Michael Wong

IFC plans up to €750m trade finance risk-sharing facility with Deutsche Bank

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

Asia Powers Global IPO Recovery As Proceeds Jump 60% In H1, EY Says

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

TBC Bank Completes OLX Uzbekistan Acquisition as It Expands Embedded Finance Strategy

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

SEC To Examine Shift Towards 24-Hour US Stock Trading

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

ADB Ventures, Japan’s JICA Launch Startup Funding Program for SE Asia and Pacific Expansion

Early-stage companies developing solutions in clean energy, sustainable agriculture, inclusive finance, and other priority sectors may receive up to $400,000 in seed funding under a new program launched by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). ADB Ventures, the venture… Read More

Visa, HK’s Lianlian Complete Live B2B Purchase Using AI Agent

An artificial intelligence agent has moved beyond recommending suppliers and completed an actual business purchase in Greater China, carrying out tasks that would typically require several separate procurement and payment steps. Visa and Hong Kong-listed Lianlian DigiTech said Lianlian’s LoopXPay agent completed what the companies… Read More

Hong Kong SFC Enhances Leveraged Product Framework As Single-Stock Market Expands

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has enhanced its regulatory framework for authorised leveraged and inverse products, giving product providers greater flexibility in managing their products while drawing investors’ attention to their nature as daily trading instruments. The regulator said Hong Kong’s leveraged and… Read More

Qatar Builds Fintech Talent Pipeline to Support Financial Hub Ambitions

Qatar is seeking to build the skilled workforce needed to support its ambitions of becoming a regional financial and fintech hub. “Developing national talent is essential to achieving the Qatar National Vision 2030, serving as a fundamental pillar for supporting sustainable economic growth,” Qatar Financial… Read More

Philippine Cash Remittances Rise 2% In May As US Remains Biggest Source

Cash remittances sent home by overseas Filipinos rose 2.0% in May from a year earlier to $2.71 billion, extending steady growth that continued to support household income and domestic demand, central bank data accessed by CrowdFund Insider showed. The increase brought cash remittances in the… Read More

Hong Kong Eases IPO Rules In Push To Strengthen Listing Hub Status

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) has relaxed key listing requirements, including lowering thresholds for companies seeking weighted voting rights structures and expanding confidential filing arrangements, as the bourse steps up efforts to attract more initial public offerings and reinforce the city’s position as a… Read More

AMERRA Targets $200m for Brazil-Focused Agribusiness Private Credit Fund

AMERRA Capital Management is targeting about $200 million for a private credit fund that will provide senior secured financing to predominantly Brazilian food and agribusiness companies, with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) considering an anchor investment of up to $30 million. According to a project… Read More

Singapore Regulator Issues New Audit Guidelines for Payment Service Providers

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has issued new guidelines setting out its expectations for the annual audit of payment service providers (PSPs), requiring licensed firms to strengthen oversight of risk management, regulatory compliance, and controls as the city-state’s digital payments sector expands. The Guidelines… Read More

Singapore-Founded Paymonade Secures Crypto Asset Services License in Europe

Singapore-founded crypto payments infrastructure provider Paymonade has received a Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) license from Liechtenstein’s Financial Market Authority. The license allows it to offer regulated crypto-asset services across all 30 European Economic Area (EEA) member states under a single passportable license. The approval comes… Read More

EQT Raises Kakaku.com Bid Above Rival Offer In Escalating Japan Buyout Battle

A consortium led by Swedish private equity firm EQT has raised its tender offer for Japanese online platform operator Kakaku.com to 3,450 yen ($21.25) per share, overtaking a competing proposal from a consortium led by SoftBank-owned LY Corp and Bain Capital as the battle for… Read More

Dubai Gets First AI-Native Asset Manager with Deep Finance Capital Launch

Deep Finance Capital has launched in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), positioning itself as the emirate’s first AI-native asset manager. The DFSA-regulated firm will serve institutional and professional investors across real estate, private equity, commodities and special situations. Deep Finance Capital emerged from Rasameel… Read More

Bank of America Names Sonali Theisen To Lead Global Digital Assets Platform

Bank of America has appointed Sonali Theisen to lead its global digital assets platform as the Wall Street lender expands its work on blockchain-based financial services. Theisen will oversee the design, development, expansion and governance of the bank’s blockchain infrastructure. Her responsibilities will cover tokenized… Read More

AI Software Platform Emergent Raises $130m, Hits $1.5bn Valuation

Emergent has raised $130 million in a Series C funding round that values the AI software creation platform at $1.5 billion, a fivefold increase in four months and enough to give it unicorn status a year after its public launch. The round was led by… Read More

IFC Proposes Up To $150m Green Bond Investment in Poland’s BZ WBK

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is considering an investment of up to $150 million equivalent in euros in a green bond to be issued by Bank Zachodni WBK S.A., with the potential to mobilize a further $100 million, or its euro equivalent, from other investors…. Read More

Singapore Workers Less Skeptical Of AI But Slow to Adopt It At Work, Survey Finds

Singapore’s desk workers are among the least skeptical of artificial intelligence globally, but relatively few use the technology as a core part of their daily work after many early deployments failed to meet expectations, according to a Salesforce survey. Only 29% of desk workers in… Read More

SE Asia’s Xendit Integrates Philippines’ Dragonpay Into Regional Payments Platform

Payments infrastructure company Xendit has integrated Philippine payments provider Dragonpay into its regional platform, giving Dragonpay merchants access to more than 100 payment methods, payouts, cross-border payments and financing. The announcement does not involve a new acquisition or share transaction, a Dragonpay spokesman told Crowdfund… Read More

Send this to a friend