Asia

October 22, 2025 @ 9:49 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Abyan Capital, a robo-advisory1 investment platform in Saudi Arabia, announced the launch of their new self-directed trading service. The service will reportedly enable users to trade US equities as well as open high-yield savings accounts in compliance with Shariah law. Supporting this offering is Alpaca,… Read More

October 22, 2025 @ 8:57 am By Omar Faridi  |  

In yet another powerful reminder of China’s unyielding control over financial tech innovation, two of its technology firms—Alibaba (NYSE:BABA)-affiliated Ant Group and online retail behemoth JD.com—have abruptly suspended their plans to launch stablecoins in Hong Kong. This development, revealed over the weekend, underscores Beijing’s deepening… Read More

October 21, 2025 @ 10:26 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Six national payment networks from five Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries have signed a memorandum of understanding to form a common standards body for non-card instant retail payments, aiming to make cross-border transactions faster and safer while preserving national control. The George Town… Read More

October 21, 2025 @ 5:07 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Sony Bank‘s wholly owned subsidiary, Connectia Trust, has submitted a formal request to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for a national trust bank charter. This application, submitted earlier this month, signals Sony Group’s commitment to blockchain tech advancements and breakthroughs, aiming… Read More

October 20, 2025 @ 11:25 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA), the regulatory body overseeing the nation’s financial sector, is reportedly exploring significant reforms that could permit banks to acquire and hold digital assets, including Bitcoin, for investment purposes. According to a recent report from Livedoor, these proposed changes mark a… Read More

October 19, 2025 @ 10:07 pm By Michael Wong  |  

HitPay, a Singapore-based payments platform, said it partnered with licensed crypto payments firm Triple-A to enable more than 20,000 merchants to accept stablecoin payments at online and in-store checkouts while receiving instant settlements in fiat currency. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)-regulated arrangement targets small… Read More

October 19, 2025 @ 9:59 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Abu Dhabi’s International Holding Company (IHC) said it has acquired a majority stake in state-owned First Women Bank Ltd (FWBL) after Pakistan completed a government-to-government privatisation under its Inter-Governmental Commercial Transactions Act of 2022. The announcement, at a ceremony attended by Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan… Read More

October 19, 2025 @ 4:10 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) launched BLOOM, short for Borderless, Liquid, Open, Online, Multi-currency, a new industry initiative to extend settlement options for financial institutions using tokenised bank liabilities and well-regulated stablecoins while applying standardised risk controls. MAS said BLOOM will work with banks… Read More

October 19, 2025 @ 10:10 am By Michael Wong  |  

KLIQ, a Saudi-built influencer marketing platform powered by proprietary AI, said it raised $2.25 million in seed funding led by Sanabil Venture Studio, a subsidiary of Sanabil Investments, in partnership with corporate venture builder Stryber. The company said the funding will help it address common… Read More

October 17, 2025 @ 5:57 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

OBOOK Holdings (NASDAQ: OWLS), a blockchain technology company operating as the OwlTing Group, direct listed direct-list on the Nasdaq Global Market under the ticker symbol “OWLS.” OBOOK’s Class A common shares opened at $68.00 but closed down on the day. OwlTing is based in Taiwan… Read More

October 17, 2025 @ 8:15 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Sygnum Bank Middle East announces the launch of Sygnum Validators, a new service launched from Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) which includes operating institutional-grade validator nodes for select blockchain net​​works that enable non-custodial staking. The first validator to launch supports the Solana network, enabling eligible… Read More

October 16, 2025 @ 7:52 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Earlier this year, Kaspersky’s Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) identified a campaign by the ‘Mysterious Elephant’ APT. The group mainly targets government entities as well as foreign affairs organizations across the APAC area, with a particular focus on Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka… Read More

October 16, 2025 @ 4:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of the Treasury and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) have jointly taken action to address a pig butchering operation in Cambodia. The online affinity scams frequently utilize crypto to steal funds from their targets. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets… Read More

October 15, 2025 @ 6:23 am By Omar Faridi  |  

HashKey Group, the operator of one Hong Kong’s largest licensed digital assets exchanges, confidentially filed for an initial public offering in the Asian financial center. This, according to source familiar with the matter and cited by Bloomberg. HashKey might now plan to list as soon… Read More

October 14, 2025 @ 11:14 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Authorities in South Korean have again commenced their ongoing review of Binance‘s planned acquisition of local digital currency exchange Gopax following a delay of more than two years. This, according to an update from Newsis. The move suggests that Binance, which remains the largest digital… Read More

October 14, 2025 @ 10:30 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Singapore High Court has reportedly approved crypto exchange WazirX‘s debt restructuring scheme on October 13, 2025. The announcement has come after the Indian digital currency exchange had been hacked in July of 2024. This court approval in Singapore enables the crypto platform to proceed… Read More

October 14, 2025 @ 12:30 pm By Blake Jeong  |  

The crypto discussion remains pinpoint-focused on U.S. enforcement squabbles and city-state experimentation, but no one seems to notice what’s going on in Japan and South Korea. Both of these countries have been building predictable rules, institutional-grade foundations, and establishing consumers who already spend on digital… Read More

October 14, 2025 @ 8:09 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Tabby, a financial services app, announced that it is now deploying NVIDIA HGX systems to start developing and testing its AI capabilities to serve a growing base of clients and merchants. The investment helps with establishing local AI factory infrastructure that supports tech advancements while… Read More

October 13, 2025 @ 6:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Regtech firm ComplyAdvantage, the enabler of AI-driven financial crime compliance solutions, announced the launch of its hosting region in India, highlighting the regulatory technology company’s ongoing commitment to enabling financial services advancements while supporting customer expansion in one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. In fact,… Read More

October 13, 2025 @ 3:41 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Foris DAX Middle East FZ-LLC (trading as Crypto.com) announced that it has received In-Principle Approval (IPA) from the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) for a Stored Value Facilities (SVF) license, claiming it becomes the “first” Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) in the… Read More