Asia

March 9, 2020 @ 11:01 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Indonesia’s Financial Services Authority (OJK) has reportedly suspended new applications being submitted by local Fintech companies in order to focus on guiding and regulating firms that have already been issued an operational license. The OJK confirmed that it has temporarily halted registrations of all new… Read More

March 9, 2020 @ 10:46 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

U Microfinance Bank Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) – Etisalat Company, has reportedly signed a grant agreement with Karandaaz Pakistan, a company that aims to promote improved access to finance for small business owners via an investment platform, and financial… Read More

March 9, 2020 @ 10:28 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Krungsri Finnovate, a corporate venture capital company operating under Bank of Ayudhya (BAY), the third-largest bank in Thailand in terms of assets, loans, and deposits, is planning to invest $10 million into the operations of three promising startups during the first half of this year…. Read More

March 8, 2020 @ 11:33 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Up, a life-planning solution developed by BTO, a Singapore-based Fintech firm, recently teamed up with iCompareLoan, a mortgage-comparison portal, in order to provide home-owners and new buyers improved and more competitive mortgage planning services.  Clients using the Up platform will now be able to access… Read More

March 8, 2020 @ 8:25 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

HPS, a payments technology and services company, has reportedly been chosen by the Saudi Arabia Monetary Authority (SAMA) to offer a QR-based payment platform. The HPS deal is part of the Middle Eastern country’s larger Fintech development initiative. HPS will be overseen by Saudi Payments,… Read More

March 8, 2020 @ 8:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Tom Trowbridge, former president at Hedera Hashgraph and current president at Triterras, a blockchain-powered Fintech solution for the trade finance sector, recently shared his views and insights with Crowdfund Insider. Triterras was established in 2012 in order to meet the rising demand for commodities that… Read More

March 8, 2020 @ 7:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Hong Kong-headquartered EMQ, a globally accessible financial settlement network, recently revealed that it’s planning to connect to Singapore’s Fast and Secure Transfers (FAST) network and also offer services in other Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia. EMQ’s solution will allow businesses to easily make digital… Read More

March 8, 2020 @ 7:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

In June 2020, Singapore’s regulatory authorities will be issuing operational licenses to three new wholesale neobanks in order to provide better services to underbanked small-and-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).  The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) confirmed in mid-2019 that it would begin accepting applications for five new… Read More

March 8, 2020 @ 10:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Mature global economies like Japan’s won’t need a virtual currency, according to the deputy governor at the Bank of Japan (BoJ). While attending the Bank for International Settlement’s Future of Payments Forum, deputy governor Masayoshi Amamiya said that a central bank digital currency, or CBDC,… Read More

March 7, 2020 @ 8:51 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Pine Labs has teamed up with ZestMoney, a leading consumer lending Fintech firm based in India. Through the partnership, the companies will offer in-store digital equated monthly installment (EMI) options to “new-to-credit” customers via Pine Labs’ Plutus and Plutus Smart point of sale (PoS) devices. … Read More

March 7, 2020 @ 7:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the nation’s central bank, is getting ready to submit a review petition on the Supreme Court’s recent ruling regarding cryptocurrency transactions. According to the Economic Times, which cited sources familiar with the matter, the RBI is concerned the Court’s… Read More

March 7, 2020 @ 4:48 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Philippines, an Asian country with a GDP of over $300 billion and a population of more than 100 million, is preparing to welcome its first all-digital bank, Tonik Financial, which was established in Singapore in 2018. Tonik has acquired a banking license from the… Read More

March 7, 2020 @ 2:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Leap Finance Inc., a Fintech-focused platform for Indian students who are planning to enroll in international higher education programs, has secured $5.5 million in capital via a round led by Sequoia Capital.  Bhupinder Singh, founder and CEO at Incred, Kunal Shah, founder and CEO at… Read More

March 7, 2020 @ 8:52 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Washington-based Quona Capital, a leading venture capital company (with additional offices in Bengaluru), has secured $203 million in commitments. The Accion Quona Inclusion Fund had initially planned to acquire $150 million in capital. The fund will mainly be focusing on Fintech projects and financial organizations… Read More

March 6, 2020 @ 10:07 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Kuwait-based company Path Solutions has introduced the Path Digital and Path Intelligence platforms to allow local banks to offer clients a seamless and intelligent digital banking experience.  The Fintech solution provider noted that the launch of the new platform will complement its new Intelligent Digital… Read More

March 6, 2020 @ 7:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

India’s banking regulator, the Reserve Bank India (RBI), has issued an update regarding how it plans to regulate the country’s Fintech and regulatory technology, or Regtech, industry. The RBI is establishing three new divisions, which include one unit to regulate Fintech, another unit to oversee… Read More

March 5, 2020 @ 11:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The South Korean National Assembly introduced an amendment on March 5, 2020 which will officially bring decentralized cryptocurrencies under the $1.5 trillion economy’s legal system.  The amendment, as drafted, makes changes to the established Act on Reporting and Use of Specific Financial Information, in order… Read More

March 5, 2020 @ 10:15 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) has released an updated exposure draft, which covers the licensing guidelines for all-digital banks. The draft from the nation’s central bank proposes a simplified set of regulations for neobanks. Bank Negara officials noted that the simplifications intend to reduce regulatory pressure… Read More

March 5, 2020 @ 5:18 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Matrixport, a financial services firm owned by billionaire Jihan Wu, co-founder of giant crypto mining firm Bitmain, is reportedly planning to secure $40 million in capital at a post-investment valuation of $300 million. According to Bloomberg, which cited sources familiar with the matter, Matrixport’s management… Read More

March 5, 2020 @ 8:05 am By Omar Faridi  |  

CoinDCX, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in India, revealed on March 4, 2020 that it has become the first digital asset trading platform in the country to integrate bank account transfers.  This development has come right after the Supreme Court of India lifted the… Read More