September 10, 2025 @ 2:20 am By Michael Wong  |  

LineWise, a US-based startup developing an AI-powered “virtual engineer” for manufacturers, said it has raised $1.1 million in pre-seed funding from A2D Ventures, Y Combinator and a group of global investors. The round, which also included Exitfund, REMUS Capital, SBXi Fund and Team Ignite Ventures,… Read More

September 10, 2025 @ 2:17 am By Michael Wong  |  

A major Chinese financial technology company is in talks to acquire blockchain solutions from Venom Foundation, an Abu Dhabi-based platform, as part of efforts to modernise digital financial services, Chinese media outlet Toutiao reported. The potential deal aligns with Beijing’s recently issued guidelines on financial… Read More

September 10, 2025 @ 1:05 am By Michael Wong  |  

Nuveen Private Capital has entered into a strategic partnership with Hunter Point Capital (HPC) and Singapore state investor Temasek, a deal that underscores the rapid expansion of private credit as institutional investors seek alternative sources of yield. HPC and Temasek will take minority stakes in… Read More

September 8, 2025 @ 8:21 am By Michael Wong  |  

Geniez AI, a startup developing technology to integrate artificial intelligence with legacy mainframe systems, said it raised $6 million in seed funding co-led by StageOne Ventures and Canapi Ventures. The company’s platform, according to the announcement, enables large language models and AI agents to access… Read More

September 8, 2025 @ 7:05 am By Michael Wong  |  

Itaú Asset Management, Brazil’s largest private asset manager, has set up its first dedicated cryptocurrency unit as the firm steps up its push into digital assets, appointing former Hashdex executive João Marco Braga da Cunha to lead the new team. The division will operate within… Read More

September 7, 2025 @ 11:23 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Indonesia’s Financial Services Authority (OJK) said online lending volumes climbed 22.01% year-on-year in July, even as it tightened enforcement across the financing sector with fresh sanctions on dozens of institutions. Total peer-to-peer (P2P) loan disbursements reached Rp84.5 trillion ($5.3 billion) in July, up from Rp83.5… Read More

September 7, 2025 @ 11:16 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission will hold a joint public roundtable on Sept. 29 to address regulatory clarity for cryptocurrency markets, focusing on decentralized finance protocols, perpetual contracts and other digital asset innovations. The four-hour session at SEC headquarters… Read More

September 7, 2025 @ 3:19 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The global property and casualty (P&C) insurance market has doubled in size over the past two decades to $2.4 trillion in premiums, supported by broader access to coverage, alternative risk transfer mechanisms and stronger reinsurance capacity, according to Swiss Re Institute’s latest sigma report. Swiss… Read More

September 6, 2025 @ 11:30 am By Michael Wong  |  

French prosecutors said seven people have been indicted and placed in preventive detention over the kidnapping of a young Swiss man whose captors demanded a ransom to be paid in cryptocurrency. The victim, in his 20s, was abducted under undisclosed circumstances on Aug. 28 and… Read More

September 3, 2025 @ 2:19 am By Michael Wong  |  

Amartha, an Indonesia-based platform for entrepreneurs, announced it has secured a digital wallet license from Bank Indonesia and transformed into Amartha Financial Group. The company is expanding beyond microloans into digital payments, micro-investments, and other financial services for Indonesia’s rural economy, which employs over 40… Read More

September 2, 2025 @ 8:18 am By Michael Wong  |  

Singapore-based Crypto.com has signed a strategic partnership with Trump Media and Technology Group Corp. (TMTG), operator of Truth Social, Truth+, and Truth.Fi, the companies said. The agreement covers the integration of Crypto.com’s digital wallet infrastructure into TMTG’s platforms, with the Cronos (CRO) token adopted as… Read More

September 1, 2025 @ 12:51 pm By Michael Wong  |  

OrangeX, a global cryptocurrency exchange, has completed a $20 million Series B funding round led by Kryptos, with participation from SCI Ventures and other investors, the company said. The fundraising follows a $10 million Series A round in September 2023, also led by Kryptos with… Read More

August 31, 2025 @ 5:37 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Bank Nizwa, Oman’s largest Islamic lender, has launched an electronic mandate (E-mandate) service for direct debit payments as part of its push to expand digital banking solutions, the bank said on Sunday. The service, which complies with the Central Bank of Oman’s regulatory framework, is… Read More

August 31, 2025 @ 2:23 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Global insurtech bolttech said it has entered the Kenyan market through a partnership with LOOP, the digital banking service of NCBA Bank, marking its latest expansion in Africa. The partnership will introduce LOOP Flex Device Financing (LOOP Flex) in October, a product combining flexible device… Read More

August 31, 2025 @ 2:17 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico said it had seized two marketplace domains and a blog operated by VerifTools, an online platform accused of producing and selling fraudulent identification documents to cybercriminals worldwide. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began probing… Read More

August 30, 2025 @ 3:46 pm By Michael Wong  |  

About 70% of organisations in the Asia Pacific expect agentic artificial intelligence (AI) to significantly disrupt their business models within the next 18 months, with the banking sector likely to see the largest impact, Moneythor said. Vivek Seetharaman, Chief Product Officer at Moneythor, a provider… Read More

August 25, 2025 @ 1:56 am By Michael Wong  |  

Turkish investment platform Midas has secured $80 million in a Series B round, bringing its total capital raised to more than $140 million as it expands offerings and strengthens security infrastructure. The round, which the company claimed as the largest fundraising by a fintech in… Read More

August 24, 2025 @ 10:37 pm By Michael Wong  |  

London-listed TBC Bank Group said it has agreed to acquire a majority stake in OLX Uzbekistan, one of the country’s most visited online classifieds platforms, in a move that expands its fast-growing digital banking ecosystem in Central Asia. The acquisition, from OLX Group, the classifieds… Read More

August 24, 2025 @ 8:39 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The UAE Central Bank’s Emirates Institute of Finance (EIF) has partnered with HSBC Bank, Al Maryah Community Bank and technology firms Presight and Core42 to explore artificial intelligence applications in financial services, the central bank said. The collaboration aims to enhance operational efficiency, strengthen cybersecurity… Read More

August 24, 2025 @ 5:43 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Definite, a full-stack artificial intelligence-native data platform, said it raised $10 million in seed funding led by venture capital firm Costanoa, with participation from Acrew Capital and strategic angel investors. The funding will be used to accelerate product development and expand go-to-market hiring as the… Read More