Asia

May 15, 2020 @ 2:08 pm By JD Alois  |  

  The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has posted a response to a consultation regarding the regulation of derivative contracts on payment tokens (ie digital currencies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum used as a method of payment). The original consultation was launched in November 2019… Read More

May 15, 2020 @ 9:30 am By JD Alois  |  

Wirex, a payments platform, reports that it is working closely with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in order to acquire a license under the new Payments Services Act. The license will allow Wirex to continue to provide services in Singapore, including enabling users the… Read More

May 15, 2020 @ 8:12 am By JD Alois  |  

  Singapore based Fintech Spark Systems has closed on a “Series BB” funding round raising S$15m (USD $10.5m). The funding comes from Citi and HSBC as well as OSK Ventures. They will join the existing investor base including; Vickers Venture, Dymon Asia Ventures, Dymon Asia… Read More

May 14, 2020 @ 9:28 pm By JD Alois  |  

MoneyGram Payment Systems, Inc., a subsidiary of MoneyGram International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MGI), has entered into a partnership with the Federal Bank Limited – a private bank in India. MoneyGram is a global payments and transfer Fintech. The collaboration will see MoneyGram services made available for… Read More

May 14, 2020 @ 7:28 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Libra Association has added three new members: Temasek, Paradigm, and Slow Ventures. Launched by Facebook, the Libra Association is a Switzerland-based independent entity seeking to launch a blockchain-based payment system. Recently, Libra tweaked its white-paper backing away from its original intent to launch a… Read More

May 13, 2020 @ 9:44 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Singapore-headquartered Validus, a financing platform focused on SMEs, has secured more than $14 million in funding, with $20 million in committed capital, from a Series B+ investment round. Validus’ round was co-led by Kuok Group’s Orion fund (managed by K3 Venture Partners) and the Vertex… Read More

May 13, 2020 @ 12:49 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) has launched a Bitcoin Mining Map that tracks the creation of BTC. As we all know, Bitcoin just completed its periodic “halving” event when the creation or mining of Bitcoin is cut in half. As one may expect,… Read More

May 13, 2020 @ 10:45 am By JD Alois  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Singapore Fintech Association (SFA), AMTD Group (NYSE: HKIB; SGX: HKB) and AMTD Foundation have joined in announcing a S$ 6 million “MAS-SFA-AMTD Fintech Solidarity Grant.” The new grant is designed to support Singapore based Fintech firms during the Coronavirus… Read More

May 13, 2020 @ 8:37 am By Omar Faridi  |  

UK-based Fintech TransferWise recently revealed that customers can now send money instantly to several developing economies in Asia including Pakistan, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. The TransferWise team noted: “In the past, if you were sending money to Thailand (THB), Pakistan (PKR), or Sri Lanka (LKR)… Read More

May 13, 2020 @ 8:29 am By JD Alois  |  

Molinari Media, the recent acquirer of FINTECH TV, and the Asia Times Financial (ATF), have announced a co-branding and content creation and distribution alliance, according to a company release. Last month, it was announced that Molinari Media had acquired UK based Fintech Worldwide. Molinari Media… Read More

May 12, 2020 @ 11:39 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Sindhuja Microcredit, a digital and rural-focused micro finance service provider that aims to help women entrepreneurs, is planning to secure $8.7 million in capital through a Series B investment round. The investment will be reportedly be made by Norway’s Nordic Microfinance Initiative (NMI) and Carpediem… Read More

May 12, 2020 @ 10:34 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Standard Chartered Bank has introduced a wide range of self-service requests for customers based in India. The new services will be available via the Standard Chartered Mobile app and through the institution’s online banking portal. Standard Chartered bank’s customers in India will now be able… Read More

May 12, 2020 @ 10:09 am By JD Alois  |  

This should come as no surprise but Q1 was horrible for VC-backed Fintechs as the Coronavirus pounded private capital markets and crash-landed the once robust market. According to CBInsights, the first quarter of 2020 was one of the worst quarters for Fintech funding in years…. Read More

May 11, 2020 @ 10:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

  In March, it was reported that CoinDCX had secured $3 million in funding through a Series A investment round, led by Bitcoin Mercantile Exchange (BitMEX) operator, HDR Group. At that time, Sumit Gupta, co-founder and CEO at CoinDCX, said the crypto space in India was developing… Read More

May 11, 2020 @ 9:57 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

India-based digital bank RazorPay announced on May 11, 2020 that it’s planning to recruit more staff members for key positions across its engineering and product design teams. As previously reported, the banking challenger had revealed that there had been a significant increase in the number… Read More

May 11, 2020 @ 2:56 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The developers of the Loom Network, a platform-as-as-service blockchain initiative, seemed to have abandoned their project or become inactive. However, representatives from Loom reportedly told Cointelegraph that the project is not “dead,” as several social media users and community members had claimed. After CEO Matthew… Read More

May 11, 2020 @ 2:16 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based Fintech firm Spotii has introduced its shop now (or buy now) pay later platform. The credit is provided at “no interest, no cost.” Spotii has teamed up with various online merchants, allowing them to provide four “cost-free” installments to customers when… Read More

May 11, 2020 @ 12:44 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency platform Crypto.com announced on Monday it has secured a $100 million direct insurance policy led by Arch Underwriting at Lloyd’s Syndicate 2012. The platform reported that this is the largest coverage that Crypto.com has secured for its cold storage assets on custodial… Read More

May 10, 2020 @ 9:02 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Switzerland-based UBS Group AG (SWX: UBSG), a global investment bank and financial services firm with around $1 trillion in assets, recently confirmed that it is planning to launch a digital banking platform that would reduce operational costs and stimulate growth. However, UBS said its plan… Read More

May 10, 2020 @ 8:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Japan is reportedly planning to ease its investment rules and requirements, in order to make it more convenient for banks to invest in Fintech companies. The country is hoping that more relaxed investment guidelines will promote the local lending industry. The lenient policies should help… Read More