Asia

June 18, 2020 @ 9:10 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Ontology (ONT), a “high-performance” enterprise blockchain platform developed in 2017 by a Chinese firm called OnChain, which is headed by Erik Zhang and Da HongFei, the developers of the NEO Blockchain (which was initially used to launch Ontology), has confirmed that it will be working… Read More

June 17, 2020 @ 11:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Six new partners have joined South Korea’s MyIDAlliance, a leading collaborative organization focused on establishing a blockchain-based digital ID ecosystem that places “MyID” at the center. Leading security firm “AhnLab”, payments provider “NHN KCP”, electronic trade and logistics firm “KTnet”, exchange lending Delio, AI and… Read More

June 17, 2020 @ 7:31 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Mumbai based online lender InCred has reportedly acquired Fintech platform Qbera. The acquisition has come as India struggles to cope with the COVID-19 outbreak and associated challenges. InCred and Qbera haven’t disclosed the amount paid for the transaction, however, sources claim the deal may be… Read More

June 17, 2020 @ 7:56 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI), a member of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB), has teamed up with Samsung-backed blockchain tech company, Blocko, in order to implement a distributed ledger technology (DLT)-powered “smart” credit management platform. As mentioned in a release shared with… Read More

June 16, 2020 @ 11:30 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

South Korea’s reserve bank has reportedly appointed a six-member legal advisory team to look into the feasibility and potential benefits of issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC). The Korean central bank’s advisory group includes three university professors, two legal experts, and a senior official… Read More

June 16, 2020 @ 11:15 pm By JD Alois  |  

InstaReM has announced a new service that helps SMEs in Singapore with their cash flow. The service termed BizPay, utilizes credit limits in corporate cards and converts them into working capital, according to a release from the company. InstaReM, the consumer and SME brand that… Read More

June 16, 2020 @ 10:25 am By Omar Faridi  |  

CoinDCX, one of the largest digital asset exchanges in India, has introduced an online platform and subsidiary, called DCX Learn, which aims to serve as a comprehensive resource for people who want to learn more about cryptocurrency and blockchain tech. As mentioned in a release… Read More

June 16, 2020 @ 8:28 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The developers and management TikTok, a leading Chinese video-sharing social network, are reportedly branching out into the financial services sector with the owners of the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation, Limited (OCBC) Bank (SGX: O39), a multinational banking and financial services corporation. Beijing-based ByteDance, a Chinese multinational… Read More

June 16, 2020 @ 1:40 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Tonik Financial Pte Ltd, a company planning to launch a digital bank in the Philippines, has reportedly secured $21 million in capital through a Series A equity funding round.  The round was led by major blue-chip venture capital investors, including Sequoia India and Point72 Ventures…. Read More

June 16, 2020 @ 12:37 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Arundhati Bhattacharya, the former Chair of the State Bank of India who was ranked as the world’s 25th most powerful woman by Forbes in 2016, has argued that banking service providers must become more data-driven and also more digital. In a recent interview with Livemint,… Read More

June 15, 2020 @ 11:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Qatar Fintech Hub (QFTH), co-founded by Qatar Development Bank (QDB), is planning to encourage and support multinational Fintech firms to establish operations in the Middle Eastern country. The QFTH noted during a recent meeting that it’s working with several global Fintech hubs. The organization’s… Read More

June 15, 2020 @ 10:33 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The rise of Chinese Fintech firms as major industry participants across Asia is playing a vital role in transforming the region’s financial services ecosystem. Joe Ngai, partner at consultants McKinsey & Co, confirmed: “Chinese Fintech companies have been expanding overseas.”  In 2016, Ant Financial, the… Read More

June 15, 2020 @ 9:13 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Authorities in China’s Guangdong province have reportedly frozen around 4,000 bank accounts which might be linked to money laundering operations through Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies. Local sources said that Guangdong police officials have identified bank accounts that allegedly belong to virtual currency over-the-counter (OTC)… Read More

June 15, 2020 @ 8:00 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

American Express (NYSE: AXP) announced over the weekend it secured a clearing license in the midland of China. According to the credit card giant, Express (Hangzhou) Technology Services Company Limited (Express Company)  received approval from the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) for the license and… Read More

June 15, 2020 @ 7:28 am By Omar Faridi  |  

WhatsApp Payments, an in-chat payment feature that lets customers perform transfers through the messaging app to anyone in their contact list, may finally be on track to achieve mass adoption in India. WhatsApp is owned by Facebook, (NASDAQ:FB) who bought the social media platform in… Read More

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

Indian financial services group IIFL (India Infoline) recently introduced an initiative that aims to support local Fintech firms that might be experiencing challenges due to COVID-19. IIFL’s initiative, #IIFLDisrupt, aims to assist Indian Fintechs by providing funding, and potentially becoming their first client. IIFL also… Read More

June 14, 2020 @ 7:52 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Vinay Pagaria, co-founder at India-based 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, has revealed that the platform now has 1 million registered users. Pagaria claims:… Read More

June 14, 2020 @ 6:48 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Sidharth Sogani, a Certified Bitcoin Professional and CEO at CREBACO Global Inc, a credit rating firm for exchanges, blockchains and coin offerings, has argued that it’s clear the Indian government hasn’t figured out how Bitcoin (BTC) works. There’s a new proposal that aims to ban… Read More

June 13, 2020 @ 10:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Singapore-based GBCI Ventures, a venture capital and private equity firm, has made a strategic $11 million investment in Fintech startup Fincy. The company is also in the process of finalizing external funding. The Fincy team describes their platform as a multi-purpose solution providing digital and… Read More

June 13, 2020 @ 2:31 pm By Xu Gao  |  

Workforce Operational Solution Provider Quhuo Files for U.S. IPO On June 4th, Quhuo, a workforce operational solution provider for China’s consumer service industry, filed for an IPO on the U.S. stock market. According to the F-1 prospectus document, Quhuo plans to be listed on the… Read More