Asia

May 1, 2025 @ 2:14 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Asia-Pacific (APAC) financial landscape in 2025 is poised for transformative shifts, driven by evolving regulatory frameworks and the rapid adoption of blockchain-based digital currencies. Citigroup’s recent reports offer critical insights into these trends, highlighting the interplay between regulatory developments and technological breakthroughs. As financial… Read More

April 30, 2025 @ 9:20 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

In a significant development for India’s startup ecosystem, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) reportedly detained Puneet Singh Jaggi, co-founder of BluSmart, from a Delhi hotel on April 25, 2025. The detention is said to be linked to an ongoing investigation into alleged financial irregularities at Gensol… Read More

April 29, 2025 @ 1:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Circle Internet Group, Inc., a global financial technology company and stablecoin market participant, announced it has received In-Principle Approval (IPA) from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of ADGM to operate as a money services provider. This IPA marks a significant step towards Circle securing… Read More

April 28, 2025 @ 6:04 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Thunes, the so-called “Smart Superhighway” to move money around the world, is proud to announce the raise of its $150 million Series D at a valuation increase over its last round. Thunes welcomes Apis Partners and Vitruvian Partners, two private equity firms, both globally recognized… Read More

April 28, 2025 @ 6:03 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Kaspersky’s GReAT team has uncovered a new Lazarus campaign, combining a watering hole attack with the “exploitation of vulnerabilities in third-party software to target organizations in South Korea.” During the research, company experts have also “discovered a zero-day vulnerability in the widely used South Korean… Read More

April 28, 2025 @ 7:19 am By Omar Faridi  |  

BitGo, the infrastructure provider of digital asset solutions, is pleased to announce that its Dubai subsidiary, BitGo Custody MENA FZE, has received a Virtual Assets Service Provider (VASP) operating license to provide Virtual Asset Custody Services and Staking, from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA)…. Read More

April 27, 2025 @ 5:40 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Ant Bank (Hong Kong), the digital banking arm of Ant International, has received a $100 million capital infusion from its parent company as it seeks to scale up its services and broaden its role in Hong Kong’s digital financial ecosystem. The funding, according to an… Read More

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