November 25, 2025 @ 10:45 am By Michael Wong  |  

Grab Holdings and Singapore-based stablecoin issuer StraitsX have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore building Web3-linked wallets and a stablecoin settlement network, the companies said. The partnership could let Grab users pay merchants across Asian markets using regulated digital tokens, per the announcement. Under… Read More

November 23, 2025 @ 11:59 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Zurich-based robotics software startup Flexion has raised $50 million in Series A funding to develop what it calls an “intelligence stack” for humanoid robots, betting that advances in generative AI can finally push machines beyond tightly scripted tasks. The round was led by DST Global… Read More

November 23, 2025 @ 10:54 am By Michael Wong  |  

Philippine financial regulators will begin a comprehensive mapping of corporate linkages across the economy next year, as regulators watch property prices and credit growth, the Financial Stability Coordination Council (FSCC) said. The inter-agency body, chaired by central bank governor Eli Remolona, made the project a… Read More

November 23, 2025 @ 8:11 am By Michael Wong  |  

SGX Group and Nasdaq have agreed to build a cross-border “Global Listing Board” that would let large companies list in Singapore and the United States using a more unified process, as the city-state tries to revive a stock market that has struggled to attract high-growth… Read More

November 23, 2025 @ 8:01 am By Michael Wong  |  

Agentic AI startup Genspark has raised $275 million in an oversubscribed Series B round that values the company at $1.25 billion post-money, as investors bet businesses will adopt software that completes work autonomously rather than only chatting with users. The financing was led by Emergence… Read More

November 22, 2025 @ 3:21 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Trinidad and Tobago’s parliament passed legislation to regulate cryptocurrencies and the firms that provide related services, according to local reports. The vote, however, came after a chaotic debate in which opposition lawmakers said they were forced to argue over a bill that had been effectively… Read More

November 22, 2025 @ 10:27 am By Michael Wong  |  

India’s central bank is taking a “very cautious” stance on cryptocurrencies and stablecoins, arguing that their volatility and potential to bypass safeguards could threaten financial stability, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra said. Malhotra’s remarks, delivered in a memorial lecture at Delhi School… Read More

November 17, 2025 @ 10:09 pm By Michael Wong  |  

StraitsX, a Singapore-based stablecoin settlement firm, has secured a $10 million strategic investment from cross-border payments provider UQPAY to fund regional expansion, while existing backer NTT Docomo also joined the round, the company said on Wednesday. StraitsX said the funding strengthens its ability to link… Read More

November 17, 2025 @ 11:18 am By Michael Wong  |  

Bonside, a New York-based credit platform that finances brick-and-mortar businesses, has secured a $100 million capital partnership with private investment firm i80 Group to expand funding for service companies with physical locations. The facility will back Bonside’s use of its Repeatable Revenue Agreement, or RRA,… Read More

November 16, 2025 @ 9:54 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Singapore and Cambodia have launched a cross-border QR code payment link that allows Cambodian visitors to pay at merchants across the city-state using their home-grown Bakong system and other mobile banking apps, the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) said. Under the first phase, Cambodian travellers… Read More

November 16, 2025 @ 4:45 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Cursor, an artificial intelligence-powered software development platform, has raised $2.3 billion in a Series D funding round that values the company at $29.3 billion, as investors bet that AI-assisted coding will reshape how software is built. The round drew continued backing from existing investors Thrive… Read More

November 16, 2025 @ 4:44 pm By Michael Wong  |  

National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) has rolled out a new suite of fintech infrastructure services for licensed e-wallet providers and digital businesses, seeking to embed itself more deeply in Kuwait’s fast-evolving digital payments market, according to an announcement. The “FinTech Services” package includes virtual IBANs… Read More

November 16, 2025 @ 1:28 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said Antonia M. Apps, a deputy director in its enforcement division who oversees the regulator’s Northeast offices, will leave the agency on Dec. 1, 2025. Apps, a former federal prosecutor and law firm partner, has served as Deputy Director… Read More

November 16, 2025 @ 1:19 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Ghanem, a Saudi digital real estate platform focused on fractional ownership, has raised $7.1 million from Al-Romaih Group to fuel expansion and product development as the kingdom pushes to broaden investment access under its Vision 2030 agenda. Al-Romaih Group, described by Ghanem as one of… Read More

November 15, 2025 @ 11:43 am By Michael Wong  |  

Singapore’s central bank has completed a live trial of using a wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC) to settle overnight interbank loans, moving its experiments with tokenised assets onto an operational test network. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said the trial, conducted on its… Read More

November 9, 2025 @ 11:43 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Singapore’s Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN) and US payments company Ripple said they are launching a capacity-building programme to help policymakers and regulators navigate digital assets, starting in Asia Pacific before expanding globally. The “Decoding Digital Assets” initiative plans to train more than 200… Read More

November 9, 2025 @ 6:12 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Nasdaq-listed Freedom Holding Corp said it has signed an agreement with Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development to build a $2 billion “Sovereign AI Hub,” positioning the Central Asian nation to host one of the region’s largest dedicated artificial-intelligence facilities. The project will… Read More

November 9, 2025 @ 3:27 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Credit conditions for Hong Kong’s small and medium-sized enterprises were broadly stable in the third quarter of 2025, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) said. However, more firms perceived that banks had turned cautious compared with the previous period. Excluding respondents who said they had… Read More

November 8, 2025 @ 5:21 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Video Rebirth, a Singapore-headquartered artificial intelligence video startup, has raised $50 million to develop software aimed at professional content producers, shifting away from consumer-grade generative tools that have dominated the market. The company did not disclose its valuation or identify investors, describing them only as… Read More

November 3, 2025 @ 6:29 am By Michael Wong  |  

Switzerland-based QAI Ventures has partnered with Enterprise Singapore to launch a venture-backed accelerator and an IP-led venture builder targeting QuantumAI startups and advanced computing. The partnership expands a model QAI Ventures has run in Europe and North America, according to an announcement. The initiative adds… Read More