the city to nearly Rs. 4,000 crore.The new campus features an IT load of 22.4 MW, plus 3.2 MW dedicated to its data hall, forming part of a larger 100 MW facility load planned across three buildings, with 67.2 MW of usable IT capacity for servers.However, NTT has not disclosed anchor tenants, pre-leasing commitments, or hyperscaler participation, leaving visibility uncertain on utilization and payback timelines. India's data center market is projected to grow from 0.9 GW in 2023 to 2 GW by 2026, making NTT's phased rollout a strategic hedge against demand volatility.The Devanahalli campus also creates demand for 24×7 renewable energy PPAs, supported by Karnataka's Open Access Regulations 2025, which streamline grid access, enable energy banking, and reduce regulatory risk.This allows renewable developers and storage providers to pitch long-term solutions like solar-plus-storage, aligning with NTT's sustainability goals while helping lower operational power costs. · NTT invests 2,400 crore in a new 100 MW data center campus in Bengaluru· First building Bengaluru 4A is operational with 22.4 MW IT load· Karnataka's Open Access 2025 boosts renewable energy adoption for the campusTonik, a digital-only bank licensed in the Philippines, has raised US$12 million in a pre-series C funding round led by Diligent Capital Partners, with participation from Plio Limited, Altara Capital, and Tonik's own management.The new capital will help the bank meet regulatory capital requirements and accelerate technology investments as it continues to scale operations.Tonik reported a US$83 million loan portfolio, more than US$40 million in annualized revenue, and achieved a positive contribution margin in late 2024. The bank projects cash-flow breakeven by H1 2026, but this depends on improving asset quality after its gross non-performing loan (NPL) ratio rose to 7.24 percent in Q1 2024, up from 3.95 percent in the previous quarter.Across the Philippines, digital banks' NPL ratio surged to 14.1 percent in July 2024 (from 5.9 percent in December 2022), softening to 7 percent by July 2025. Higher credit costs, including provisioning and write-offs, could strain Tonik's US$83 million loan book. The US$12 million raise is modest compared to the sector's widening losses--PHP 4.1 billion (~US$72.5 million) in Q2 2024 versus PHP 1.3 billion a year prior--highlighting the pressure on capitalization.Tonik operates via a cloud-based platform, partnering with employers and retailers to offer consumer lending and deposit products. As credit risk analytics, collections infrastructure, and alternative data gain demand, vendors see opportunities to support digital banks' underwriting and risk systems.BSP-licensed players include Maya Bank, GoTyme, UnionDigital, UNO, and Tonik, with only two profitable as of 2025. With the BSP considering four new licenses in 2025, digital banks must strengthen lending models in a market where 70 percent of adults remain unbanked and collections infrastructure is thin across the archipelago. TONIK RAISES $12M TO BOOST CAPITAL AMID RISING NPL PRESSURES
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