Asia

July 3, 2020 @ 10:32 am By JD Alois  |  

Wirecard AG (WDI:DE), once a prominent payments Fintech and now a financial debacle due to allegations of massive fraud, continues to try and find a way to survive. Meanwhile, shares in the firm have tanked dropping from over €100/share to now around €3/share as the… Read More

July 2, 2020 @ 11:32 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Indian government has been asking local banks to work cooperatively with SMEs by providing much-needed liquidity during the COVID-19 crisis. Several local digital lenders and non-bank finance companies (NBFCs) will be offering credit solutions to Indian businesses. U GRO Capital, a Bombay Stock Exchange… Read More

July 2, 2020 @ 11:29 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The COVID-19 outbreak has had a negative impact on the economies of countries throughout the world including Asian nations such as Indonesia. PT JULO Teknologi Finansial (JULO), an Indonesian Fintech firm that supports peer to peer (P2P) lending, has introduced several programs that aim to… Read More

July 2, 2020 @ 9:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Bank Negara Malaysia, the nation’s central bank, released a policy document on July 1, 2020, that covers electronic or digital know-your-customer (e-KYC) requirements. The document is an update to the reserve bank’s earlier exposure draft from December 2019. The new policy went into effect immediately… Read More

July 2, 2020 @ 8:20 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Razer Fintech, the Fintech division of Razer (a multinational financial service provider), has introduced #RazerForLife, an initiative that aims to support local Malaysian businesses. Global capital markets have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. SMEs across the globe are struggling to maintain operations as… Read More

July 2, 2020 @ 7:19 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Naveen Surya, Chairman, Fintech Convergence Council & Chairman Emeritus, Payments Council of India, has noted that it’s important to understand the key challenges and opportunities created by the global COVID-19 outbreak. Surya added that we must identify opportunities across the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance… Read More

July 2, 2020 @ 6:18 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Fintech firm Akulaku confirmed recently that it’s planning to offer digital banking services in Southeast Asia. The company was launched around four years ago and is now focused on expanding its operation into the digital banking sector. As reported in November 2018, Akulaku, a leading… Read More

July 2, 2020 @ 4:32 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) official recently noted that China’s Fintech sector could be “instrumental” in assisting SMEs with acquiring reliable credit. The representative added that reliable loans and funding will play a key part in helping businesses get through the COVID-19 outbreak and resulting… Read More

July 2, 2020 @ 11:02 am By JD Alois  |  

The Beijing Municipal People’s Government has posted Beijing’s Blockchain Innovation Development plan outlining its intent to “accelerate the development of blockchain technology and industrial innovation.” [translated] The goal is to promote blockchain and accelerate its growth in its utilization across various sectors of the economy…. Read More

July 2, 2020 @ 7:48 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The central bank of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Abu Dhabi Global Market, an international financial center and free zone based on the Al Maryah Island in the nation’s capital, Abu Dhabi, noted on July 1, 2020, that they’re inviting Fintech firms to… Read More

July 1, 2020 @ 11:48 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Vinay Pagaria, co-founder at Indian Fintech firm StockEdge, a company that helps India’s residents, particularly the younger generations, with learning more about how to responsibly and effectively invest their money in stocks and bonds, confirms that most or about 80% of the firm’s services are… Read More

July 1, 2020 @ 10:11 pm By JD Alois  |  

Digital asset investing company B21 has launched its B21 Invest app in India. According to a release, B21 Invest simplifies the purchase and management of cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and EOS. B21 Invest supports investment for as little as INR 2,000 ($25) per transaction. Users… Read More

July 1, 2020 @ 11:36 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Lightnet, a Singapore headquartered fintech company, announced on Wednesday its now expanding its reach throughout the Asia Pacific region. This news comes less than six months after Lightnet secured $31.2 million through its Series A financing round.  Founded in 2018, Lightnet is dedicated to improving the… Read More

July 1, 2020 @ 9:11 am By Olivia Halsall  |  

China has indicated an interest in using blockchain technology to promote data sharing among medical institutions amid fears of pandemics becoming the norm. The People’s Republic were praised by the WHO for their Covid-19 response; Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus lauded Beijing’s ‘speed, scale and efficiency’. Despite… Read More

June 30, 2020 @ 10:30 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

India-based LivQuik, a company that aims to enable the efficient movement of funds, has joined Visa’s Fintech Fast-Track Program. Visa’s fast-track program offers a new commercial framework that allows clients to easily access the payment giant’s services in order to settle transactions more efficiently. LivQuik,… Read More

June 30, 2020 @ 9:59 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Dennis Gao, partner of Management Consulting at KPMG Southern China, recently noted that Fintech is preparing to enter the “regulatory-driven 2.0 era,” and opportunities are now greater or outweigh potential challenges for Fintech due to COVID-19. Gao, whose comments came during “Financial Digitalization & Fintech… Read More

June 30, 2020 @ 2:54 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the top financial regulator in Singapore, has issued a statement indicating Wirecard AG (WDI:DE) customer funds have been parked in Singapore banks thus segregating the funds from the Wirecard implosion. Wirecard is not currently licensed by MAS as there is… Read More

June 30, 2020 @ 7:24 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Mastercard and EedenBull will be supporting the launch of a digital banking platform in the APAC region. The new digital bank will be serving businesses in Asia by helping them process payments in a more efficient manner. EedenBull is a Norwegian Fintech firm that has… Read More

June 30, 2020 @ 12:57 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital technology startups need venture capital or some other type of reliable funding to grow and expand their operations. Several foreign investors have been supporting Indonesian startups which are a critical part of the trillion-dollar economy. Investors have been investing in selected qualified Indonesian start-ups,… Read More

June 29, 2020 @ 11:56 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Manila has been ranked among the top 40 emerging startup ecosystems in the world, according to a new report. While neighboring Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia are higher up on the list, the Philippines has seen steady growth and development in its… Read More