Asia

November 9, 2020 @ 11:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift towards all-digital platforms which includes the increased usage of digital financial services by consumers in the Philippines (and globally). Laura Ignacio, Director at the Center for Monetary and Financial Policy of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), confirmed… Read More

November 9, 2020 @ 11:21 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The government in the Indian state of Gujarat is planning to introduce policies that will support the growth of the local Fintech sector. The state is looking to generate more revenue and may also be looking to acquire additional income via direct and indirect taxes… Read More

November 9, 2020 @ 5:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Qatar’s private sector is now ready to work cooperatively with US-based companies and businesses, according to Qatar Development Bank CEO Abdulaziz Bin Nasser Al Khalifa. As previously reported, the Qatar Development Bank (QDB) offers financial services, banking, and loans to support the development of the… Read More

November 9, 2020 @ 12:52 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

American Fintech firm Ripple has reportedly chosen the Dubai International Financial Centre as its new regional headquarters. Financial institutions based in over 45 different countries are currently using RippleNet, which is a “decentralized” network for conducting cross-border transactions between different financial services providers. Ripple focuses… Read More

November 9, 2020 @ 7:52 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the nation’s central bank and financial regulator, has launched a S$35 million (appr. $18.62 million) Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) for the country’s financial services industry. The grant will be used to offer assistance to smaller financial institutions. It will… Read More

November 8, 2020 @ 11:02 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Ant Group, which was previously known as Ant Financial, the world’s most valuable Fintech firm and a subsidiary of the Alibaba Group Holding (NYSE:BABA), will be moving forward with its application for a digital banking license in Singapore. This, despite the Fintech giant’s (potential) record… Read More

November 6, 2020 @ 7:26 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) owned WhatsApp has reportedly received approval to introduce its digital payments services in India. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which is an umbrella organization for operating or managing retail payments and settlement systems in the country, has given WhatsApp the green… Read More

November 5, 2020 @ 11:05 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

  Digital challenger banks have adopted several different business models in order to establish operations in the Fintech and banking sector. They’ve experienced a threefold growth (over 300% growth) during the past five years, according to a new report from the Singapore Fintech Association (SFA)…. Read More

November 5, 2020 @ 10:07 am By JD Alois  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has announced 40 different firms have been shortlisted for the MAS Fintech Awards to be presented at this year’s Singapore Fintech Festival x Singapore Week of Innovation and TeCHnology (SFF x SWITCH). The theme for this year’s Awards is… Read More

November 5, 2020 @ 8:54 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency platform Crypto.com announced on Wednesday it secured Adaptive (Tier 4) rating from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework and the latest NIST Privacy Framework, developed by the US Department of Commerce. The crypto portal claims that it is the… Read More

November 5, 2020 @ 7:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Osome, a Regtech and accounting app, has raised $3 million in funding from XA Network and AltaIR Capital. Osome uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) tech combined with human experts to help SMEs with administrative tasks soak up enormous amounts of work hours…. Read More

November 4, 2020 @ 11:59 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

There are many new opportunities for the Fintech sector in a post COVID world, according to Singapore’s labor chief Ng Chee Meng. He noted that the Coronavirus crisis may lead to new requirements and could also create new jobs. Meng, who’s currently the Secretary-General at… Read More

November 4, 2020 @ 11:35 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The central bank in the UAE has issued new regulations on Stored Value Facilities (SVF). The updated regulatory guidelines apply to local Fintech companies and various other non-bank payment service providers. The new guidelines aim to make it easier to access the UAE market while… Read More

November 4, 2020 @ 10:41 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

LendingClub (NYSE:LC) recently filed an 8-K with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) indicating its intent to stop offering retail notes by the end of the year. The leading marketplace lender in the US started as a peer to peer lender but over the… Read More

November 4, 2020 @ 1:44 pm By JD Alois  |  

In a crushing move by the Shanghai Stock Exchange, Ant Group’s highly anticipated listing on the exchange was suspended, hitting pause on what was poised to be the largest public offering of a Fintech ever. Ant Group was planning to simultaneously list on both the… Read More

November 4, 2020 @ 1:27 pm By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday, the Hong Kong Government announced a consultation to enlist public opinion on legislative proposals designed to enhance anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CTF) regulation in Hong Kong. Cryptoassets (digital assets) were included in the consultation with the introduction of a licensing regime for virtual… Read More

November 4, 2020 @ 10:16 am By JD Alois  |  

In 2019, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) launched a consultation on the Payment Services Act (PS Act) that in relation to AML/CFT, and other amendments in respect of digital payment token (DPT) service and certain technical amendments. The consultation address certain proposed amendments to… Read More

November 4, 2020 @ 8:56 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Nasdaq Dubai has welcomed the listing of $600 million Sukuk by the Islamic Corporation for the ongoing development of the nation’s private sector. According to a release shared with Crowdfund Insider, the Sukuk offering was allocated to investors based in the Middle East, Asia and… Read More

November 4, 2020 @ 7:47 am By JD Alois  |  

Payments Fintech PayMongo has partnered with Vesta, a fraud protection tech platform, to enhance the company’s advanced fraud detection capabilities. PayMongo is a fast-growing payments provider in the Philippines. Not too long ago, PayMongo raised $12 million in a Series A funding round led by… Read More

November 3, 2020 @ 9:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Chinese Fintech firm Lufax had been planning to secure $2.36 billion through its US initial public offering (IPO). As previously reported, Lufax was once a top peer to peer lending platform but has since shifted into other areas of Fintech as well as online lending…. Read More