Asia

April 13, 2020 @ 12:32 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

DeCurret, a Japan-based cryptocurrency exchange, announced on Friday it has issued ¥2.75 billion in a third-party allocation of shares. The platform, which was founded in 2018, stated that amidst a “growing major trend towards the spread of digital currency” it has become a “main bank… Read More

April 13, 2020 @ 10:49 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Ledger, a leading cryptocurrency hardware wallet provider, recently revealed that it’s now allowing its customers to make payments for products through Hong Kong-based Crypto.com’s online wallet app. As noted in an announcement published on April 9, 2020, Ledger will be accepting payments made using Bitcoin… Read More

April 13, 2020 @ 10:31 am By JD Alois  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has published an FAQ in regards to the new Payment Services Act. The Payment Services Act has gone through a consultation process with MAS responding in December 2019. The FAQ is meant to provide guidance on the licensing and… Read More

April 13, 2020 @ 9:22 am By JD Alois  |  

Governments around the world are scrambling to backstop halted economies impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Just weeks ago, the global economy was full speed ahead but today with lockdowns, social distancing and face mask requirements in place, businesses are closed and everyone is suffering…. Read More

April 12, 2020 @ 10:07 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Bengaluru-based Jana Small Finance Bank, a scheduled commercial bank, has introduced a new digital banking solution, called DIGIGEN. The neobank will allow users to digitally open a savings account and offers various fixed deposit options, which can be accessed instantly from anywhere at any time…. Read More

April 12, 2020 @ 5:16 pm By Xu Gao  |  

Chinese Banks Seek Technology Talents for Digital Transformation The outbreak of the COVID-19 has accelerated the digitalization process of the financial industry. In order to respond better to future challenges, banks in China are seeking more technology talents. For example, Postal Savings Bank of China… Read More

April 11, 2020 @ 6:53 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Azimo, an online funds transfer service provider, has teamed up with Thailand’s Siam Commercial Bank (SCB), the nation’s oldest financial institution, in order to introduce an instant international payments gateway from Europe to the Asian country. As mentioned in an announcement made on April 9,… Read More

April 10, 2020 @ 10:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Standard Chartered, a British multinational banking and financial services company with over $700 billion in total assets, has confirmed that its new Hong Kong-based digital bank Mox is opening its app and platform to a select group of external clients, following its brand name and… Read More

April 10, 2020 @ 10:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Companies and institutions that may have applied for a digital banking license in Singapore will now have to wait longer in order to find out if their application was approved. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the nation’s central bank and financial regulator, has confirmed… Read More

April 10, 2020 @ 7:52 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Fintech firm Razer, an established global lifestyle brand for gamers, has announced that it will be supporting its business partners, following the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and resulting economic challenges. Razer has reportedly committed to allocating up to $50 million this year. The funds will be… Read More

April 9, 2020 @ 10:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Neobank Amica Technologies, which is managed by Jitendra Gupta, the former PayU India’s chief executive, has acquired $2 million in capital through an investment round led by two major VC firms, including UK-based Hummingbird Ventures and US-headquartered Bedrock Capital. Gupta said his company is planning… Read More

April 9, 2020 @ 9:18 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

AMTD International (NYSE: HKIB; SGX: HKB), which is part of the AMTD Group, an established Asian financial services conglomerate, has confirmed its secondary listing on the Mainboard of the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Ltd (the “SGX-ST”) under the ticker “HKB.” AMTD International’s listing notably marks… Read More

April 9, 2020 @ 9:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Digital asset lending company BlockFi has received a strategic investment from Three Arrows Capital (TAC) via a secondary transaction, according to the company. Three Arrows Capital is a crypto hedge fund manager that focuses on emerging markets. TAC has reportedly been providing greater risk-adjusted returns… Read More

April 9, 2020 @ 7:17 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the nation’s central bank and financial regulator, has introduced a $125 million support package, in order to support local financial service providers and Fintech companies, following the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, and resulting economic instability. The MAS noted that $90… Read More

April 8, 2020 @ 8:16 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Capital G-backed Aye Finance, a leading Fintech lender, has reportedly secured INR 180 crore (appr. $23.8 million) in debt funding in the past 15 days from several major firms in India and investors located abroad. Aye’s management noted that it managed to acquire these funds… Read More

April 8, 2020 @ 8:09 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Dsdaq, a Fintech firm established in October 2019, has secured $1.5 million in funding from several angel investors including Efftronics Asia, a Hong Kong-based family investment office, and Draper Dragon, a Silicon Valley-based VC firm. Jiaxuan (Leah) Li, CMO at Dsdaq, stated: “Dsdaq is dedicated… Read More

April 8, 2020 @ 1:28 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Alipay, a digital lifestyle platform operated by Ant Financial Services Group, announced on Wednesday it has launched a series of initiatives to support small businesses in Wuhan as the city lifts the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. The platform reported it has set up a special section,… Read More

April 7, 2020 @ 10:30 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Big Four auditing firm Pricewaterhousecoopers (PwC) reports that the majority of global digital asset fundraising and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals last year took place outside of the United States for the very first time. As noted in PwC’s report (released on April 6, 2020),… Read More

April 7, 2020 @ 10:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Hong Kong-based Hang Seng Bank, a banking and financial services company, has launched a new chat contact for WhatsApp users based in the city, which is a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China. The new chat feature aims to provide a direct… Read More

April 7, 2020 @ 10:16 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

A Japanese research group has reportedly developed a blockchain-enabled mechanism to carry out legal tasks through a “digital court” system. As noted in an announcement made on April 6, 2020, Japanese professors Hitoshi Matsushima from the University of Tokyo, and Shunya Noda from the University… Read More