Asia

March 28, 2019 @ 1:49 pm By JD Alois  |  

InvestHK (Invest Hong Kong) commented on the news this week that the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) had approved the first three virtual banking licenses. InvestHK’s vision is to strengthen Hong Kong’s status as the leading international business location in Asia. Their mission is to… Read More

March 28, 2019 @ 7:42 am By JD Alois  |  

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has announced the first three virtual bank licenses. Applications were opened at the end of 2018 as aspiring digital banks moved quickly to complete the process. The HKMA said the three licenses were granted to: Livi VB Limited, SC Digital… Read More

March 28, 2019 @ 1:32 am By Cali Haan  |  

Police used “digital technology” to trace and capture 6 men who kidnapped an IT professor in Pakistan March 19th, but officials reportedly fear that the case could trigger a “boost” in the prevalence of cryptocurrency-related ransom and terror-financing events in Pakistan. According to Pakistani media… Read More

March 27, 2019 @ 4:07 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Standard Chartered Bank Limited, PCCW Limited, HKT Trust and HKT Limited, and Ctrip Financial Management Co., Limited announced on Wednesday the establishment of a strategic joint venture to deliver a new standalone digital retail bank in Hong Kong. According to the organizations, this new joint… Read More

March 27, 2019 @ 2:35 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Qupital, a Hong Kong-based trade finance platform, announced on Wednesday it secured $15 million through its Series A investment round, which was led by CreditEase FinTech Investment Fund (CEFIF) with additional capital injections from the Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs fund and MindWorks Ventures. Qupital reported that it… Read More

March 27, 2019 @ 7:36 am By JD Alois  |  

ZhongAn Technologies International Group Limited (ZA International) has been granted a virtual banking license by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA). As part of the process of developing their digital bank, ZhongAn is reaching out to users to register for updates and to provide feedback… Read More

March 27, 2019 @ 2:44 am By Cali Haan  |  

An IPO application submitted by Bitmain to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in September has lapsed. Bitmain is the world’s largest crypto-mining consortium. The company operates numerous crypto mining and research facilities across the globe and also designs and manufactures some of the industry’s most… Read More

March 26, 2019 @ 2:07 pm By Cali Haan  |  

A group dedicated to the liberation of North Korea, Cheollima Civil Defence, is raising funds through the sale of 200 000 symbolic “visas” that promise holders they will be among the among the first to visit “Free Joseon upon liberation.” The group’s “Post-Liberation Blockchain G-VISAs”… Read More

March 26, 2019 @ 1:34 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Chinese cryptocurrency exchange CoinAll announced on Tuesday it has listed Lambda (LAMB) on its platform. CoinAll describes Lambda as a safe, reliable and infinitely expanding decentralized storage network, whose mission is to promote the development of the Internet decentralization and build storage infrastructure for the… Read More

March 24, 2019 @ 9:03 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

PIVOT Fintech Pte. Ltd., the digital wealth management technology services venture backed by Pintec Technology Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: PT) and FWD Group, announced last week it has been granted a Capital Markets Services (CMS) license by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Launched in 2017 by… Read More

March 24, 2019 @ 6:04 am By JD Alois  |  

KRONN Ventures AG, a Switzerland based blockchain focused company, has signed a memorandum of understanding(MOU) with Linh Thanh Group, for the “production of cryptocurrency and the establishment of cryptocurrency exchange” in Vietnam. According to a release, the group has received a license from regulators to… Read More

March 23, 2019 @ 10:30 am By Xu Gao  |  

WeChat Shuts Down More Than 2,500 Accounts for Illegal Loan Activities On March 15th, China’s Central Television (CCTV) shined its spotlight on the illegal loans market during its annual Consumer Right’s Show. On March 18th, WeChat released an official statement about combating illegal credit services… Read More

March 22, 2019 @ 3:43 am By Cali Haan  |  

One of the world’s largest cryptomining companies, Bitmain, has announced the release of a new crypto mining machine it claims is three times faster than its previous model. The new “Antminer Z11” is designed for the dedicated mining of cryptocurrencies that use the Equihash algorithm… Read More

March 21, 2019 @ 9:39 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Saphron, an insurtech based in the Philippines, has reportedly secured S$1.4 million through its seed funding round, which was led by Sage and Talino Labs. Saphron revealed it was built out of its “bold ambition” to make insurance radically accessible through powerful and seamless technology…. Read More

March 21, 2019 @ 9:22 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Akulaku, a SE Asia-based fintech, is reportedly set to acquire Indonesian lending bank Yudha Bhakti for Rp 158 Billion ($11 million). Founded in 2016, Akulaku is a fintech company that is focused on providing financial services to the underserved. The company has established offices in five countries/regions,… Read More

March 21, 2019 @ 1:51 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Chinese cryptocurrency exchange CoinAll announced on Thursday the launch of a new user campaign which will last a month and features a 10,000 USDT bonus pool. It was revealed that users who complete the two-task mission will have a chance to share in the bonus.  According to CoinAll,… Read More

March 21, 2019 @ 6:53 am By JD Alois  |  

Singapore based Fintech InstaReM has announced a partnership with First Data (NYSE: FDC), a global leader in commerce-enabling technology and solutions. The new partnership will combine InstaReM’s digital payments and remittance solution with First Data’s debit processing solution. InstaReM said that by leveraging First Data’s… Read More

March 20, 2019 @ 3:19 pm By Cali Haan  |  

The Japanese government has approved proposed amendments to laws governing cryptocurrency trading that will, among other things, cap leveraged trades permitted in Japan at 2-4X, Nikkei Asian Review reports. Presently, “Certain exchanges voluntarily cap leverage at 25 times the deposit, as with the rule for… Read More

March 19, 2019 @ 7:52 am By JD Alois  |  

Western Union (NYSE:WU), an old tech cross-border payment company has teamed up with Thunes (TransferTo Mobile Financial Services Ltd) to enable Western Union customers to send funds directly into mobile wallets around the world. Thunes connects diverse payment systems so unbanked or underbanked users gain access… Read More

March 18, 2019 @ 10:50 pm By JD Alois  |  

InstaReM, a payments platform operating in over 50 countries, has closed on a USD $ 41 million Series C funding round led by Vertex Growth Fund, their first investment in Southeast Asia. James Lee, MD of Vertex Growth Fund, will be joining the Board of… Read More