Asia

April 27, 2025 @ 5:38 pm By Michael Wong  |  

iMENA Group, a regional operator of digital platforms in the Middle East and North Africa, has raised $135 million in the first tranche of its pre-IPO funding round, backed by Sanabil Investments, FJ Labs, and several Saudi investors, including Saygin Yalcin, founder of SellAnyCar. The… Read More

April 25, 2025 @ 4:45 am By Michael Wong  |  

Altruist, a U.S.-based custodian for registered investment advisors, announced that it raised $152 million in a Series F funding round led by Singapore sovereign investor GIC. The round also drew participation from Salesforce Ventures, Geodesic Capital, Baillie Gifford, Carson Family Office, ICONIQ Growth and other… Read More

April 25, 2025 @ 4:37 am By Michael Wong  |  

LenderLink Philippines, a fintech startup building the Philippines’ first high-tech, real-time credit bureau, raised $1.25 million in an oversubscribed pre-seed funding round led by venture firms Iterative and Kaya Founders, the company said. The pre-seed round, the startup’s first external raise since its founding last… Read More

April 25, 2025 @ 4:34 am By Michael Wong  |  

LendMN, Mongolia’s first fully digital lending Fintech and a unit of AND Global, said it had raised $20 million in debt financing from Lendable to scale technology-driven financial services for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the country. The facility marks the largest sum… Read More

April 25, 2025 @ 4:32 am By Omar Faridi  |  

ADGM, the international financial center of the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, announces the launch of the Virtual Sell and Purchase, the real estate service, which allows multiple steps within property transactions to be “completed virtually by buyers, sellers, and associated banks.” ADGM’s new service streamlines… Read More

April 25, 2025 @ 4:13 am By Omar Faridi  |  

World, the human-centered financial and identity network, is reportedly a global network of 12,185,058 “real humans.” According to a blog post by World, more than 1500 Orbs “currently live in the field to verify unique humanness across 23 countries.” As with any network, its developers… Read More

April 24, 2025 @ 6:04 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Programmable financial services company Stripe announced a set of payments updates for Japanese businesses and businesses looking to expand into Japan. First, Stripe is making it easier for businesses to “sell to customers in Japan by enabling new payment methods.” Businesses in Japan can accept… Read More

April 24, 2025 @ 4:06 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Archax, the UK-based digital asset exchange, broker and custodian, announced that it has opened an entity in the Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC) under an Innovation License there. This builds on its recently announced expansion into both the EU and US regions, with broker acquisitions… Read More

April 23, 2025 @ 10:07 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

TPG (NASDAQ: TPG), a global alternative asset management firm, and Temasek, a global investment company headquartered in Singapore,  announced a definitive agreement to make a “substantial minority investment in Cliffwater LLC, an independent alternative investment adviser and fund manager.” TPG’s investment will be made “through… Read More

April 23, 2025 @ 1:13 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Nomura and Macquarie announced that they have entered into an agreement for Nomura to acquire Macquarie’s U.S. and European public asset management business, with approximately “$180 billion in retail and institutional client assets across equities, fixed income and multi-asset strategies.” Under the terms of the… Read More

April 22, 2025 @ 10:58 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

In a key move for the crypto derivatives market, the Singapore Exchange (SGX) has announced plans to introduce Bitcoin perpetual futures in the second half of 2025. This development positions SGX as a key player in the growing integration of digital assets into traditional financial… Read More

April 22, 2025 @ 7:15 am By Omar Faridi  |  

One of South Korea’s largest digital assets exchanges, Bithumb, is reportedly making significant strides toward an initial public offering (IPO) slated for the second half of 2025. In a strategic move to streamline operations and potentially enhance its valuation prospects, the exchange announced plans to… Read More

April 21, 2025 @ 4:14 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Thailand’s credit and charge card payments market is projected to reach THB2.3 trillion ($65.6 billion) in 2025, reflecting a growth of “7.1% compared to the previous year,” driven by the adoption of digital payment solutions and a shift in consumer behavior towards cashless transactions, according… Read More

April 21, 2025 @ 12:12 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Tokyo-based Metaplanet has acquired an additional 330 Bitcoin (BTC), valued at $28.2 million, marking its third purchase this month. The acquisition, executed at an average price of 12.18 million Japanese yen ($85,605 per BTC), comes amid market volatility spurred by U.S. tariff measures. *Metaplanet Purchases… Read More

April 20, 2025 @ 9:11 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Pakistan will host its first-ever Digital Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Forum in Islamabad on April 29-30, a historic initiative by the Government of Pakistan and the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO). Supported by the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), the two-day event aims to attract international… Read More

April 20, 2025 @ 8:01 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Supreme Court of India dismissed a petition filed by 54 victims of the WazirX hack on April 16, 2025, seeking action against the crypto exchange and its associates. The decision underscores the persistent regulatory ambiguity surrounding cryptocurrencies in India, leaving victims of the $235… Read More

April 20, 2025 @ 6:49 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Dubizzle Group, the MENA region’s digital marketplace group, announces today the acquisition of Property Monitor, a real-estate market intelligence platform in the UAE. The acquisition of Property Monitor reinforces Dubizzle Group’s leadership in real estate classifieds and technology “through a portfolio of brands, including Bayut… Read More

April 20, 2025 @ 11:09 am By Michael Wong  |  

Yiren Digital Ltd, an artificial intelligence (AI)‑powered platform providing financial and lifestyle services in China, said it formed a strategic joint venture with PT Pinjaman Kemakmuran Rakyat (klikUMKM) and PT Artha Digital Investama, part of the Artha Graha Network (AG Network), to deliver AI‑driven financial… Read More

April 19, 2025 @ 4:53 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

This week, HashKey Capital launched the HashKey XRP Tracker Fund. The company said it is the first investment fund in Asia designed to track the performance of XRP. One of the world’s leading digital assets infrastructure providers, Ripple, is an early investor. The HashKey XRP… Read More

April 19, 2025 @ 3:51 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Thailand’s financial regulator has selected three consortia led by Krungthai Bank, SCB X, and Ascend Money to pioneer virtual banking services, aiming for a 2026 rollout, The Nation reported. The Bank of Thailand finalised its choice after five applicants vied for licences between March and… Read More