Asia

February 6, 2022 @ 4:57 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) recently noted that banks in the Southeast Asian country have “substantially” implemented the additional measures to enhance the security of virtual banking announced on 19 January 2022. The measures, taken together, offer a “significant” added layer of security to… Read More

February 5, 2022 @ 9:06 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Bank of Baroda, one of India’s largest banking institutions, had been looking to boost efficiencies, implement the latest digital technology and provide a more connected customer experience. With these objectives in mind, it chose NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR), an international enterprise tech provider, and its… Read More

February 5, 2022 @ 12:30 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Liquid Group and all of its operating subsidiaries including Quoine Corporation (Cryptocurrency Exchange Business Kanto Finance Bureau Director No. 00002) and Quoine Pte. in Singapore are reportedly being acquired by FTX Trading Ltd. The acquisition is “expected to close in March 2022, subject to customary… Read More

February 4, 2022 @ 12:47 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

India is to tax and regulate Bitcoin and crypto after previously considering a ban, which could be the next step towards making it legal tender in the country, suspects deVere Group CEO Nigel Green. Green’s assessment comes as Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a… Read More

February 3, 2022 @ 9:39 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

MRHB DeFi, which claims to be the first decentralized finance ecosystem platform focused on ethical, sustainable and halal cryptocurrency-related opportunities, has secured $5.5 million via a series of private and public rounds which culminated in an initial DEX offering (IDO) that was “oversubscribed” on the… Read More

February 2, 2022 @ 10:25 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

The Central Bank of Kuwait this week released guidelines for digital banks. They said this falls within its overall efforts to utilize the latest advancements to bolster financial stability, encourage innovation, and meet future economic needs. Governor Dr. Mohammad Y. Al-Hashel said guaranteeing the smooth operation… Read More

February 2, 2022 @ 1:17 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

Southeast Asian open finance platform Ayoconnect has closed a $15 million Series B financing round led by Tiger Global. The round was joined by PayU, the payments and Fintech business of Prosus, and Alto Partners, as well as individual strategic investors, including Plaid co-founder William… Read More

February 1, 2022 @ 9:52 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

HashKey Group, a digital asset financial services group in Asia, announced its asset management subsidiary has completed an initial closing of its new fund in December 2021 with commitments of US $360 million. The newly raised capital will be used to fund entrepreneurs and startups… Read More

February 1, 2022 @ 9:29 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

The Reserve Bank of India plans to launch a digital rupee in the 2022-23 fiscal year that begins on April Fools’ Day, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said today, saying it will boost the digital economy. She made the comments while delivering the country’s annual budget…. Read More

February 1, 2022 @ 5:31 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Qlub, a company creating a fast payment solution for consumers in restaurants, has secured $17 million via a seed round. Qlub’s investment round has been co-led by Cherry Ventures and Point Nine along with contributions from other several VCs such as STV, Raed Ventures, Heartcore,… Read More

February 1, 2022 @ 11:38 am By JD Alois  |  

Amber Group has acquired DeCurret Inc., a crypto exchange subsidiary of DeCurret Holdings Inc. The transaction was completed by Amber Group subsidiary WhaleFin Holdings Japan K.K (WhaleFin Japan). The transaction enables Amber Group’s entry into Japan, having acquired a Crypto-Asset Exchange Service Provider (CAESP)  registered… Read More

January 31, 2022 @ 11:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Singapore-headquartered Insurtech firm 360F and AXA recently announced that they will be introducing a full-scale production of their advisory tool, called “My FinScore.” 360F had supported the launch of My FinScore with AXA Singapore earlier in January. The product was made available to AXA’s 700-strong… Read More

January 31, 2022 @ 10:49 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Plentina, a Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) Fintech focused on serving emerging markets, has teamed up with Southeast Asia’s digital retailer ZALORA in order to provide its short-term financing option. Residents of the Philippines may download the Plentina app to access loans valued at up… Read More

January 31, 2022 @ 10:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Spendwisor Inc. has entered into an agreement with Gem Global Yield LLC SCS (GEM) in order to boost the existing facility size from QAR 190 million (appr. $50 million) to QAR 310 million (appr. $85 million). As mentioned in the update, this serves as a… Read More

January 31, 2022 @ 9:17 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Axiata Digital’s Fintech division Boost is reportedly planning to expand its products and services while strengthening its regional presence. The firm announced these plans after a year of steady growth in revenues and product innovation. Boost reveals that its client base increased to more than… Read More

January 31, 2022 @ 8:54 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Qwikcilver, a subsidiary of Pine Labs and provider of end-to-end gifting solutions, has teamed up with the Philippine Airlines (PAL) for its digital gift card program. Developed with assistance from travel tech firm Amadeus, this particular program will help PAL to further improve customer satisfaction… Read More

January 30, 2022 @ 9:40 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

ForgeRock (NYSE: FORG), an international digital identity provider, recently announced its continued expansion across Asia and has made ForgeRock Identity Cloud “available locally from two new data centers in Indonesia and Hong Kong.” As mentioned in the update, this move expands ForgeRock’s Identity Cloud into… Read More

January 30, 2022 @ 9:18 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Wise clients across the globe will now have the option to conduct quick, seamless and cost-effective global fund transfers to Weixin users residing in China from 11 different currencies, including SGD, USD and GBP. Wise (LON:WISE), the international tech firm focused on creating the best… Read More

January 30, 2022 @ 12:36 pm By Xu Gao  |  

HKEX Welcomes the First SPAC On January 17th, Aquila Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), submitted a listing application to HKEX. The sponsors of the company are CMB International Capital Corporation Limited (“CMBI”) and AAC Mgmt Holding Ltd. According to the preliminary prospectus,… Read More

January 30, 2022 @ 12:21 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Kazakhstan, which is reportedly the world’s second-largest miner of Bitcoin (BTC), the flagship cryptocurrency, has closed down its digital currency mining operations until the end of this month. Kazakhstan‘s State electricity provider KEGOC decided to cut off the supply to the virtual currency miners after… Read More