Asia

CBDCs: Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) Introduces Phase 2 of e -HKD Pilot

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has recently introduced Phase 2 of the e-HKD Pilot Program. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) confirmed the launch of Phase 2 of the e-HKD Pilot Program, with a view to further “exploring innovative use cases for an e-HKD… Read More

APAC Deal Activity Down by Nearly 20% YoY in First 2 Months of 2024 – Research Report

A total of 1,843 deals (mergers & acquisitions [M&A], private equity and venture financing deals) were announced in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region “during January-February 2024, which is a year-on-year (YoY) decline of 19.6% compared to the 2,292 deals announced during the same period in previous… Read More

India, ADB Sign $23m Deal for Fintech Institute in Gujarat

The Central Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have inked a pivotal loan agreement valued at $23 million as part of efforts to bolster the country’s fintech ecosystem. This landmark deal was signed at the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT-City), setting the… Read More

QR Code Payment Integration Planned Between Japan and ASEAN

Starting in 2025, Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plan to unify QR code payment systems to simplify transactions and avoid the need for currency exchange, especially benefiting tourists. This move, as reported by Vietnam News Agency (VNA) and announced by Japan’s… Read More

Insurtech bolttech Expands into Middle East via stc Group Partnership

International insurtech bolttech recently announced its expansion into the Middle East with the launch of its partnership with stc Group, the telecommunications company acting as the engine of digital transformation in the region. bolttech’s collaboration with stc Group will “provide stc’s customers with innovative, embedded… Read More

ByBit Slapped by Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission as Conducting Unlicensed Activities

ByBit is a crypto exchange that has been granted the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Preparatory License by Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), following the Provisional License it received in March 2022, has been noted as a “suspicious virtual asset trading platform” by the Hong… Read More

Cross-Border Transactions: TerraPay and Alfardan Exchange to Streamline Remittance Payments

In a significant development for the remittance sector, TerraPay, a global cross-border payments network, has announced a partnership with Alfardan Exchange. Based in Qatar, Alfardan Exchange provides exchange services as well as commodities like gold and coins. This collaboration aims to leverage TerraPay’s advanced digital… Read More

Bank Muamalat in Malaysia Adopts Google Cloud Infrastructure to Enable Digital Islamic Banking Services

Bank Muamalat Malaysia Berhad (Bank Muamalat) announced a multi-year collaboration with Google Cloud to accelerate its transformation into a leading digital Islamic bank. This collaboration aims to leverage Google Cloud’s integrated capabilities in modern infrastructure, data analytics, security, and generative AI (gen AI) to “deliver… Read More

Digital Assets Firm OKX Obtains In-Principle Approval for Major Payment Institution License from MAS

OKX has reportedly secured an in-principle approval for a Major Payment Institution (MPI) License from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). OKX claims that it is “among the most trusted crypto platforms in the world.” OKX‘s management notes that millions of customers feel safe accessing… Read More

Ben Roth from Auros Shares Insights on Connecting the Fragmented Ecosystem of Liquidity in the Age of Stablecoins, ETFs

  Do we need to brace ourselves for liquidity strains? Liquidity dried up in 2022, and while analysts expect the 2024 BTC ETF approval will help boost trading volumes, the truth is that the ‘Alameda Gap’ remains, according to Ben Roth from Auros. Even as… Read More

Animoca Brands, the Digital Property Rights Firm for Open Metaverse, to Advance Web3 Ecosystem in Saudi Arabia

Animoca Brands, the company advancing digital property rights for gaming and the open metaverse, announced that it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) to collaborate to advance the Web3 and gaming ecosystem in the… Read More

Jada Fund of Fun​ds in Saudi Arabia Announces Investment in Venture Debt, Private Credit Space in Partners for Growth VII

Jada Fund of Fun​ds has announced its first investment in Venture Debt and second in the private credit space in Partners for Growth VII, managed by global private credit manager Partners for Growth, “with SAR 3.75 billion (USD 1 billion) in assets under management, to… Read More

Matsui Securities Leverages Broadridge’s Post Trade Solution to Enable Stock Lending Efficiency

Matsui Securities Co., Ltd., one of Japan’s online securities brokers, has selected global Fintech Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.’s (NYSE:BR) cloud based SaaS post-trade processing solution to drive operational efficiency in its stock lending business. System integrator Intelligent Wave will “develop the front office component and… Read More

South Korea’s JB Financial Group Acquires Stake in Vietnamese Investing App Infina

JB Financial Group announced plans to acquire a minority stake in Vietnamese retail investing application Infina, marking a strategic move to bolster the customer base of its securities affiliate in the fast-growing Southeast Asian market. Under the terms of the strategic partnership, JB Financial will… Read More

Philippines: PLDT Launches Digital Payments Platform Digico

Philippine-listed network provider PLDT Inc. has announced the launch of Digico, a new digital venture created to harness the extensive data assets of the MVP Group of Companies. This initiative marks a significant move towards accelerating digital transformation and opening up new growth and value… Read More

GetVantage, India’s Alternative Financing Platform, Introduces Rise-Up Fund to Support Women Entrepreneurs

GetVantage, India’s alternative-financing fintech platform, announced the launch of its Rise-Up Fund, dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs with inclusive capital. This non-dilutive fund with an initial corpus of $12 million. The fund aims to deploy the capital in “the next 12 months to help over… Read More

UK Fintech Currencycloud Obtains In-Principle Approval for Major Payment Institution License Holder from MAS

Currencycloud, a Visa solution and the specialists in simplifying business in a multi-currency world, has obtained an In-Principle Approval (IPA) for a Major Payment Institution (MPI) license holder from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). The license will allow Currencycloud to “provide a full suite… Read More

Core Foundation Announces New Fund to Support India’s dApp Ecosystem via Bitcoin-secured Blockchain

Core Foundation announced a $5 million Innovation Fund to advance India’s decentralized application ecosystem on Core Chain, the Bitcoin-secured and EVM-compatible blockchain. This fund aims to empower Web3 communities, enhance education, and provide vital support to founders and builders throughout India. Shivangi Pandey, Core Contributor,… Read More

Philippines: Bank Lending Accelerates, Driven by Major Industries and Consumer Credit

Philippine bank lending in January 2024 surged by 7.8 percent compared to the same month the previous year, signaling a robust acceleration from the 7.1 percent growth recorded in December 2023, according to preliminary data released on March 8, 2024. This increase in lending by… Read More

China’s Ant Group Boosts Transaction Limits for International Travelers

Chinese Fintech firm Ant Group has announced substantial increases in transaction limits for international travelers using its cross-border payment services. Effective immediately, the single-transaction limit has been raised from $1,000 to $5,000, and the annual cumulative transaction limit from $10,000 to $50,000. This policy change,… Read More

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