Asia

November 24, 2023 @ 7:22 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Indian fintech startup Kiwi has announced raising $13 million in a Series A funding round anchored by Omidyar Network India. The round, which followed the startup’s $6 million funding, was also backed by existing investors Nexus Venture Partners and Stellaris Venture Partners. Founded in November… Read More

November 24, 2023 @ 5:52 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), together with the Hong Kong Association of Banks (HKAB) and the banking sector, support the launch of the Anti-Deception Alliance (ADA) by the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF). ADA is expected to strengthen the capability of the anti-money laundering… Read More

November 24, 2023 @ 3:52 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Funding in Southeast Asia continues to decline, but strong valuations and M&A activity are bright spots, according to an update shared by CBInsights. Venture funding in Southeast Asia continued “to slide in Q3’23, falling by 24% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) to $1.6B,” the CBInsights report revealed. Deals… Read More

November 24, 2023 @ 3:25 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

SlowMist and Sinohope Technology Holdings Limited, a comprehensive digital asset custody platform, announced a strategic partnership uniting the two companies. The two parties will carry out active security business cooperation “in MPC security audit, digital asset Anti-money laundering (AML), Web3 threat intelligence cooperation Network, digital… Read More

November 24, 2023 @ 10:57 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Lunate, a global alternative investment management company with more than $50 billion of assets under management, and BNY Mellon (NYSE:BK), the largest custodian and a leader in wealth management technology are investing in a new company, Alpheya, that “will develop a customized wealth management technology… Read More

November 23, 2023 @ 10:27 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) have announced a significant development in fintech collaboration through the exchange of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This agreement focuses on enhancing cross-border trade-related data… Read More

November 23, 2023 @ 8:35 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Lendela, a Singapore-based digital loan matchmaker, has announced raising $5 million in funding anchored by Chocolate Ventures, a venture investment firm started by Singlife founder and former group CEO Walter de Oude. The Series A funding round was also backed by Lendela’s seed investor Cocoon… Read More

November 22, 2023 @ 5:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

LOTTE HIMART, one of the largest electronic goods retailers in South Korea, has partnered with international insurtech bolttech in order “to launch the country’s first-ever home appliance switching service.” Powered by bolttech’s embedded insurance technology, the service will “enable LOTTE HIMART customers to easily replace… Read More

November 21, 2023 @ 10:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

ThetaRay, the provider of AI-powered transaction monitoring and sanction screening solutions, is proud to announce a partnership with Knox Wire. A key player focused on cross-border payments, Knox Wire plans “to implement ThetaRay’s anti-money laundering (AML) transaction monitoring and sanction screening across its bank-to-bank communication… Read More

November 20, 2023 @ 10:39 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The latest Residential Property Price Survey conducted by Bank Indonesia in the third quarter of 2023 indicates “that residential property prices in the primary market are still rising annually, with growth of the Residential Property Price Index (RPPI) accelerating to 1.96% (yoy) from 1.92% (yoy)… Read More

November 20, 2023 @ 10:28 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

PT Bank Jasa Jakarta (BJJ), owned by Astra Financial and WeLab since 2022, launched Bank Saqu, a digital banking service, as a financial partner for individuals and SMEs in Indonesia with a solopreneur spirit. At the launch ceremony of Bank Saqu, it was “attended by… Read More

November 20, 2023 @ 9:25 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

​Personal remittances from Overseas Filipinos (OFs) in September 2023 have reportedly “reached US$3.23 billion, 2.6 percent higher than the US$3.15 billion recorded in the same month last year.” The growth in personal remittances in September 2023 was driven “by increased remittances from 1) land-based workers… Read More

November 20, 2023 @ 6:12 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Thunes and Kapronasia, a strategic advisory and financial services consultancy, have issued a report, “From Cash to QR codes: Unpacking Southeast Asia’s Diverse Consumer Payments Culture,” examining the region’s world-leading payment landscape. The report explores why payment digitization has been on the rise in Southeast… Read More

November 19, 2023 @ 5:18 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Green fintech has become a promising new growth area in Southeast Asia, with green fintech firms bringing innovative solutions to help businesses and governments address challenges and opportunities of going green. This insight was part of the report – Fintech in ASEAN 2023: Seeding the… Read More

November 19, 2023 @ 3:39 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Australia and the Philippines have agreed to cooperate in promoting trade and investment within the financial technology (fintech) sector, marking a major step towards enhancing the technological collaboration between the two nations. The memorandum of understanding that formalises the partnership was signed by FinTech Alliance.ph… Read More

November 19, 2023 @ 2:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Bordier & Cie (Singapore) is Sygnum Singapore’s first B2B client since the latter received its MAS Major Payment Institutions license in October 2023 and launched its regulated Digital Payment Token (DPT) brokerage service. Globally, Sygnum has enabled “the 15+ banks and international financial institutions on… Read More

November 19, 2023 @ 2:43 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Jordan Ahli Bank, a Jordanian financial institution with over six decades of banking experience, has announced its full compliance with the country’s Open Banking and Open Finance regulations. The bank said it has partnered with Open Banking and financial innovation firm Fintech Galaxy to boost… Read More

November 19, 2023 @ 2:09 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Ant International, Grab, and StraitsX have announced a collaborative effort to explore the potential application of Purpose Bound Money (PBM) in cross-border payments. PBM is a protocol that specifies the conditions upon which an underlying digital currency can be used and first introduced by MAS… Read More

November 19, 2023 @ 12:57 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

At the XI Congress of Financiers of Kazakhstan, a new central bank digital currency (CBDC)-linked debit card – the Digital Tenge Card – was presented. As a part of the 30th anniversary celebration of the national currency, the first payment transaction was “made at the… Read More

November 19, 2023 @ 5:24 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Maybank announces that all transactions from Maybank2u Biz app and web platforms will require Secure2u authorisation. All Maybank2u Biz account holders are “recommended to activate the Secure2u authorization before 26 November 2023. Any activation of Secure2u for Maybank2u Biz app after 26 November 2023 will require a… Read More