Asia

November 23, 2024 @ 5:40 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Philippine fintech startup Salmon is aiming to secure a thrift bank license for the Rural Bank of Santa Rosa as part of its strategic expansion in the country, according to company officials. The move is intended to transform the rural bank into a retail-oriented thrift… Read More

November 22, 2024 @ 4:34 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

BitGo Singapore Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of BitGo, Inc., announced its official launch to provide regulated digital asset custody, trading, settlement, and token management services to the APAC region. The launch comes after BitGo obtained its Major Payment Institution License from the Monetary Authority of… Read More

November 22, 2024 @ 4:33 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

SOLOWIN HOLDINGS (Nasdaq: SWIN), a financial services firm providing high-net-worth and institutional investors with solutions across traditional and virtual assets, announced its partnership with Zodia Custody, a digital asset custodian backed by Standard Chartered, which has been selected by NASDAQ as a new core custodian… Read More

November 22, 2024 @ 10:29 am By Omar Faridi  |  

CF Benchmarks has reportedly added Bullish as Constituent Exchange for the “trusted” institutional Bitcoin index, CME CF Bitcoin Reference Rate. Bullish Exchange has officially joined a select list of “rigorously” vetted, “high-integrity,” Constituent Exchanges for CME CF Bitcoin Reference Rates CF Benchmarks, the UK FCA-regulated… Read More

November 21, 2024 @ 9:56 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Chainalysis are pleased to share the fifth annual Chainalysis Global Crypto Adoption Index. In each year’s report, they look at both on- and off-chain data “to determine which countries are leading the world in grassroots crypto adoption.” Chainalysis research highlights countries “where unique cryptocurrency use… Read More

November 21, 2024 @ 9:09 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Tarabut, an open banking platform operating in the MENA region, and Geidea, Saudi Arabia’s payments solutions provider, have entered a strategic partnership to explore and develop SME financing solutions, subject to regulatory approvals. SMEs represent 1.3 million businesses in Saudi Arabia, and they face a… Read More

November 18, 2024 @ 11:07 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Singapore e-commerce market is growing at a steady pace and is now expected to register a “strong” compound annual growth rate of “8.9% between 2024 and 2028 to reach SGD33.3 billion ($24.8 billion) in 2028,” forecasts GlobalData, a data and analytics company. GlobalData’s E-Commerce… Read More

November 18, 2024 @ 10:05 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

A Bengali man was recently taken into police custody, allegedly in connection with the massive $235 million WazirX crypto hack reported earlier this year. Delhi authorities (in India) apparently made a significant breakthrough in the WazirX hacking incident, by arresting a suspect residing in West… Read More

November 18, 2024 @ 10:04 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

South Korean authorities are reportedly investigating crypto exchange Upbit for numerous KYC (Know Your Customer) violations. Due to these reported compliance failures at the Korean exchange, Upbit might have to pay fines as high as $71,500 for each case along with potential issues with its… Read More

November 17, 2024 @ 9:08 pm By Michael Wong  |  

A group of prominent Philippine financial institutions has teamed up with Web 3.0 fintech firm JUST Finance to introduce PHPX, the first bank-collateralized Philippine Peso stablecoin. This initiative, led by UnionBank of the Philippines (UBX), RCBC, Cantilan Bank, and Rural Bank of Guinobatan, along with… Read More

November 17, 2024 @ 6:09 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Kaspersky is announcing the opening of its latest Transparency Center in Seoul, South Korea, reaffirming its commitment to delivering the best security assurance for its products and services. Located in the Kaspersky office, the new facility will provide “the company’s stakeholders with services ranging from… Read More

November 17, 2024 @ 6:06 pm By Michael Wong  |  

FortiCard, a Singapore-based global Fintech firm, has announced the establishment of its subsidiary in the United States and the acquisition of a Money Services Business (MSB) license issued by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) under the U.S. Department of the Treasury. This development marks… Read More

November 17, 2024 @ 6:04 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Dubai-based spend management platform Pemo announced raising $7 million in a Pre-Series A funding round. The investment comes as the company seeks to accelerate its growth in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, including plans to expand into Saudi Arabia. The funding round was co-led… Read More

November 15, 2024 @ 6:33 am By Omar Faridi  |  

=   A total of 11,808 deals (mergers & acquisitions (M&A), private equity and venture financing deals) were reportedly announced in the Asia-Pacific region during January to October 2024, which was a YoY decline of “4.8% compared to the 12,406 deals announced during the same period… Read More

November 14, 2024 @ 3:38 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

HKMA and multilateral organizations aim to enhance strategic partnership for climate investment in Asia. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority joined hands with multilateral organizations, including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World… Read More

November 13, 2024 @ 4:36 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Visa (V: NYSE) flexible credential is going global by transforming the traditional payment card for a digital future. First in the United States, Visa Flexible Credential will reportedly roll out with the Affirm Card, a debit card that allows eligible consumers to buy now and… Read More

November 11, 2024 @ 10:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

QCP Trading Pte. Ltd. received an In-Principle Approval (IPA) for a Major Payment Institution (MPI) License from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). The IPA represents a step toward “full” licensing, allowing QCP Trading to prepare to offer regulated spot trading services for digital payment… Read More

November 11, 2024 @ 7:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Funding Societies | Modalku, theunified digital finance platform for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Southeast Asia today announced signing the third credit facility* with HSBC under its ASEAN Growth Fund. The transaction, an accumulative commitment of over $100 million, includes the annual credit… Read More

November 11, 2024 @ 2:11 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd (HKEX) is pleased to announce plans to digitize and automate the in-kind creation and redemption process for relevant exchange-traded products (ETP) in 2025 through the adoption of a “web-based platform, subject to technical readiness and regulatory approval.” This platform… Read More

November 11, 2024 @ 1:09 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Tencent announced a partnership with Visa (NYSE: V) to introduce its palm recognition technology for digital payments in international markets. The service will first be rolled out in Singapore, where Visa cardholders from participating banks, including DBS, OCBC, and UOB, will be “part of the… Read More