Asia

December 29, 2020 @ 8:39 am By JD Alois  |  

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has announced the launch of iAM Smart (internet Access by Mobile in a Smart way), a digital identity service that enables users to leverage the biometrics in their smartphone to act as proof of identity for all types of… Read More

December 28, 2020 @ 11:55 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Coronavirus outbreak has accelerated the adoption of digital payments and other Fintech services in India. Technology has been the foundation for the growth and development of Fintech platforms in the country, according to Raj N Phani, the Founder at Indian Fintech firm Zaggle. Phani… Read More

December 28, 2020 @ 8:23 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Demand for Fintech services and loans have surged in India this year, according to local news outlet Live Mint. The credit flows of Fintechs and Big-tech firms have increased significantly during the past few years in highly developed countries. Commercial banks have emerged as leaders… Read More

December 28, 2020 @ 8:20 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Chinese regulatory authorities have ordered billionaire Jack Ma’s Fintech firm Ant Group Co. to return to offering payments services, instead of attempting to expand its operations into consumer loans or wealth management. China’s reserve bank officials recently held discussions with Ant Group’s management and instructed… Read More

December 27, 2020 @ 10:41 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Islamabad-based Fintech firm SadaPay recently revealed that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the nation’s central bank, has granted the company approval to “officially begin pilot operations.” The SadaPay team noted that until now, they’d been testing their app and debit card internally with close… Read More

December 27, 2020 @ 10:02 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

China’s reserve bank has issued the nation’s second license for collecting personal credit ratings to an initiative between a state-managed enterprise and two Internet companies. The move suggests that the Chinese government may want to get involved in deciding how technology interacts with finance (while… Read More

December 27, 2020 @ 9:53 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Indonesia-based Fintech firm Finantier has revealed that it has acquired an undisclosed amount of capital from US-based startup accelerator Y Combinator. Finantier will be joining Y Combinator’s Winter 2021 funding cycle, which is scheduled to begin in January 2021. Finantier is planning to expand its… Read More

December 27, 2020 @ 7:03 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this month, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced the first four digital banks approved by the regulator. The first digital banks out of the gate are the culmination of a multi-year process where MAS. In June 2019, MAS announced it would approve up… Read More

December 27, 2020 @ 4:39 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Dalal Buhejji, the Director of Business Development, Financial Services at the Bahrain Economic Development Board, has noted that there are currently around 400 financial institutions based in Bahrain. Buhejji pointed out that these companies are offered a “stable, predictable and proven” regulatory and business environment… Read More

December 26, 2020 @ 4:09 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Although Dubai’s economy is projected to contract by 6.2% this year, with the travel and hospitality industries hit really hard due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the country saw a significant increase in bank financing for its communications, storage, and transport sectors. There was also solid… Read More

December 26, 2020 @ 1:35 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) focus and support for contactless payments and the entry of WhatsApp into the nation’s Fintech sector is expected to lead to an increase in digital transactions. Although most business sectors have struggled to maintain operations due to the COVID-19… Read More

December 26, 2020 @ 11:00 am By Xu Gao  |  

WeBank Reduces Upper Limit of Microloan to ¥200,000 WeBank, the Tencent-backed digital bank, announced that it would reduce the upper limit of its microloan product (Weilidai) from ¥300,000 to ¥200,000 from December 26th. According to WeBank, the reduction was a response to the “Commercial Bank… Read More

December 26, 2020 @ 10:03 am By Omar Faridi  |  

China’s banking and insurance regulator released draft guidelines on Friday (December 25, 2020) regarding the sales of wealth management products by local commercial banks’ wealth management divisions. Chinese authorities will reportedly allow these wealth management subsidiaries to serve as sales agents for such products for… Read More

December 24, 2020 @ 10:38 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

  India-based banking group ICICI Bank announced earlier this week the launch of, Infinite India, which is an online platform for foreign companies looking to establish or expand business in the country. According to ICICI Bank, the platform offers them banking solutions as well as… Read More

December 24, 2020 @ 8:58 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The gig economy has been growing steadily in Asian countries like Malaysia, particularly at a time when the COVID-19 outbreak is forcing residents to pick up side jobs to supplement their earnings during these uncertain times. Although the gig economy or temp work opportunities are… Read More

December 24, 2020 @ 7:55 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Hong Kong based ZA Tech, a technology venture launched by insurance firm ZhongAn Online and supported by the Softbank Vision Fund, has revealed that it teamed up with the holding company of digital wallet OVO. Through the partnership, both organizations will offer insurance providers in… Read More

December 24, 2020 @ 5:50 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) has teamed up with a platform managed by Naver’s Cloud affiliate for digital innovation and development of Fintech-related services, the state-run bank confirmed on December 23, 2020. Through the partnership, both organizations will aim to enhance their Cloud and artificial… Read More

December 24, 2020 @ 2:50 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Avaloq, an international fintech providing services and digital solutions to banks and wealth managers, announced earlier this week the closing of NEC’s acquisition of Avaloq. As previously reported, the acquisition was announced in October and NEC purchased Avaloq for around 2.05 billion Swiss francs. Founded… Read More

December 24, 2020 @ 12:23 pm By JD Alois  |  

Chinese regulators are said to be investigating whether Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) has been engaging in non-competitive practices. Simultaneously, Ant Group – a top Fintech, is receiving additional scrutiny. Ant Group is the parent company of Alipay, China’s largest mobile payment platform. Additionally, it has been widely… Read More

December 23, 2020 @ 11:38 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Brunei’s Fintech sector continues to grow steadily due to the rising demand for digital financial services and its government’s push to encourage its residents to use modern payment methods. Brunei has the second-highest (after Singapore) human development index or HDI (which measures the overall quality… Read More