Asia

May 5, 2020 @ 11:35 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

ZA Bank, the first digital bank to officially launch in Hong Kong, has decided to expand its line of products and services by offering insurance. This, soon after ZA Bank acquired a digital-only insurer license from the Hong Kong Insurance Authority under its Fast Track… Read More

May 5, 2020 @ 11:02 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the nation’s central bank and financial regulator,  confirmed recently that it would be supporting the inaugural G20 TechSprint initiative, which has been introduced by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub and the Saudi G20 Presidency on the… Read More

May 5, 2020 @ 8:28 am By JD Alois  |  

While more traditional financial services firms are regularly spoofed two emerging Hong Kong virtual banks have recently been targeted by scammers. Both ZA Bank and Airstar Bank have seen bogus sites posted online in an attempt to fleece unsuspecting consumers. This past weekend, Airstar posted… Read More

May 4, 2020 @ 8:25 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Fintech firm GoBear, which offers a financial products comparison website, confirmed on May 4, 2020, that it has acquired AsiaKredit, a Singapore-based digital lender. The amount paid for the acquisition has not been shared publicly. GoBear’s acquisition has come after the Fintech company secured $80… Read More

May 4, 2020 @ 7:30 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

  Governments throughout the world have been asking people to stay at home, as the world struggles to cope with the highly contagious Coronavirus. Countries across the globe have enforced nationwide lockdowns in order to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. Many people are now… Read More

May 4, 2020 @ 7:04 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

  SS&C, a multinational provider of investment and financial services and software for the financial services and healthcare sectors, will be acquiring Innovest Systems, a wealth management technology (Wealthtech) firm, for $120 million in cash and stock. New York-headquartered Innovest Systems offers cloud-powered technology for… Read More

May 3, 2020 @ 11:52 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

QOALA, an Indonesia-based insurtech, announced earlier this week it secured $13.5 million through its Series A funding round, which was led by Centauri Fund with participation from  MDI Ventures, Sequoia India, Flourish Ventures, Mirae Asset Daewoo’s Mirae Asset Venture Capital and PT Mirae Asset Sekuritas Indonesia. Founded in… Read More

May 3, 2020 @ 11:33 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

OneDegree, a Hong Kong-based insurtech, recently announced its medical pet insurance. This launch comes just after the company received its virtual insurance license. Founded in 2016, OneDegree claims to be it is part of a new generation of insurers that are reimagining the industry with… Read More

May 3, 2020 @ 10:35 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Cambodia’s Fintech sector is still not as mature and developed as its ASEAN neighbors which include major economies such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia (among others). However, Cambodia’s Fintech economy has been growing steadily, mainly due to the increased adoption of digital payments and the… Read More

May 1, 2020 @ 10:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Bengaluru-based Digital Bank RazorPay reports that there has been a significant increase in the number of digital payments, following the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. RazorPay notes in its recent report that only a month into the nationwide lockdown in India, there has been a noticeable shift… Read More

May 1, 2020 @ 9:56 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), an intergovernmental political and economic union consisting of the Arab states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, is expected to experience a significant increase in the use of Fintech platforms and services. The anticipated… Read More

May 1, 2020 @ 9:17 am By JD Alois  |  

May is here meaning spring is emerging for parts of the world. For all of the world, it also means that Bitcoin is on the cusp of the next Halving (or the Halvening). The Bitcoin Halving takes place every four years. This is when the… Read More

May 1, 2020 @ 2:08 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Tencent Holdings Ltd., a Chinese multinational conglomerate holding company whose subsidiaries offer various Internet-related products and services, has introduced a blockchain accelerator program. Tencent, which is among the world’s most valuable companies and also one of the largest VC firms and investment corporations, says it… Read More

May 1, 2020 @ 1:01 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Japan’s financial regulator, the Financial Services Agency (FSA), has certified two organizations as Certified Financial Instruments and Exchange Associations. As confirmed in an announcement made on April 30, 2020, the FSA has officially recognized the Japan STO (security token offering) Association and the Japan Virtual… Read More

April 30, 2020 @ 11:33 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The National Institutional Facilitation Technologies (NIFT), the largest transactional clearing facilitator in Pakistan and Haball, a Fintech firm that provides various B2B services, have teamed up, in order to launch contextual payments for local companies. NIFT is a payment system operator and provider. It offers… Read More

April 30, 2020 @ 10:38 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Mumbai-based Fintech firm NIRA, which provides small-ticket loans to low-income workers via its mobile-based app and website, recently revealed that it has secured $2.1 million in funding through its pre-series A investment round. NIRA’s funding round included contributions from new and existing angel investors based… Read More

April 30, 2020 @ 9:56 pm 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, has not achieved mainstream adoption in India. The UPI-based payments service lets users send and receive funds. It has been created by the National… Read More

April 30, 2020 @ 10:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Fireblocks reports having topped $30 billion in digital asset transfers and over $7 billion in monthly transfers, according to a company release. Fireblocks is an enterprise-grade platform providing the infrastructure for moving, storing, and issuing digital assets. Fireblocks seeks to enable exchanges, custodians, banks, trading… Read More

April 29, 2020 @ 8:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has created major social-economic challenges for individuals and businesses throughout the world. The pandemic has led to an increase in the use of Fintech-focused services, which has helped some companies generate more revenue during these difficult times. However, the crisis has… Read More

April 29, 2020 @ 9:59 am By JD Alois  |  

Incomlend, a global online invoice trading platform, has been recognized at the Global Trade Review (GTR) Leaders in Trade Awards 2020 as the “Best Fintech Startup”. GTR recognizes global top-performing companies in trade, commodity, supply chain, export finance, and fintech markets. Since launching in December… Read More