Asia

October 22, 2026 @ 9:22 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Standard Chartered (LON: STAN) announced that it has signed definitive agreements to acquire Zodia Custody. This step follows the earlier acceptance of the bank’s non-binding offer by Zodia Custody’s shareholders and noteholders. Completion remains conditional on regulatory approvals and standard closing requirements. Under the agreements,… Read More

October 22, 2026 @ 8:25 am By Omar Faridi  |  

As part of a rather significant and very recent coordinated effort against organized online crime, authorities in the United Arab Emirates have spearheaded a three-month international operation that identified more than $39 billion in funds and digital assets connected to fraudulent schemes. The initiative, known… Read More

October 22, 2026 @ 2:23 am By Michael Wong  |  

Artificial intelligence is the top concern for chief executives in Asia-Pacific, with 94% describing it as a critical or existentially critical challenge, while regional leaders report greater preparedness for disruption than their global peers, a survey by leadership advisory firm Egon Zehnder found. The survey… Read More

October 22, 2026 @ 12:50 am By Michael Wong  |  

Artificial intelligence investment is sustaining global demand, but central banks should not assume the technology has already raised productivity or changed the economic conditions that guide monetary policy, a senior Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) official said. Edward S. Robinson, MAS deputy managing director for… Read More

October 21, 2026 @ 10:15 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Southeast Asia’s digital economy is projected to reach $368 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) in 2026, growing 17% year-on-year despite macroeconomic pressures, as artificial intelligence (AI) adoption reshapes consumer behaviour and investment across the region, according to a report by Google, Temasek and Bain… Read More

October 21, 2026 @ 3:30 am By Michael Wong  |  

Singapore-based Genie Health has raised $3 million in seed funding to expand its artificial intelligence platform, which helps individuals make sense of their health information and enables clinics to provide more personalised care. The funding round was led by Nadathur Family Office, with participation from… Read More

October 20, 2026 @ 11:35 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The US Department of Homeland Security has directed civilian federal agencies to purge Chinese artificial intelligence firm DeepSeek from their information technology environments and to halt all related purchasing. The action, detailed in a Federal Register notice published on October 20, 2026, implements Exclusion and… Read More

October 20, 2026 @ 9:33 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Thai immigration authorities have taken a 37-year-old Chinese national into custody in Bangkok following a multi-year search linked to an alleged transnational criminal operation. Officers from Immigration Division 3 located and detained the man, identified in Thai media reports as Wu Chaoshuai, at a luxury… Read More

October 20, 2026 @ 3:42 am By Michael Wong  |  

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd (HKEX) has launched a joint index with S&P Dow Jones Indices combining Hong Kong-listed technology companies with large-cap US stocks, according to an announcent. The index offers investors exposure to both markets through a single benchmark. The S&P 500… Read More

October 20, 2026 @ 1:15 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Hong Kong police have recently documented more than 110 complaints of unauthorized credit card charges tied to pre-orders of Apple’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) new foldable iPhone Duo. The reports began arriving after online reservations opened on Friday evening at 8 p.m., with the single largest transaction… Read More

October 19, 2026 @ 8:09 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Multilateral development banks (MDBs) are stepping up efforts to attract private investment into emerging markets and increase their lending capacity as developing economies face mounting debt pressures, economic uncertainty, and climate-related disasters. The heads of the world’s major multilateral lenders met at the Asian Development… Read More

October 19, 2026 @ 9:29 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

Ramp raises $1.85B Ramp’s raise values it at $60 billion. Dragoneer Investment Group led the round, along with Thrive Capital, Founders Fund, Sands Capital, and Avenir Growth. Participants included Capital International, Fidelity Management & Research Company, T. Rowe Price, D1 Capital Partners, Greenoaks, ICONIQ, GIC,… Read More

October 19, 2026 @ 8:30 am By Omar Faridi  |  

A Seoul court has cleared a prominent South Korean cryptocurrency influencer of major fraud charges tied to two digital tokens that allegedly involved roughly 340 billion won in investor funds. On October 15, 2026, the 13th Criminal Division of the Seoul Southern District Court, led… Read More

October 19, 2026 @ 6:57 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Risk assets across cryptocurrency markets, Asian equities and US index futures advanced on Monday as China’s latest economic figures came in stronger than anticipated and oil prices eased. The combination helped restore investor confidence after the prior week’s technology-driven declines. Bitcoin, the leading cryptocurrency by… Read More

October 19, 2026 @ 2:44 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB) is preparing to introduce its inaugural digital asset offering within weeks, beginning with cryptocurrency custody services for institutional clients before rolling the platform out to major financial centers across Asia the following year. Gerald Podobnik, co-head of Deutsche Bank’s corporate bank… Read More

October 19, 2026 @ 2:27 am By Michael Wong  |  

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-sector investment arm of the World Bank Group, has proposed a loan of up to $400 million to Malaysia’s Affin Bank Berhad, according to a project disclosure accessed by CrowdFund Insider. The proposed loan will be used to expand… Read More

October 19, 2026 @ 1:22 am By Omar Faridi  |  

India’s digital payments ecosystem is confronting an unexpected test as authorities introduce fees on larger transactions through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). The shift has revived demand for physical currency, particularly within the country’s substantial informal economy, raising questions about whether the zero-cost model that… Read More

October 18, 2026 @ 2:17 am By Omar Faridi  |  

South Korean brokerage Meritz Securities has entered a strategic memorandum of understanding with the Canton Foundation, marking a significant step toward exploring the tokenization of domestic financial assets and their potential integration into worldwide institutional markets. The agreement, formalized earlier this month at Meritz’s headquarters… Read More

October 17, 2026 @ 6:24 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Southeast Asia’s fintech sector attracted $2.3 billion in funding in the first nine months of 2026, more than triple the amount raised a year earlier, according to a report by data intelligence firm Tracxn. The rise in fintech funding comes as a handful of large transactions… Read More

October 17, 2026 @ 1:50 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has introduced a framework to guide the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the banking sector. The move comes as as financial institutions explore AI systems capable of planning and executing tasks with greater autonomy. The “ART” Framework… Read More