Asia

March 2, 2017 @ 11:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

Alibaba has been roaming the globe acquiring or investing digital businesses. The most recent investment lands in India – marking an important entrant for Jack Ma’s firm. According to multiple reports, Alibaba has led a funding round in Paytm, an Indian ecommerce and payments platform. A… Read More

March 2, 2017 @ 7:09 pm By Xu Gao  |  

CBRC Releases “Guideline” to Regulate Funds Custody of Online Lending Platforms On February 23rd, the China Banking Regulatory Commission（CBRC)released new guidelines to regulate funds custody of online lending platforms. According to the guidelines, online lending platforms and banks must follow the regulation to restructure their funds… Read More

March 2, 2017 @ 11:36 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Marketplace lending platform, China Rapid Finance, announced on Wednesday its CEO, Dr. Zhengyu (Zane) Wang will deliver a keynote speech at LendIt USA 2017. The event will take place on March 6th and 7th at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. China Rapid Finance noted that… Read More

March 2, 2017 @ 10:29 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Mambu, a Berlin-based SaaS banking platform provider, announced on Thursday it’s kicking off 2017 by opening new Miami office and appointing a new regional managing director to meet the growing demand for its platform in North America, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The platform… Read More

March 1, 2017 @ 3:04 am By Jessica Pham  |  

Vietnam-based peer-to-peer bitcoin marketplace platform Remitano is continuing its global expansion into the English-speaking market. Remitano is already operating in the U.S., Australia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Vietnam, Cambodia, and China. Cryptocoins News reported that CEO and Co-Founder Dung Huynh who is also the company’s Lead Product… Read More

February 28, 2017 @ 6:29 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Global investment in fintech ventures grew 10% in 2016, to US$23.2 billion, driven primarily by a wave of blockbuster deals in China, according to Accenture (NYSE:ACN) analysis of data from CB Insights, a global venture-finance data and analytics firm. Fintech financing in Asia-Pacific in 2016 eclipsed… Read More

February 27, 2017 @ 9:33 am By JD Alois  |  

Tokyo Otaku Mode Inc. (TOM) is a Delaware incorporated company that has launched crowdfunding in Japan. So why incorporate in the US? TOM is designed to be a global rewards-based or presale crowdfunding platform. Just launched today, TOM will be supporting, funding and allowing purchasing… Read More

February 24, 2017 @ 7:52 pm By JD Alois  |  

Lufax, othe largest peer to peer lenders in the world, is pivoting away from the online lending business. This is according to a report in WSJ.com. Lufax operates online and off – with more than 500 brick and mortar locations in over 200 cities. The… Read More

February 24, 2017 @ 8:06 am By JD Alois  |  

Bambu, the Singapore-based Robo-Advisory platform, has provided an update on their one year anniversary. Bambu is a Fintech firm that provides a white label platform for investment managers to provide a robust array of online advisory services for desktops and mobile devices. During the first year… Read More

February 22, 2017 @ 9:56 am By Xu Gao  |  

Hong Kong Securities & Futures Commission Joins R3 Blockchain Consortium The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) announced it had joined the R3 blockchain consortium. Through this partnership, SFC will test applications of blockchain on record and settlement of securities and futures trading with the… Read More

February 19, 2017 @ 10:59 pm By JD Alois  |  

China is the largest market in the world when it comes to peer to peer lending. The Chinese online lending market has also earned a reputation for fraud and a wild-west type environment as many platforms operate with little regulatory oversight. But this is changing… Read More

February 19, 2017 @ 10:46 pm By JD Alois  |  

Ant Financial Services Group, a leading digital financial services provider and part of the Alibaba family of businesses, has invested in Mynt or Globe Fintech Innovations – part of Globe Capital Venture Holdings (GCVHI). Mynt is part of Globe Telecom the leading Philippine mobile operator. Ayala Corporation,… Read More

February 18, 2017 @ 6:30 am By Jessica Pham  |  

F88 is a Vietnam-based pawn shop service chain and it secured last month an undisclosed amount of investment thanks to its attractive tech platform that “was launched to overcome the difficulties in accessing funds from customers, meet market demand, as well as catch up with… Read More

February 18, 2017 @ 3:14 am By Jessica Pham  |  

Vietnam is moving forward in reducing cash transactions and formalizing electronic payment methods. Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue signed a plan that ensures that the country has the infrastructure and equipment that it needs to progress toward a cashless economy by 2020. Focus areas… Read More

February 18, 2017 @ 1:17 am By Jessica Pham  |  

PayPal and Singapore Management University (SMU) have teamed up to establish a fintech scholarship that is worth S$180,000 (over $125,000). The investment is focused on building the talent pool in Singapore for the fintech sector. Six undergraduates at SMU’s School of Information Systems (SIS) will each… Read More

February 17, 2017 @ 9:30 am By JD Alois  |  

The Digital Lenders Association of India (DLAI), a private association formed by leading Fintech companies in the online lending space such as KredX, Capital Float, Lendingkart, Finomena, Rubique, Zest Money, Indialends and Neogrowth, has released a report entitled Union Budget 2017: Impact of Digital Financial Services…. Read More

February 16, 2017 @ 9:50 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

OurCrowd, the leading global equity crowdfunding platform, has announced its expansion in Asia with a new Taipei office and financial partner, Shanghai Commercial & Savings Bank (SCSB). According to OurCrowd, SCSB recently received the approval of the Financial Supervisory Commission, to invest in the Israel… Read More

February 15, 2017 @ 8:40 pm By JD Alois  |  

Singapore-based CapBridge Investment Trust (CIT) is a rules-based investment trust for private securities that has just launched. Recently incubated in the Clearbridge Accelerator in Singapore, the new firm is designed to help companies raise capital globally by driving institutional and accredited money into VC-like investments…. Read More

February 15, 2017 @ 3:38 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance at University of Cambridge Judge Business School, Australian Centre for Financial Studies at Monash University and Tsinghua University Graduate School at Shenzhen have teamed up to launch the 2016-2017 Asia-Pacific Region Alternative Finance Industry Survey.  The consortium has gained the… Read More

February 15, 2017 @ 11:29 am By Xu Gao  |  

PBOC Becomes the First Central Bank to Issue Digital Currency Just at the start of 2017, People’s Bank of China (PBOC) took a big step in the area of digital currency. According to its announcement, PBOC has managed to test digital bill trading with beta-digital… Read More