August 15, 2026 @ 12:48 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Banks, insurers, and takaful operators in Malaysia will get new guidance to support implementation of the National Sustainability Reporting Framework (NSRF), as regulators seek to make sustainability-related disclosures more robust, consistent, comparable, and purposeful. The Joint Committee on Climate Change (JC3), co-chaired by Bank Negara… Read More

August 15, 2026 @ 8:24 am By Michael Wong  |  

Funding for Southeast Asia’s native artificial intelligence startups has reached $4.1 billion so far in 2026, already more than double the amount raised for the whole of last year, although the surge was driven largely by a single $2.8-billion round, according to data intelligence platform… Read More

August 10, 2026 @ 1:13 am By Michael Wong  |  

Saudi Arabia’s planned expansion of data centre capacity could require between $28 billion and $42 billion in project capital as the Kingdom seeks to scale digital infrastructure to support artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and its broader economic transformation, according to a report by Alvarez &… Read More

August 9, 2026 @ 11:22 pm By Michael Wong  |  

“Strong regulation is essential to the long-term development of digital assets,” Blockchain.com Co-CEO Lane Kasselman said as the crypto platform secured a definitive Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) custody services license from the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA). The licence, granted through Blockchain.com’s Cayman Islands… Read More

August 9, 2026 @ 9:32 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Cryptocurrency exchange Bybit has filed a civil lawsuit against North Korea, its Reconnaissance General Bureau, and the Lazarus Group over a February 2025 cyberattack described by a U.S. court as “one of the largest cryptocurrency thefts in history.” The lawsuit was filed in the U.S…. Read More

August 9, 2026 @ 3:16 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Cover Genius, a global embedded protection technology provider, has acquired Berlin-based insurtech Friendsurance, expanding its presence in European digital insurance distribution as banks seek new sources of non-interest revenue, according to an announcement. Financial terms of the transaction, which is effective immediately, were not disclosed…. Read More

August 9, 2026 @ 11:12 am By Michael Wong  |  

Philippine digital bank Maya has called for the country’s financial inclusion efforts to move beyond expanding account ownership and focus more on whether consumers are building savings, gaining access to responsible credit, and becoming more resilient to financial shocks. Formal account ownership in the Philippines… Read More

August 9, 2026 @ 2:12 am By Michael Wong  |  

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is proposing an unfunded trade finance facility of up to $250 million for Banco Bradesco S.A., one of Brazil’s largest financial institutions, under its Global Trade Finance Program (GTFP). The proposed project involves a GTFP limit in an aggregate amount… Read More

August 8, 2026 @ 11:29 am By Michael Wong  |  

“Payments touch almost every part of daily life in Singapore, and people deserve to know exactly what they are paying and what protection they have,” Singapore FinTech Association (SFA) President Holly Fang said as the industry group launched a new code of conduct aimed at… Read More

August 8, 2026 @ 7:26 am By Michael Wong  |  

The Philippines is emerging as one of the most attractive fintech markets in the region as limited access to formal credit leaves significant room for digital financial services providers to expand, according to BillEase co-founder Georg Steiger. “The Philippines is the most exciting fintech market… Read More

August 2, 2026 @ 7:38 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Singapore-based investment firm GMA Capital Partners and ACMF Group have launched a fund that will provide up to 7 billion baht, or about $207 million, in structured financing to companies listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand and their principal shareholders. The Thai SET Fund… Read More

August 2, 2026 @ 6:01 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Total deposits held with Hong Kong’s authorized institutions rose 0.1% in June from the previous month, as growth in Hong Kong dollar deposits offset a decline in foreign currency deposits, while bank lending continued to strengthen, official data showed. Figures released by the Hong Kong… Read More

August 2, 2026 @ 5:33 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) have launched an industry-wide taskforce to strengthen the financial sector’s cyber and technology resilience against threats posed by frontier artificial intelligence (AI) models. The AI-Driven Cyber and Technology Risk Taskforce (ACT),… Read More

August 2, 2026 @ 2:39 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Singapore-based Airwallex has emerged as Southeast Asia’s most heavily funded payments startup, raising a total of $1.9 billion in disclosed equity funding, according to a new report by market intelligence platform Tracxn. The report, titled Southeast Asia’s Payment Startups Powering the Future of Digital Commerce,… Read More

August 1, 2026 @ 6:55 pm By Michael Wong  |  

TBC Bank Group said its acquisition of OLX Uzbekistan is a long-term strategic investment that will help expand its digital ecosystem beyond banking while opening the door to future embedded finance offerings on one of the country’s largest online marketplaces. The comments came in an… Read More

August 1, 2026 @ 12:33 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Private equity (PE) investment in Southeast Asia declined sharply in the second quarter of 2026, as investors remained selective amid geopolitical uncertainty and a subdued dealmaking environment, according to EY-Parthenon. The region recorded 10 private equity deals worth $935.5 million during the quarter, compared with… Read More

August 1, 2026 @ 1:29 am By Michael Wong  |  

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) plans to invest up to 750 million euros ($866 million) in an unfunded risk-sharing facility with Deutsche Bank to support trade finance transactions involving emerging market banks, according to a project disclosure seen by CrowdFund Insider. The proposed GTLP DB… Read More

August 1, 2026 @ 12:28 am By Michael Wong  |  

Asia-Pacific recorded 247 initial public offerings that raised $46.8 billion in the first half of 2026, up 6% in volume and 60% in value from a year earlier, as Greater China remained among the world’s most active equity capital markets, according to EY. The region… Read More

July 31, 2026 @ 12:06 am By Michael Wong  |  

TBC Bank Group has completed the acquisition of a majority stake in OLX Uzbekistan, giving the London-listed lender access to one of the country’s largest online marketplaces as it looks to expand digital banking and payment services beyond its own platforms. The acquisition is part… Read More

July 28, 2026 @ 2:36 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will hold a public roundtable in September to discuss preparations for round-the-clock trading in American equities, as exchanges and brokers move to give global investors nearly continuous access to the world’s largest stock market. The Sept. 17 roundtable… Read More