Asia

Digital Asset Marketplace Zipmex Reports First Lamborghini Purchased with Crypto

Zipmex, a Singapore-based digital asset exchange that operates in multiple countries, says it has processed Asia’s first purchase of a Lamborghini using cryptocurrency. According to a release, Jo Chirawat used Zipmex’s mobile app to put a downpayment in Bitcoin on a 2021 Huracán EVO RWD… Read More

Malaysia Co-Investment Fund Makes RM165 Million Investment in Over 5,300 Equity Crowdfunding, P2P Initiatives

The Malaysia Co-Investment Fund (MyCIF) has reportedly made a co-investment of RM165 million (appr. $40.27 million) in 5,349 equity crowdfunding and peer-to-peer financing (P2P) initiatives, which aims to benefit 1,197 Malaysian MSMEs by the end of last year. Since its October 2019 launch, these Malaysia-based… Read More

Mortgage Platform Mortgage Master Raises SG$928,000 in Pre-Series A Funding

Mortgage Master, a mortgage brokering platform, has raised SG$928,000 in a Pre-Series A funding round, according to the company. The investment was led by Woon Young Jeong, along with existing investors, including Bala Swaminathan, former President of Westpac International and Founder of S Cube Capital,… Read More

Plug and Play Opens New Office in Seoul, Korea

  Global accelerator program Plug and Play announced on Tuesday the launch of its new office in Seoul, Korea. Plug and Play reported its Korea division will primarily focus on corporate innovation in the areas of Financial Services (Fintech, Insurtech, and Health) and Smart Cities (Mobility &… Read More

Malaysian Fintech MyMy Given Conditional Approval from Bank Negara as Company Prepares for Digital Wallet Launch

MyMy revealed on Monday (April 26, 2021) that it has obtained conditional approval for a large scheme E-money license from Bank Negara Malaysia, the nation’s central bank. The Fintech firm is now planning to launch its digital wallet services in the coming year. Until all… Read More

Southeast Asia’s StashAway, a Digital Wealth Manager, Is Raising $25M as Part of Series D from Sequoia Capital India, Others

Southeast Asia based StashAway, a digital wealth manager, is reportedly raising $25 million as part of its Series D funding round that is being led by VC firm Sequoia Capital India. StashAway’s current investors, Eight Roads Ventures, the international investment company supported by Fidelity International… Read More

Hong Kong’s Mox Bank, a New Digital Lending Platform, Plans to Double Client Base During 2021

Mox Bank, the digital lending platform that’s backed by Standard Chartered, is reportedly planning to double its client base in 2021. Mox Bank has already managed to surpass 100,000 account holders within 8 months since its launch. This, according to company CEO Deniz Guven. As… Read More

Uppsala Security and South Korean Digital Asset Exchange Bithumb Reportedly Helped Victim Recover 20M KRW from Alleged Fraud

Uppsala Security, a provider of tools for Crypto AML, Risk Management, Regulatory Compliance, and Cybersecurity revealed on Monday (April 26, 2021) that with assistance from Bithumb, one of South Korea’s leading digital asset exchanges, it has helped a victim to “recover approximately 20 million KRW”… Read More

China: WeiyangX Fintech Review

Fintech Companies Will Face Listing Restrictions on the SSE STAR Market  On April 16th, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) published the revised edition of “STAR Market Property Evaluation Guidelines”. According to the amendments, Fintech companies will be classified as “restricted” category when it applies… Read More

Saudi Arabia based BNPL Fintech Finalizes $110M Series A Mega-Round led by Checkout.com

Saudi Arabia-based Tamara, a Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) service provider, recently confirmed that it finalized a $110 million Series A funding round led by Checkout.com. The funds raised will be used by Tamara to scale its professional team, expand into new markets in the… Read More

UK Cross-Border Payments Fintech Currencycloud Appoints Former Goldman Sachs Exec to Lead APAC Expansion

London-based Currencycloud, an established provider of B2B embedded cross-border solutions, recently revealed that it has launched an Asia Pacific (APAC) headquarters in Singapore. Currencycloud‘s new business office, based in Raffles Quay, will act as a hub to help the UK-headquartered Fintech with expanding operations across… Read More

Klaytn Teams Up With ConsenSys For Blockchain Solutions

Klaytn, a global public blockchain platform developed by Ground X, the blockchain affiliate of the leading South Korean Internet company, Kakao, announced on Thursday it has teamed up with ConsenSys, an Ethereum software company, to advance its platform’s integrated digital currency efforts. Klaytn reported through… Read More

UK’s Lendable Provides $15M Secured Loan to Uploan, a Philippines based Salary linked Financial Services Provider

Philippines-based Uploan, an established provider of salary-linked financial services, has reportedly acquired a senior secured loan of $15 million from UK’s Lendable, a provider of debt to Fintech firms in emerging or developing markets. The long-term facility should help Uploan with expanding its existing loan… Read More

DBS Bank and Contour to Expand Digital Trade Offerings in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore

DBS Bank and Contour have expanded their digital trade offerings to four new markets in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. As mentioned in a release, digital letter of credit capabilities will be offered in Australia, China, Hong Kong and Singapore starting this month. The announcement also… Read More

Bitcoin, Ethereum, Multi-Strategy Digital Asset Fund Introduced by Huobi Asset Mgmt, Intended for Professional Investors

Huobi Asset Management (Hong Kong) Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Huobi Technology Holdings Limited, has introduced virtual asset-related funds for professional investors. The new product offering includes three digital asset funds and a private equity fund for blockchain mining-related businesses, according to a release shared… Read More

Insurtech Ignatica Raises $7 Million Pre-Series A Funding

Ingatica, an Insurtech that offers a digital self-service and automation solutions for insurers, has closed on a USD $7 million pre-series A funding. The investment was led by Lingfeng Capital, with participation from SOSV Investment Funds, Australia-based Artesian, HK-Based AFG Partners Fund, as well as… Read More

Revolut to Expand in India, Will Hire 300 Staff as Part of Expansion: Report

Digital bank Revolut is expanding into India, according to multiple reports. India, with a population of over 1.3 billion, assets of public sector banks are around Rs. 107.83 lakh crore or USD $ 1.52 trillion as of 2020, according to a recent report. In India,… Read More

Board of Abu Dhabi Global Market Approves Formation of ADGM Authority, Will be Led by Financial Services Veteran Mark Nicholas Cutis

The Board of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the international financial center located in Abu Dhabi, has reportedly approved the formation of the ADGM Authority. ADGM Authority is expected to be led by Mark Nicholas Cutis, who will be serving as the organization’s Chief Executive…. Read More

Indian Fintech Razorpay Secures $160M in Funding from GIC, Sequoia, Ribbit Capital, Matrix Partners

Indian neobank Razorpay notes that it’s been a challenging time for people across the globe. COVID-19 has disrupted lives in many different ways, the company adds in a recent blog post. Razorpay points out that with over a year since the first lockdown, Indian businesses… Read More

CBDCs: China to Expand Digital Yuan Pilot Program into other Cities, but No Confirmed Date for Official Virtual Currency Launch

China is reportedly expanding its virtual yuan experiments to more local cities, however, there’s no exact timetable for its official launch, central bank Vice Governor Li Bo stated during an annual meeting on Sunday (April 18, 2021) of both Chinese and foreign policymakers, senior executives… Read More

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