Asia

August 23, 2016 @ 10:37 am By JD Alois  |  

Last week S. Iswaran, Minister for Trade & Industry, made the statement; “FinTech is … a critical differentiator for Singapore to remain a leading financial hub in the region. Our finance and insurance sector has been a key growth contributor in recent years, and the… Read More

August 22, 2016 @ 9:46 am By JD Alois  |  

Singapore-based Robo-advisor Bambu has received USD $400,000 in seed funding. Tigerspike and angel investors from Singapore funded the round. The funding will be used to boost the Bambu team and to build out the product and expand into other regional markets. Bambu is an advisor that offers… Read More

August 21, 2016 @ 10:19 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Turnbull government announced in February of this year their intent to establish Australia as an Asia-Pacific hub for Fintech. The Hon. Scott Morrison MP said at that time; “FinTech will have an important role to play in Australia’s innovation future, that’s why the Turnbull Government… Read More

August 19, 2016 @ 11:15 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Rakuten, Inc. announced the opening of the Rakuten Blockchain Lab (R.B.L.) in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK, planned for August 22, 2016 on its website and blog. R.B.L. will be a dedicated research and development organization within Rakuten, focused on blockchain technology and its potential applications in… Read More

August 19, 2016 @ 10:52 am By Erin Hobey  |  

Financial regulation alterations are underway in order to ensure that electronic payments can be facilitated in Singapore making good on the city-state’s promise that this region is dedicated to becoming a fintech center, according to a release. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) intends to streamline existing its… Read More

August 18, 2016 @ 1:55 am By JD Alois  |  

In Mumbai this week there was an annual banking conference where Indian government officials presented or participated. The Hindu interviewed Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor R Gandhi and he made several interesting statements. According to Gandhi; “Banking is necessary, but banks are not adding…… Read More

August 17, 2016 @ 2:15 pm By JD Alois  |  

The China government is very determined to keep their economy chugging along while fostering more innovative and entrepreneurial companies.  If you need any more proof this report in Sina.com is just another indication of what the current administration is willing to do to prime the… Read More

August 16, 2016 @ 10:51 pm By JD Alois  |  

United Overseas Bank (UOB) based in Singapore has embraced the Fintech revolution. Instead of fighting the inevitable, UOB has formed a partnership with one of the most prominent investment crowdfunding platforms around. OurCrowd is based in Jerusalem but they operate across the globe. OurCrowd has just… Read More

August 16, 2016 @ 9:53 pm By JD Alois  |  

United Overseas Bank (UOB) is determined not to be just an observer in the Fintech revolution. UOB has recently begun conducting training sessions with over 100 bankers to update and educate them on alternative finance.  UOB wants its management to be well-versed in the most… Read More

August 16, 2016 @ 10:20 am By Erin Hobey  |  

The South Korean commercial bank Woori Bank Co. has partnered with the Vietnam-based mobile banking service provider M-Service, according to Pulse News, aiming to strengthen its presence in the Southeast Asian financial market.  Woori Bank has opened over 200 global financial service outlets, with two offices already in Vietnam, in… Read More

August 15, 2016 @ 9:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

Yirendai (NYSE:YRD), the publicly traded offshoot of huge P2P lender CreditEase, announced Q2 results last week and the markets liked what they heard. While Yirendai held their earnings call on Wednesday, August 10th, it has taken a few days for the news to sink in…. Read More

August 14, 2016 @ 7:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

Bala Srinivasa, a partner at the VC firm of Kalaari Capital, recently published an interesting post on India and the development of Fintech in the country. While Fintech has gone hyperbolic in China, and the US, Europe, and the rest of Asia has seen steady… Read More

August 12, 2016 @ 6:27 pm By JD Alois  |  

Dianrong, a very large peer to peer lender in China (far bigger than any platform in the US), did some chest pounding yesterday.  In a release, Dianrong claimed the US Department of Commerce named the Chinese online lender the “Leader in China’s P2P Lending Segment.”… Read More

August 11, 2016 @ 10:27 pm By JD Alois  |  

Singapore-based crowdfunding platform CoAssets is preparing to list on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) later this month. CoAssets is already traded on the NSX (CAX) but the move up to the primary exchange is viewed as enhancing credibility for the investment platform.  CoAssets is already… Read More

August 10, 2016 @ 3:51 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Duocaitou, a Chinese real estate crowdfunding platform that’s dedicated to boutique hotels and home rentals, announced on Wednesday it has completed its Pre-A financing round and has received funds from three venture capital firms, Capital, Innovation Angel Fund, and Shunwei Capital Partners. Gengqian Zhao, CEO… Read More

August 10, 2016 @ 11:14 am By JD Alois  |  

Fundnel alumni Spark Asia has secured a partnership with  JustKapture in India. Fundnel is a southeast Asia investment crowdfunding ecosystem that funds and mentors Asian startups. Spark Asia was the winner of Fundnel’s “Everyday Ideas” competition last year and was subsequently incubated on Fundnel while receiving pre-seed… Read More

August 10, 2016 @ 9:16 am By JD Alois  |  

Bigstone has announced $3 million in equity funding led by CVC Limited and the founders of Lighthouse Venture Partners along with participation from Australian private investors. This is the first funding round for Bigstone an SME lending platform that launched this past June. The peer… Read More

August 9, 2016 @ 10:22 am By Erin Hobey  |  

It’s official.  AngelList, the Silicon Valley-based online platform which allows startups to raise capital from accredited investors, has appointed Utsav Somani, who previously worked with LetsVenture, as an Advisor to spearhead its operations in India. In the blog post “Bringing AngelList to India”, Somani disclosed his new role… Read More

August 8, 2016 @ 9:51 am By JD Alois  |  

Eureeca closed its self-crowdfunding round this weekend early – 100% funded. The offer closed after just 12 days of being available online. The securities offer was over 60% funded on day one Based in Dubai, Euereeca has bigger ambitions having received FCA approval in the… Read More

August 7, 2016 @ 10:11 pm By JD Alois  |  

CreditEase, the largest peer to peer lender in China, is boosting its VC team as it continues its global expansion strategy.  A few days back, according to a report in ECNS, CreditEast appointed Anju Patwardhan, previously the Global Chief Innovation Officer at Standard Charter Bank…. Read More