April 5, 2025 @ 2:35 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace X2Y2 will shut down its trading platform on April 30, 2025, ending a three-year run amid declining volumes and intensifying competition in the digital collectibles market. The platform’s front-end interface will go offline, though its smart contracts will remain active, allowing… Read More

April 5, 2025 @ 1:37 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is providing a $42 million equivalent debt financing package to Agricover Credit IFN, Romania’s largest non-bank financial institution focused on agriculture, to improve access to funding for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs)… Read More

March 30, 2025 @ 10:20 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has launched a public consultation on a proposed regulatory framework to expand retail investors’ access to private market investment funds, the central bank said. Under the current regulations, retail investors in Singapore have limited opportunities to invest in private… Read More

March 30, 2025 @ 10:12 pm By Michael Wong  |  

South Korea’s cryptocurrency market continues to grow, with the number of virtual asset investors surpassing 16 million, nearing the total number of stock investors in the country, news agency Yonhap reported. Data submitted to Rep. Cha Gyu-geun of the minor opposition Rebuilding Korea Party indicated… Read More

March 30, 2025 @ 9:16 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Malaysia’s Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry has selected seven Equity Crowdfunding (ECF) and Peer-to-Peer (P2P) financing platforms to participate in the New Industrial Master Plan (NIMP2030) Strategic Co-Investment Fund (CoSIF), according to local reports. The program aims to support companies in high-tech and high-impact… Read More

March 30, 2025 @ 7:47 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Hong Kong Academy of Finance (AoF) announced the selection of 23 senior executives for its Financial Leaders Programme (FLP) 2025, underscoring its commitment to developing future financial leaders within the territory. The participants represent a diverse range of sectors in Hong Kong’s financial industry,… Read More

March 30, 2025 @ 6:11 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Panama has introduced a draft bill to regulate cryptocurrencies and establish a legal framework for blockchain-based services, aiming to position itself as a fintech leader in Latin America. The proposed legislation recognizes cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and stablecoins as valid payment methods… Read More

March 28, 2025 @ 10:54 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed a criminal complaint against Aux Cayes FinTech Co. Ltd., operator of digital asset exchange platform OKX, and nine associated individuals for allegedly running an unlicensed digital asset exchange, the regulator announced. The complaint, lodged with Thailand’s Economic… Read More

March 28, 2025 @ 5:46 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has proposed an investment of up to $75 million in a senior tranche of asset-backed securities (ABS) to support digital lending operations by SeaMoney (Capital) Co Ltd in Thailand. The senior tranche will… Read More

March 28, 2025 @ 12:32 pm By Michael Wong  |  

South Carolina’s House of Representatives has introduced a bill that would allow the state treasurer to establish a Bitcoin reserve as part of a broader effort to hedge against inflation and diversify state funds. The proposed Strategic Digital Assets Reserve Act, sponsored by Representative Jordan… Read More

March 28, 2025 @ 9:04 am By Michael Wong  |  

Algeria’s stock market regulator has granted a definitive license to Yinvesti, recognizing it as the country’s first officially approved securities crowdfunding platform, the Commission for the Organization and Supervision of Stock Market Operations (Cosob) said. The license allows Yinvesti to operate as an investment advisory… Read More

March 23, 2025 @ 10:30 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Fintech firm PayU, backed by global consumer internet group Prosus, has acquired a 43.5% strategic stake in India-based real-time payment technology provider Mindgate Solutions, bolstering its position in the country’s digital payments ecosystem. The transaction values Mindgate between $180 million and $250 million, depending on… Read More

March 23, 2025 @ 9:28 pm By Michael Wong  |  

IFC, IDB Invest, and Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. have launched a BRL 1.4 billion ($250 million) bond issuance aimed at supporting biodiversity conservation and expanding access to credit for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Brazil. Structured as a private placement, the bond is… Read More

March 23, 2025 @ 3:27 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Nayla Finance, a Saudi Arabia-based Fintech focused on improving access to capital for micro-businesses, has raised $4 million in seed funding to scale its operations and expand its digital lending platform, the company said. The round was led by Sanabil Venture Studio by Stryber and… Read More

March 22, 2025 @ 11:36 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Singapore-based digital asset infrastructure provider BetterX has secured S$2.3 million (approximately $1.7 million) in a pre-Series A funding round to support its expansion across Asia, the Middle East, and the United States. The funding round brought in new investors including Grand Prix Capital, Aument Capital,… Read More

March 22, 2025 @ 6:31 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Malaysia-based wealth management platform Versa has completed its Series A funding round led by AHAM Asset Management Berhad (AHAM Capital), the company said, as it looks to accelerate user growth and expand its product offerings over the next five years. Other investors in the round… Read More

March 22, 2025 @ 6:07 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has officially recognized digital assets in its global economic reporting framework for the first time, updating its balance of payments standards to reflect the growing role of cryptocurrencies and blockchain-based assets in the global economy. In the newly released seventh… Read More

March 16, 2025 @ 11:59 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Global Client Advisory Group (GCAG) announced that its affiliate, Renatus Tactical Acquisition Corp I (RTAC-I), has filed for an initial public offering (IPO) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), seeking to raise $175 million. RTAC-I, a newly formed special purpose acquisition company (SPAC),… Read More

March 16, 2025 @ 10:05 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Baidu Inc launched its latest artificial intelligence models, ERNIE 4.5 and ERNIE X1, making them freely accessible to individual users ahead of schedule as part of its broader push to expand AI adoption. ERNIE 4.5, Baidu’s latest foundation model, features multimodal capabilities with improved language… Read More

March 16, 2025 @ 5:10 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Securitize announced that the BlackRock USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL) has surpassed $1 billion in assets under management (AUM), marking a key milestone in the development of tokenized finance. BUIDL, BlackRock’s first tokenized fund on a public blockchain, launched in March 2024 and provides… Read More