Asia

October 5, 2024 @ 6:22 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Funding for the generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) sector in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is projected to increase by 50 percent year-over-year in 2025, according to the latest report from GenAI Fund. The “ASEAN GenAI Startup Report 2024” attributes this anticipated growth to… Read More

October 5, 2024 @ 9:01 am By Michael Wong  |  

Southeast Asia’s technology startup sector experienced a significant downturn in funding during the first nine months of 2024, plunging 59% compared to the same period last year, a report released by Tracxn revealed. The report highlighted that Southeast Asian (SEA) tech startups secured a total… Read More

October 2, 2024 @ 7:47 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

In a development for the region’s digital commerce ecosystem, Bazzar Gate, an IT firm, has reportedly acquired $1 million in funding. This capital injection from the investment round is now expected to enabke the expansion of the firm’s e-commerce platform, Partners, which has gained traction… Read More

October 2, 2024 @ 7:20 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

PhonePe announced its partnership with Jar to launch its new product offering ‘Daily Savings’ on its platform, enabling users to save money in 24K digital gold via “incremental daily contributions.” With Daily Savings, users are able to set aside as little as ₹10 per day,… Read More

October 2, 2024 @ 7:42 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The latest DFSA approval unlocks Ripple’s end-to-end payment services in the UAE, boosting Middle East operations. Ripple, the provider of digital asset infrastructure, has secured in-principle approval from the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) in order to expand its services from the Dubai International Financial… Read More

September 30, 2024 @ 3:58 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Alipay+, the cross-border mobile payment solution operated by Ant International, has significantly expanded its presence in Nepal by partnering with Himalayan Bank, a major local bank. This collaboration introduces over ten new payment partners, enabling Alipay+ to be accepted at more than 25,000 merchants across… Read More

September 30, 2024 @ 8:41 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Building on the multimarket partnership to enable flexible payments adoption in the region, Mastercard (NYSE: MA) and ZOOD, one of the digital lending platforms for e-commerce in the Middle East and Central Asia, has introduced a BNPL card – ZOOD Card – in Uzbekistan. The… Read More

September 29, 2024 @ 5:54 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Temenos (SIX: TEMN) announced that it has signed a Multi-Country Model Bank development agreement with Bahwan CyberTek (BCT), a global digital transformation company. Temenos Country Model Banks offer financial institutions a faster go-live experience with Temenos solutions, “while simultaneously reducing costs and risks through pre-configured… Read More

September 29, 2024 @ 1:03 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Qist Bazaar, Pakistan’s Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) fintech startup, announced that it has secured $3.2 million in its Series A funding round. The round was led by Indus Valley Capital, with “participation from Gobi Partners, a prominent Asia-focused venture capital firm with $1.6 billion… Read More

September 29, 2024 @ 12:33 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Amplify Growth Partnership has announced the launch of its growth debt fund. The $100 million fund aims to “provide debt capital to technology focused companies across the MENA region.” The Fund is also pleased to announce “that it has successfully closed its first transaction, deploying… Read More

September 29, 2024 @ 12:31 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Israel officially joined the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as its 69th member and 20th nonregional member on Thursday, after fulfilling all necessary membership requirements. Israel submitted its application for ADB membership in January 2022. The ADB Board of Governors approved the membership on April 14,… Read More

September 28, 2024 @ 1:19 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL) unveiled PayPal Complete Payments, which is described as being a safe and efficient all-in-one platform that integrates a range of customized products and solutions to support Chinese merchants in selling globally. This platform streamlines payment and receivables processes “for businesses of all… Read More

September 27, 2024 @ 10:52 am By JD Alois  |  

FCA-regulated real estate investment platform Shojin and Anarock, a Dubai-based real estate brokerage firm, have announced a new partnership. According to a company statement, the two firms will open up real estate investment opportunities for each of their investor networks. Anarock’s clients from Dubai will gain access to… Read More

September 27, 2024 @ 9:17 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Building on its earlier participation in JPM Coin Systems through Onyx by JP Morgan, the firm’s blockchain business unit, First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) completed its pilot using Programmable Payments. Programmability is the ability of the system “to execute specific tasks based on defined instructions.”… Read More

September 26, 2024 @ 3:18 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Chainalysis recently shared key insights from its 2024 Geography of Cryptocurrency Report. According to the Chainalysis research report, the MENA region ranks as the seventh-largest crypto market globally in 2024, with “an estimated $338.7 billion in on-chain value received between July 2023 and June 2024,… Read More

September 25, 2024 @ 7:21 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced today the establishment of a Cyber and Technology Resilience Experts (CTREX) Panel. The Panel replaces MAS’ Cyber Security Advisory Panel, with an expanded mandate to “cover technology resilience which, together with cybersecurity, significantly underpins the operational resilience of… Read More

September 25, 2024 @ 7:24 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) commenced Phase 2 of the e-HKD pilot program and is expanding Project e-HKD to explore new forms of digital money. The HKMA in Hong Kong revealed on September 23 that it officially began Phase 2 of the e-HKD Pilot… Read More

September 23, 2024 @ 5:33 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Stonepeak, an alternative investment firm specializing in infrastructure and real assets, today announced the opening of an office in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), having received the Financial Services Permission (FSP) from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM)… Read More

September 23, 2024 @ 3:16 pm By JD Alois  |  

Online lender Biz2X says it has partnered with Watermelon Ecosystem. The platform provides services for restaurateurs and other F&B entrepreneurs in the MENA region. Biz2X will power business financing for businesses that use the Watermelon platform. Merchants selling inventory and other goods or services on… Read More

September 22, 2024 @ 7:39 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Malaysian Fintech major TNG Digital is exploring a potential domestic initial public offering (IPO) that could raise over $300 million within the next two to three years, according to two sources familiar with the matter, Reuters reported. The sources indicated that TNG Digital, which owns… Read More