Asia

July 9, 2023 @ 1:02 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) announces the issuance of the Implementing Regulations for the Law of Payments and Payment Services “to support the objective of enhancing soundness and efficiency of the payment systems infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.” The relevant regulatory and supervisory frameworks enable SAMA… Read More

July 8, 2023 @ 7:24 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

China’s regulatory authorities revealed on Friday (July 7, 2023) a 7.12 billion yuan (approximately $984 million) fine for Ant Group, a decision that effectively ends a lengthy regulatory revamp of the Fintech firm while marking an important step to concluding a massive crackdown on the… Read More

July 8, 2023 @ 3:23 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Apple has reportedly removed several malicous lending apps targeting unsuspecting users in India. The apps had allegedly used unethical methods in order to collect repayments, like threatening to send deepfake nudes to the borrowers’ personal contacts. In the last week, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has removed various… Read More

July 8, 2023 @ 11:33 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Printemps, the French luxury department store, announced the integration of Alipay+, a suite of global cross-border digital payment and marketing solutions, in order “to offer Asian consumers a convenient and seamless checkout experience with their home e-wallets.” Through a simple integration, Kakao Pay and AlipayHK… Read More

July 8, 2023 @ 9:02 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Singlife recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) to support high-growth insurance startups to adopt generative artificial intelligence (AI). Singlife is the first financial services partner “to collaborate with Microsoft for the Startups Programme in ASEAN for budding insurtech startups to scale… Read More

July 7, 2023 @ 11:37 am By Omar Faridi  |  

TOKO, headquartered in Dubai with offices in Hong Kong, is a digital asset creation platform, created in collaboration with DLA Piper and operating within an unparalleled regulatory framework, signs joint business relationship with PwC Hong Kong in order “to offer Blockchain solutions to PwC’s global… Read More

July 6, 2023 @ 10:07 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

DBS (SGX:D05) announced it is one of the first foreign banks in China to launch an e-CNY merchant collection solution and complete an e-CNY transaction for a client. The solution empowers corporate clients of DBS China “to collect payments from their customers in e-CNY, China’s… Read More

July 6, 2023 @ 10:04 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) recently announced that Maha El Dimachki will join the BIS Innovation Hub (BISIH) team as “the new head of the Singapore Centre, starting on 1 October 2023.” Ms El Dimachki is currently Head of Early and High Growth Oversight… Read More

July 6, 2023 @ 10:02 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Researchers are “cautiously optimistic” about where generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) will lead humanity, but they say that we “must develop more guardrails.” This is according to Pascale Fung, Chair Professor, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Hong Kong SAR, China. She was speaking at the… Read More

July 5, 2023 @ 1:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Nium, which claims to be the leader in real-time global payments, recently announced the opening of its new headquarters in Singapore. The ceremony was officiated by Mr. Heng Swee Keat, Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore. The new facility, located strategically at Capital Tower in the… Read More

July 4, 2023 @ 6:04 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

This week, it was widely reported that Singapore will soon require cryptocurrency exchanges to keep customer assets in a trust as part of efforts to ensure funds are safeguarded following the implosion of FTX in November. The city-state also plans to push ahead with a… Read More

July 4, 2023 @ 12:30 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) announced the implementation of its sustainable finance regulatory framework with immediate effect, following significant support received through public consultation, “reinforcing its position as a sustainable financial hub and a natural hub for sustainable finance activities.” The framework encompasses rules “on… Read More

July 4, 2023 @ 3:54 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced new requirements for Digital Payment Token (DPT) service providers to safekeep customer assets under a statutory trust before the end of the year. This will aim to “mitigate the risk of loss or misuse of customers’ assets, and… Read More

July 3, 2023 @ 7:20 am By Omar Faridi  |  

PeerBerry investors funded €65.12 million of loans in June and received €819,213 in interest. The amount of funded loans on the PeerBerry platform “was 3% higher than the previous month.” PeerBerry’s portfolio “amounted to €115.17 million at the end of June.” 1205 new investors “joined… Read More

July 2, 2023 @ 2:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Robo.cash claims that it sees strong potential for the Asian fintech market, which is already setting certain trends, according to an update from the firm. The parent holding of Robo.cash plans “to focus on digital banking” in Asian markets. During the Finfellas P2P conference in… Read More

July 1, 2023 @ 10:20 am By Omar Faridi  |  

OCBC (SGX: O39) has launched a fully digital account opening service for consumers in its key markets who are relocating to Singapore. These individuals from Malaysia, Indonesia, mainland China and Hong Kong SAR will be able to “open Singapore dollar and multi-currency accounts on the… Read More

July 1, 2023 @ 9:18 am By Omar Faridi  |  

PETRONAS has announced the selection of 20 startups from across Asia Pacific to participate in the third edition of PETRONAS FutureTech, an intensive technology accelerator program. FutureTech 3.0, “co-organized with StartupX Pte. Ltd., a Singapore-based innovation, venture and startup enabler, marks a significant milestone as… Read More

July 1, 2023 @ 6:59 am By Omar Faridi  |  

In efforts to further strengthen its online banking ecosystem and protect its customers, Maybank announced that it has successfully completed the migration to Secure2u for online banking services including bill payments and DuitNow, FPX and IBG transactions. Maybank is fully supportive of and has “completed… Read More

June 30, 2023 @ 10:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Driven by the banking giants’ continuous quest for digital excellence and in line with its ambitious transformation strategy, the financial service provider announced the launch of DIB alt, which is described as “a full-fledged digital umbrella brand to house all of the bank’s digital offerings… Read More

June 30, 2023 @ 7:33 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Gr4vy, the Cloud-native payments infrastructure company, announced a new investment from W23, Woolworths Group’s venture capital arm. This strategic investment expands “on an existing partnership and reflects continued confidence in Gr4vy from Australia and New Zealand’s largest retailer.” Gr4vy previously “raised $27.2M in total funding… Read More