Three questions to ask before trusting a monthly funding number

Monthly funding tallies spread faster than quarterly reports, yet they are built on methodology choices readers rarely see. The nearest example is the $3.68 billion figure for Southeast Asia in October 2026, paired with a 1,665% month-on-month rise — a swing that shows how sensitive such a series is to a handful of individual deals.

• Which transaction types are included? Pure equity, or also debt, growth capital and M&A?
• What share does the single largest deal take? If one round dominates the month, the total does not describe the market baseline.
• How is a deal's nationality assigned — place of incorporation or place of operations? This determines whether Vietnam looks large or small in regional reports.