Asia

December 18, 2025 @ 12:15 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Asia-Pacific deal ecosystem has reportedly experienced a slowdown in activity during January-November 2025, reflecting a “broader trend of cautious deal-making.” The total number of deals (comprising mergers & acquisitions (M&A), private equity and venture financing deals) announced in the APAC region “decreased by 5%… Read More

December 17, 2025 @ 9:02 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Olea Global Pte Ltd, a platform enabling global trade, announced the completion of its $30 million Series A round. The funding round was led by BBVA (Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A), with participation from XDC Network, theDOCK, others, as well as existing shareholder SC Ventures,… Read More

December 17, 2025 @ 6:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Animoca Brands, a digital assets leader building blockchain and tokenized assets to advance the future of Web3, announced it entered into a term sheet with GROW Investment Group , China’s investment and asset management platform backed by Julius Baer. Under the term sheet, Animoca Brands… Read More

December 17, 2025 @ 2:04 am By Michael Wong  |  

Outstanding debt in Indonesia’s online lending industry climbed to 92.92 trillion rupiah ($5.6 billion) in October, the Financial Services Authority (OJK) said, as growth accelerated while credit quality held broadly steady. The regulator said online-loan balances rose 23.86% from a year earlier, picking up from… Read More

December 16, 2025 @ 8:09 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Proxymity, the digital investor communication platform, announces the expansion of its partnership with Deutsche Bank, one of the global financial institutions, with the rollout of Proxymity Vote Connect Access in Thailand. Deutsche Bank is said to be one of the first adopters of Proxymity’s digital… Read More

December 15, 2025 @ 8:12 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Avalanche Foundation has recently announced the formal incorporation of a Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) Foundation within Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), a milestone in Avalanche’s vision to support Web3 adoption, enterprise partnerships, and ecosystem growth across the MENA region. The DLT entity (The Avalanche… Read More

December 15, 2025 @ 5:17 pm By Michael Wong  |  

South Korea’s push to tighten rules for virtual assets is moving into a second legislative phase focused on stablecoins, as policymakers and financial firms step up discussions on how won-linked tokens could be issued and used, according to organisers of an industry forum. The second… Read More

December 15, 2025 @ 3:56 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Circle Internet Group, Inc. (NYSE: CRCL), one of the world’s internet financial platform companies, announced a regulatory milestone in the United Arab Emirates as it strengthens its presence in the region. Circle has secured a Financial Services Permission (FSP) license from the Financial Services Regulatory… Read More

December 14, 2025 @ 12:37 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Capital A Berhad and Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia have signed a letter of intent to explore the development and testing of a ringgit-denominated stablecoin, joining a growing list of firms looking to build regulated digital-asset rails for payments and settlements. The project would be pursued… Read More

December 14, 2025 @ 7:31 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Copper Securities (ME) Limited (CSL), a member of the global Copper Group, announced its intention to expand activities within Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), focusing on Digital Asset custody, collateral management, and settlement solutions subject to regulatory approval by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA)…. Read More

December 13, 2025 @ 2:37 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) has signed a strategic partnership with private investment firm Bain Capital to support Bain’s expansion in the emirate, linking the move to the launch of a new financial-services cluster aimed at fintech, insurance, digital assets and alternative investments. The… Read More

December 13, 2025 @ 2:35 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

GoTyme Bank, which claims to be one of the fastest-growing banks in the Philippines and a JV between the Gokongwei Group and Tyme Group, announced the launch of its cryptocurrency investment feature. This launch was reportedly made possible in partnership with Alpaca, a global player… Read More

December 13, 2025 @ 2:32 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

RIQ and Swiss Re have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop and scale innovative capacity solutions, risk origination opportunities, and AI-enabled capabilities across the UAE region. Headquartered in the ADGM, RIQ is building an AI native reinsurance platform that integrates artificial intelligence and analytics… Read More

December 13, 2025 @ 2:31 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Crypto.com and LuLu Financial Holdings (LuLuFin) have announced a strategic partnership to develop regulated digital asset capabilities across multiple markets, starting in the UAE. The collab will reportedly integrate Crypto.com’s trading infrastructure, custody, and payment technologies with LuLuFin’s financial services and global network, while adhering… Read More

December 12, 2025 @ 5:09 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

iCapital has opened its first office in the Middle East in Abu Dhabi within ADGM, the international financial center of Abu Dhabi, the Capital of the UAE. The firm has received its in-principle approval for advisory and arranging services in the ADGM, which is subject to… Read More

December 11, 2025 @ 9:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Alpha Dhabi Holding PJSC, which claims to be one of the fastest-growing investment holding companies in the MENA region, listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX: AlphaDhabi), and Mubadala Investment Company PJSC, an Abu Dhabi sovereign investor, have recently announced that their joint venture… Read More

December 11, 2025 @ 11:14 am By JD Alois  |  

Anchorage Digital will partner with OSL to issue a new dollar-based stablecoin – USDGO. OSL Group (HKEX: 863) is a Hong Kong-based stablecoin trading and payment platform for financial institutions and individuals. The company offers crypto trading, custody, payments, and tokenization services. Anchorage Digital and… Read More

December 10, 2025 @ 10:13 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) is pleased to announce an expansion of its index portfolio with the launch of the HKEX Tech 100 Index (HKEX Tech 100), the Group’s first Hong Kong equity index that underscores its ongoing investment in building further on… Read More

December 10, 2025 @ 9:59 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Setu by Pine Labs has recently announced the launch of India’s agentic bill-payments experience, designed to address key challenges in bill payments: the fear of incorrect charges and the burden of missing important due dates. Although actually paying a bill takes minutes, keeping track of… Read More

December 10, 2025 @ 7:38 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Airwallex, a global enabler of business banking products, has recently announced that it acquired majority ownership of PT Skye Sab Indonesia, a PJP (Penyedia Jasa Pembayaran) Category 1 license holder. The acquisition allows Indonesian merchants aiming to expand overseas “to tap into Airwallex’s financial infrastructure.”… Read More