October 10, 2024 @ 2:32 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Indonesian donation and crowdfunding platform Kitabisa has officially entered the country’s insurance sector by launching Kitabisa Insurance, a sharia-compliant subsidiary, marking a significant step in addressing Indonesia’s notably low insurance penetration rate, according to DealStreetAsia. The announcement follows the subsidiary’s introduction of its first product,… Read More

October 10, 2024 @ 1:20 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Facet, an American Fintech firm focused on financial planning, has secured an additional $35 million in a funding round anchored by Multiplier Capital. The new funding will support the company’s ongoing tech development and expansion of financial planning services as it continues to grow its… Read More

October 10, 2024 @ 12:18 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Finance teams are facing increasing strain as economic pressures and evolving business demands challenge their ability to meet both strategic goals and operational responsibilities, according to new research from cloud-based purchase-to-pay (P2P) automation provider Yooz. The 2024 Yooz Survey: Beyond the Balance Sheet, conducted by… Read More

October 10, 2024 @ 9:52 am By Michael Wong  |  

American artificial intelligence (AI) company OpenAI announced its expansion into Singapore, confirming plans to open a regional office later this year. This move underscores Singapore’s prominent role in technology and AI, as well as the increasing demand for advanced AI tools across the Asia Pacific… Read More

October 10, 2024 @ 8:56 am By Michael Wong  |  

Lendbuzz, an AI-powered Fintech company that enhances consumer access to credit for vehicle purchases, has completed a $262 million securitization, identified as LBZZ 2024-3. The transaction is collateralized by a pool of auto loans made to consumers, secured by new and used automobiles, light-duty trucks,… Read More

October 7, 2024 @ 9:26 am By Michael Wong  |  

Institutional investors and wealth managers are forecasting a significant increase in the launch of new digital asset funds this year, as traditional financial institutions show heightened interest in the sector, according to a report by London-based Nickel Digital Asset Management. The research indicates that approximately… Read More

October 6, 2024 @ 2:39 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Singapore’s Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) unveiled a comprehensive report, outlining enhanced strategies and recommendations to strengthen the nation’s Anti-Money Laundering (AML) framework. The report emphasizes a whole-of-society approach, urging collaboration between frontline stakeholders and the government to combat increasingly sophisticated money laundering (ML) tactics. The IMC’s… Read More

October 6, 2024 @ 2:32 pm By Michael Wong  |  

SBI Holdings Inc., a prominent Tokyo-based financial services conglomerate, has acquired a stake in UBX, a key player in digital transformation within the Philippines. This strategic investment aims to foster collaboration between the two firms to develop impactful digital solutions tailored to the specific needs… Read More

October 6, 2024 @ 2:01 pm By Michael Wong  |  

HSBC Holdings plc has unveiled SemFi by HSBC, a new joint venture with Tradeshift, a global B2B trade network, aimed at delivering seamless embedded finance solutions to business clients. SemFi will integrate HSBC’s payment, trade, and financing services across various e-commerce and marketplace platforms, including… Read More

October 5, 2024 @ 6:22 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Funding for the generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) sector in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is projected to increase by 50 percent year-over-year in 2025, according to the latest report from GenAI Fund. The “ASEAN GenAI Startup Report 2024” attributes this anticipated growth to… Read More

October 5, 2024 @ 6:15 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Barte, a Brazilian Fintech firm, has announced raising $8 million in its Series A funding round that will help it scale its modular payment solutions. The latest funding round was led by AlleyCorp, a New York-based venture capital firm founded by serial entrepreneur Kevin Ryan,… Read More

October 5, 2024 @ 9:01 am By Michael Wong  |  

Southeast Asia’s technology startup sector experienced a significant downturn in funding during the first nine months of 2024, plunging 59% compared to the same period last year, a report released by Tracxn revealed. The report highlighted that Southeast Asian (SEA) tech startups secured a total… Read More

September 30, 2024 @ 9:15 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Lendistry, a minority-led fintech and Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), announced today it has received a $5 million investment from City National Bank. The capital injection aims to expand the provision of individual loans under $100,000 to support the rapidly growing small business sector in… Read More

September 30, 2024 @ 3:58 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Alipay+, the cross-border mobile payment solution operated by Ant International, has significantly expanded its presence in Nepal by partnering with Himalayan Bank, a major local bank. This collaboration introduces over ten new payment partners, enabling Alipay+ to be accepted at more than 25,000 merchants across… Read More

September 29, 2024 @ 11:15 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have seized more than $6 million in cryptocurrency from international perpetrators involved in fraudulent investment schemes, according to an official announcement. Matthew M. Graves, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, along with U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III… Read More

September 29, 2024 @ 10:17 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The European Investment Fund (EIF) and Hungarian National Capital Holding (NCH) have announced the launch of Impact Ventures III, a €40 million venture capital fund aimed at supporting early-stage, innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups with positive social and environmental impacts in Hungary… Read More

September 29, 2024 @ 12:31 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Israel officially joined the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as its 69th member and 20th nonregional member on Thursday, after fulfilling all necessary membership requirements. Israel submitted its application for ADB membership in January 2022. The ADB Board of Governors approved the membership on April 14,… Read More

September 28, 2024 @ 3:55 pm By Michael Wong  |  

NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) has formed a strategic alliance with the Ministry of Digital Transformation (MDT) of Trinidad and Tobago to develop a real-time payments platform modeled after India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI). This initiative positions Trinidad and Tobago as the first Caribbean nation… Read More

September 25, 2024 @ 7:41 am By Michael Wong  |  

Functional Finance, a software platform transforming financial operations (FinOps) for managing general agents (MGAs), insurance companies, and wholesalers, announced the successful close of a $20 million Series A funding round. The round was led by Walkabout Ventures, with additional support from Munich Re Ventures and… Read More

September 25, 2024 @ 7:28 am By Michael Wong  |  

Hummingbird, a provider of financial crime risk management solutions, has acquired LogicLoop, a no-code data integration and automation platform, in a move aimed at transforming how financial institutions handle risk and compliance. The acquisition is part of Hummingbird’s broader strategy to become the core operating… Read More