March 8, 2026 @ 4:02 pm By Michael Wong  |  

South Korea’s ruling party and financial regulators have agreed to cap the stake that major shareholders can hold in cryptocurrency exchanges at 20%, a move that could force some of the country’s biggest trading platforms to restructure their ownership as Seoul pushes ahead with a… Read More

March 3, 2026 @ 6:26 am By Michael Wong  |  

South Korea-based venture capital firm The Invention Lab has completed a seed investment in Singapore artificial intelligence computing startup RIDM, backing a technology it says could ease a key performance bottleneck in AI and high-performance computing systems. The Invention Lab said the round was made… Read More

March 3, 2026 @ 1:40 am By Michael Wong  |  

Artificial intelligence data infrastructure startup Encord said it has raised $60 million in a Series C funding round led by Wellington Management, as investors bet on growing demand for tools that help companies manage complex data for real-world AI applications. The round included participation from… Read More

March 2, 2026 @ 8:34 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Southeast Asian governments have endorsed a Malaysia-led regional framework aimed at smoothing cross-border cloud computing and data hosting, as ASEAN steps up efforts to reduce regulatory frictions that have complicated regional digital trade and the scaling of data-driven services. Malaysia’s Ministry of Digital, working through… Read More

March 2, 2026 @ 8:48 am By Michael Wong  |  

South Korean police have launched an investigation into the alleged theft of cryptocurrency worth about $4.8 million that had been seized by the National Tax Service (NTS), after sensitive wallet information was inadvertently disclosed, the Korea JoongAng Daily reported. The National Police Agency (NPA) said… Read More

March 2, 2026 @ 3:43 am By Michael Wong  |  

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has put mastery of artificial intelligence on the same list as critical thinking and financial literacy in a new National Education Charter, as the government moves to align learning outcomes with fast-changing skills needs and strategic sectors of the economy…. Read More

March 1, 2026 @ 6:16 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Fintech investment in the Asia Pacific fell to levels not seen in more than a decade in 2025, as geopolitical tensions, uneven growth, and a cautious funding environment kept dealmaking subdued, according to a report by KPMG. Deal value and volume in the region slipped… Read More

March 1, 2026 @ 2:50 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Venture fundraising on Carta rebounded sharply in 2025, with startups raising nearly $120 billion as investor appetite shifted back toward higher valuations and founder-friendly terms, while AI increasingly dictated where the biggest checks went, a Carta report showed. Startups on Carta raised $119.5 billion in… Read More

February 28, 2026 @ 1:20 pm By Michael Wong  |  

RLWRLD, a South Korean “physical AI” startup building robotics foundation models trained inside live industrial sites, has raised about $26 million in a Seed 2 funding round, bringing its total seed financing to roughly $41 million, the company said. The Seed 2 round drew a… Read More

February 24, 2026 @ 1:35 am By Michael Wong  |  

Zurich-based AI infrastructure startup Rapidata has raised $8.5 million in seed funding as it pitches a faster way for AI developers to gather the human judgments used to train and fine-tune models, in a process that has become a growing choke point for the industry…. Read More

February 24, 2026 @ 1:20 am By Michael Wong  |  

Malaysia’s Ministry of Digital has activated the Government Innovation Initiative (GII), a national programme it says will push public-sector innovation from “concept” to measurable delivery as the country works toward its goal of becoming an “AI Nation” by 2030. In a statement, the ministry said… Read More

February 24, 2026 @ 12:15 am By Michael Wong  |  

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) has agreed to buy secondhand fashion marketplace Depop from Etsy for about $1.2 billion in cash, as the U.S. e-commerce group looks to deepen its push into resale and reach younger shoppers who increasingly buy and sell through mobile-first platforms. Under the definitive… Read More

February 23, 2026 @ 11:41 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Malaysia’s Securities Commission has issued a practice note that lets licensed stockbrokers offer broking services for eligible digital assets under the country’s existing securities rulebook, opting against creating a separate licensing regime for crypto-related intermediation. The guidance applies to Capital Markets Services Licence (CMSL) holders… Read More

February 23, 2026 @ 9:17 am By Michael Wong  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance issued revised staff interpretations on Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF), offering new guidance on how issuers can switch intermediary platforms, calculate fundraising caps, and comply with filing obligations for longer-running offerings. Reg CF was part of the… Read More

February 16, 2026 @ 12:15 am By Michael Wong  |  

AlloyX, a digital-asset infrastructure firm owned by Nasdaq-listed Solowin Holdings, has entered into a partnership with Bahrain FinTech Bay as it moves closer to launching a regulated stablecoin in the Gulf state, positioning itself to tap growing institutional interest in compliant blockchain-based payments. The collaboration… Read More

February 15, 2026 @ 10:12 pm By Michael Wong  |  

OPAQUE, a startup building infrastructure to secure sensitive data used in artificial intelligence systems, has raised $24 million in a Series B funding round led by Walden Catalyst, the company said. Returning investors Intel Capital, Race Capital, Storm Ventures and Thomvest participated in the round,… Read More

February 15, 2026 @ 1:18 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Singapore will set up a new National AI Council chaired by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to steer policy, align government agencies and push the city-state’s next phase of artificial intelligence adoption, Wong said in his Budget 2026 statement. Wong said the government would “review regulations… Read More

February 15, 2026 @ 8:15 am By Michael Wong  |  

The central banks of the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong agreed to deepen cooperation on cross-border debt market links, digital assets and stablecoin regulation. The move comes as the UAE central bank formally joined Hong Kong’s Central Moneymarkets Unit (CMU). The two sides said… Read More

February 15, 2026 @ 1:11 am By Michael Wong  |  

Malaysia’s securities regulator has appointed LC Wakaful Digital Sdn Bhd (LCWD) as the first operator of a new “Social Exchange Platform”, a move aimed at bringing capital-markets-style governance and transparency to donation-based funding for social projects. The Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) said the appointment is… Read More

February 9, 2026 @ 12:57 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Omnispay, a UAE-based fintech focused on payments and cash-flow tools for small and medium-sized enterprises, has raised $2 million in a Pre-Series A round led by Infinity Value Capital Group, the company said. The fresh capital will fund product development and expansion as omnispay shifts… Read More