Asia

December 28, 2021 @ 9:45 am By JD Alois  |  

Once again, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is urging the population to give e-hong baos as opposed to physical cash. While telling people the digital version is more environmentally friendly, the digital version should also help limit queuing at banks that can fuel COVID… Read More

December 27, 2021 @ 11:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Mr Leong Sing Chiong, Deputy MD at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), noted (during the annual IBF Distinction Evening program) that every year, the financial services industry gathers to “recognize those who have reached the pinnacle of their professions, and those who have contributed significantly… Read More

December 27, 2021 @ 8:01 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Dr. Ben Livshits, CEO at Zilliqa, the high-performance, a high-security blockchain platform, notes in an end-of-year update that in a fast-paced industry, the crypto market lows and highs, and uncertainties around Covid-19 “continued to create a trifecta of challenges for all this year.” But the… Read More

December 27, 2021 @ 9:13 am By Xu Gao  |  

State Administration for Market Regulation Establishes Competition Policy & Big Data Center On December 16th, the State Administration for Market Regulation held the founding meeting of its competition policy & big data center. As approved, the main responsibilities of the center are policy research on… Read More

December 27, 2021 @ 2:17 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Bank Indonesia has introduced the Bank Indonesia Fast Payment (BI-FAST) system virtually, entitled “Payment System Digital Transformation to Accelerate National Economic Recovery.” BI-FAST is described as a payment system infrastructure offered by Bank Indonesia and accessible via applications offered by the payment system industry “to… Read More

December 27, 2021 @ 12:40 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Eli Mydlarz, Head of Engineering at Pakistani Fintech SadaPay, has noted that his firm likes to get feedback as fast and early as possible, so they can’t depend on end-to-end testing while creating financial software applications. Eli wrote in a blog post, earlier this month,… Read More

December 26, 2021 @ 11:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Qudian Inc. (NYSE: QD), a tech platform empowering the enhancement of the online consumer finance experience in China, announced that Min Luo, the firm’s founder, chairman and CEO, has informed the company that he plans to use personal funds to acquire up to $10 million of… Read More

December 26, 2021 @ 11:25 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Investree reveals that it has strengthened its commitment to support the development of SMEs across the Philippines by working cooperatively with Netbank, a banking as a service platform in the Southeast Asian country that offers “low-cost and high-quality banking services.” Via the collaboration, Netbank allocated… Read More

December 26, 2021 @ 10:44 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Saudi Arabia-headquartered Arab National Bank has reportedly signed on US-based open-source software provider Red Hat, Inc., for the latter’s open hybrid Cloud technologies. As mentioned in the announcement, the Arab National Bank is planning to enhance its capabilities in virtual banking, open finance and customer… Read More

December 26, 2021 @ 8:17 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Indonesia’s Flip, a consumer payments platform, confirmed that it has secured $48 million via a Series B round that has been co-led by Sequoia Capital India, Insight Partners, and Insignia Ventures Partners. Flip’s latest investment round notably marks Insight Partners’, a New York-headquartered private equity… Read More

December 26, 2021 @ 5:47 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

In order to ensure the safety and security of the payment system, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has expanded the tokenization facility from an earlier version/framework to Card on File Tokenization (COFT). Virtual payments Fintech Paytm has now introduced a tokenization solution for online… Read More

December 26, 2021 @ 9:58 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Tencent Holdings Ltd., a major Chinese multinational technology conglomerate holding company founded in 1998, says it’s getting ready for a carbon-neutral future. Tencent, whose subsidiaries globally market Internet-related services and products, including in entertainment, Fintech, artificial intelligence, and other technology, confirmed that earlier this month,… Read More

December 24, 2021 @ 9:11 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Local tech startup Bloom has unveiled a new collaboration with Visa (NYSE: V) to provide extra spending rewards for Visa card users residing in Hong Kong. As noted in an update shared with CI, the tie-up should help with accelerating Visa’s journey in connecting with… Read More

December 24, 2021 @ 8:41 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Investment platform nr2, which gives firms and investors AI-enhanced insights into South Korea and China’s high-potential startups, has acquired capital for its ongoing expansion. nr2 has reportedly obtained funding from new investors including Lord Rothschild and Sir Simon Robey. The international investment platform will use… Read More

December 23, 2021 @ 12:37 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The month of December is always an “exciting month” for Razorpay, the company wrote in a blog post dated December 20, 2021. Razorpay added that it has celebrated its 7th year since launch. The firm reveals that what started off as an idea between Shashank… Read More

December 21, 2021 @ 10:17 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

Vietnamese e-wallet MoMo said today it has raised $200 million in its Series E funding round. Its $2.27 billion evaluation places it firmly in the unicorn club. Japanese bank Mizuho led the round by providing $170 million for a 7.5 per cent stake in the… Read More

December 21, 2021 @ 11:06 am By Omar Faridi  |  

UnionPay International (UPI) has introduced its SoftPOS (Point-of-Sale) solution for the first time using a payment tech that’s powered by SoftPOS provider, Soft Space. The SoftPOS solution will reportedly be launched in Malaysia and it’s expected to create various market opportunities for UPI to expand… Read More

December 20, 2021 @ 10:39 pm By JD Alois  |  

CHAI, a digital wallet and payment service provider including credit cards, e-wallets, and wire transfers, has raised $45 million in a Series B+ funding round led by SoftBank Ventures Asia (SBVA) and B Capital. Other investors participating in the round include KT Investment, Conductive Ventures,… Read More

December 20, 2021 @ 10:08 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The team at Indian Fintech Razorpay notes that if you are running a business on Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), then you are probably well aware that effective cash flow can be vital to the scalability of your business. Whether your business is growing or just starting… Read More

December 20, 2021 @ 6:49 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Go for gold investments, the team at Paytm (NSE: PAYTM) recommends. Paytm writes in a blog post that gold is a “sought-after asset, the world over.” The Fintech firm gives the example of an Olympian seeking out that “glistening gold medal.” Paytm adds that this… Read More