Asia

December 22, 2020 @ 9:49 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Mumbai-headquartered Fintech firm TaxBuddy recently revealed that it has secured $1 million in early-stage funding from UAE’s fund Zenith Global. Launched in 2019 and owned by Mumbai’s SSBA Innovations Pvt. Ltd, the firm aims to offer an online tax advisory service through various subscription-based plans…. Read More

December 21, 2020 @ 11:14 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

SoftBank Group Corp. (TYO: 9984), a Japanese multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo with over $300 billion in assets, is reportedly planning to secure at least $500 million in capital via a blank-check company, according to sources familiar with the matter. The special-purpose… Read More

December 21, 2020 @ 10:21 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Mobile payments wallet provider GCash has reportedly been chosen by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in the Philippines to distribute funding for training to local residents. TESDA has joined many other businesses and organizations that are using the GCash platform to carry… Read More

December 21, 2020 @ 10:19 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

A Dubai-based real estate-focused Fintech firm is planning to offer local investors an opportunity to invest in the property market with as little as 2,000 AED (appr. $544). UAE-headquartered Stake, which is supported by a Saudi national, is currently based in the Fintech Hive which… Read More

December 21, 2020 @ 7:08 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

UK-based Cashaa, a digital asset exchange and banking service provider, has revealed that it’s listing on KuCoin exchange in order to promote the adoption of its native CAS token. As reported in July 2020, more than $3 million in Bitcoin (BTC) were allegedly stolen from… Read More

December 21, 2020 @ 8:20 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The long lines in front of ATM machines have now become a rare sight as Chinese consumers are increasingly using their smartphones to complete transactions, instead of making cash payments, according to a report from China Daily. Many people claim they can’t even recall when… Read More

December 20, 2020 @ 4:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Chinese authorities may consider further tightening control over large Fintech companies by restricting or limiting the number of banking institutions they can work with, according to the Securities Times which cited recent statements from a former Chinese finance minister. As first reported by Bloomberg, bad… Read More

December 19, 2020 @ 3:59 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Indonesian tech giant has reportedly paid around $159.5 million for shares in an Indonesian bank (PT Bank Jago) – which is part of a major Fintech deal. Gojek is competing with ride-hailing app provider Grab which is also focused on establishing regional Fintech services. Gojek… Read More

December 17, 2020 @ 11:11 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the regulator of the nation’s securities and commodities market, announced on Wednesday (December 16, 2020) that it has updated guidelines related to establishing asset management companies (AMCs) for Fintech firms and other startups. SEBI confirmed that it… Read More

December 17, 2020 @ 11:09 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The team at Singapore-based Propine, a regulated digital asset custodian, notes that 3 months ago, the company was selected by blockchain platform Zilliqa as one of 8 startups to take part in the ZILHive Accelerator program. The Propine team has now confirmed that they managed… Read More

December 17, 2020 @ 10:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Fairbanc, the Silicon Valley-based Fintech firm that provides credit to the unbanked or financially underserved in Southeast Asia, has received financial backing from Columbia Business School’s student-run impact fund, Microlumbia. According to a release, this financial backing has come shortly after an investment from 500… Read More

December 17, 2020 @ 12:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Fintech is expected to play an important role in Saudi Arabia’s efforts to further diversify its economy, according to commentary from the nation’s Budget 2021 report. Padmini Gupta from Fintech Rise notes in an update published by Arab News that sustained support this year from… Read More

December 16, 2020 @ 11:24 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Fintech industry could leverage its tools and capabilities to gather climate-related data in the Philippines, which would be in line with the nation’s goal of supporting sustainable financing, according to FintechAlliance.ph Chairperson Angelito M. Villanueva. In statements shared with local news outlet, the BusinessMirror,… Read More

December 15, 2020 @ 10:56 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Fraxtor Private Limited, a company that operates an online real estate co-investment platform, has reportedly acquired over S$9 million (appr. $6.74 million) on its platform from its community of Accredited Investors (AIs), despite the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a release, the… Read More

December 15, 2020 @ 9:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Philippines based Fintech firm SquidPay Technology Inc. has acquired Php 100 million (appr. $2.08 million) in funding through a Series A round and Php 100 Million (appr. $1.04 million) line of credit – which was arranged by the Eastern Securities Development Corporation (for the company’s… Read More

December 15, 2020 @ 9:15 pm By JD Alois  |  

Funding Societies has received an investment from Samsung Venture Investment Corporation, according to a note from the Fintech.  Details on the investment were not disclosed. Samsung Venture is an investment arm of the South Korean conglomerate, Samsung Group, and has been an active investor in… Read More

December 14, 2020 @ 10:49 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The US-Qatar Business Council (USQBC), the Silicon Valley Forum and the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Washington DC recently held a discussion during a virtual event on December 8, 2020, titled “Qatar in Focus: Smarter Countries & Thriving Communities in the Digital Age.”… Read More

December 14, 2020 @ 9:23 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Four in five or 80% of Fintech companies in the ASEAN region are focused on expanding their operations following the COVID-19 outbreak. ASEAN member countries include Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. A report from UOB, PwC… Read More

December 14, 2020 @ 7:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Peer to peer (P2P) Bitcoin exchange Paxful has confirmed that ID verification will soon become mandatory for many different countries beginning this month (December 2020). Paxful claims it’s one of the few crypto-asset marketplaces that strictly enforce KYC (Know Your Customer) verification checks and procedures…. Read More

December 14, 2020 @ 10:09 am By JD Alois  |  

In a speech this week delivered at the China Fintech Global Summit in Shenzen, Liu Yingbin, Senior Assistant President, Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) said that Hong Kong can help mainland Chinese Fintechs go global. Yingbin touted Hong Kong’s Fintech ecosystem which has emerged as… Read More