Asia

March 27, 2026 @ 8:35 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital bank Revolut has unveiled plans to station roughly 40 percent of its entire international workforce in India by the end of 2026. The move forms part of a major scaling of its global capability centre (GCC) in the country, signaling a deeper integration of… Read More

March 26, 2026 @ 1:16 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Singapore’s equities market is set for an overhaul following the release of the final report by the Equities Market Review Group, established by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in August 2024. Chaired by Minister for National Development and MAS Deputy Chairman Chee Hong Tat,… Read More

March 25, 2026 @ 12:34 am By Michael Wong  |  

Malaysia- and Hong Kong-based venture capital firm Gobi Partners is seeking to invest in Vietnam, including through the country’s newly established national venture capital fund, as Hanoi steps up efforts to channel more capital into strategic technology sectors. A Gobi delegation led by co-founder and… Read More

March 23, 2026 @ 1:48 am By Michael Wong  |  

Singapore’s central bank has released an industry-developed toolkit to help financial institutions manage risks from artificial intelligence, as regulators and banks move from broad AI principles to more practical controls for generative and agentic AI. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said it had concluded… Read More

March 23, 2026 @ 1:36 am By Omar Faridi  |  

In a key development for Pakistan’s outdated financial services sector, the digital banking platform Zindigi has officially rolled out the country’s inaugural fintech credit card. The launch occurred on Thursday, positioning Zindigi as a trailblazer in bridging traditional banking gaps through technology-driven solutions. Users can… Read More

March 23, 2026 @ 12:24 am By Michael Wong  |  

Credit card circulation and spending in Hong Kong rose sharply in the fourth quarter of 2025, with overseas retail spending posting the fastest growth, as consumers stepped up card use toward year-end, official data showed. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority said that the total number… Read More

March 22, 2026 @ 10:31 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Grab Holdings’ revenue rose 20% in 2025 to a record $3.37 billion, as Southeast Asia’s biggest super app added users, lifted engagement across its platform, and kept incentives under tighter control, according to its annual report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and… Read More

March 18, 2026 @ 1:15 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Crypto.com has forged a new alliance with KG Inicis, South Korea’s payment gateway and value-added network operator, marking a key development in the integration of digital assets into everyday commerce. Announced on March 17, 2026, the partnership focuses on embedding Crypto.com’s Pay solution within KG… Read More

March 15, 2026 @ 6:37 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Bursa Malaysia launched a public consultation on proposed rule changes to allow the listing and trading of digital currency exchange-traded funds, marking another step in Malaysia’s push to widen regulated access to digital assets through mainstream capital market products. The exchange said the proposed amendments… Read More

March 15, 2026 @ 5:00 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Singapore-based venture capital firm Empyrean Sky Partners said it has secured $90 million in the first close of its Global Technology Fund, marking what the firm described as the fastest initial close of 2026 as it targets $200 million for investments in next-generation industrial technologies…. Read More

March 15, 2026 @ 1:15 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Saudi artificial intelligence startup Infobrim has secured its first strategic angel investment at a $3.5 million valuation, as the Riyadh-based company looks to expand its software platform for enterprise data analytics and ride growing demand for AI tools in the kingdom. Financial details of the… Read More

March 14, 2026 @ 4:39 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed lifting a moratorium on new online lending platforms, reopening the market to new digital lenders while imposing tougher capital, disclosure, and consumer-protection rules on financing and lending companies. The draft circular, published for comment on March… Read More

March 14, 2026 @ 10:33 am By Michael Wong  |  

Singapore-based MetaComp has completed a Pre-A+ funding round backed by Alibaba, taking the fintech group’s total capital raised to $35 million across two rounds in three months, as it pushes to expand a platform that combines stablecoin payments with tokenised and traditional wealth products. MetaComp… Read More

March 13, 2026 @ 3:03 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Chainalysis has noted that in a significant escalation of efforts to curb illicit funding for weapons programs, the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed fresh sanctions on individuals and companies tied to North Korean IT worker schemes that rely heavily on… Read More

March 12, 2026 @ 1:55 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) shared that the research arm of Hong Kong’s financial academy has launched an analysis shedding light on the transformative potential within the family office segment of the wealth industry. Released this month, the Applied Research publication from the Hong… Read More

March 12, 2026 @ 12:14 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Southeast Asia’s economic resilience is gaining ground, yet private capital activity tells a more nuanced story. According to PitchBook’s latest analysis, the Asian Development Bank has lifted regional growth projections to 4.5% for 2025 and 4.4% for 2026, citing robust performances in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore,… Read More

March 11, 2026 @ 3:53 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Global financial technology provider Airwallex has posted another year of explosive growth in Singapore, reporting 107 percent revenue expansion for fiscal year 2025. This now reportedly marks the second straight year of triple-digit increases, underscoring the city-state’s role as a strategic hub for the company’s… Read More

March 11, 2026 @ 12:25 am By Michael Wong  |  

Singapore’s central bank issued new supervisory guidelines requiring banks, insurers and asset managers to strengthen how they assess and manage risks tied to climate change, as regulators sharpen their focus on the financial sector’s readiness for both physical and transition threats. The Monetary Authority of… Read More

March 9, 2026 @ 9:55 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

In a development raising fresh alarms about artificial intelligence autonomy, scientists connected to Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) have documented an experimental AI system that independently commandeered graphics processing units (GPUs) to perform unauthorized cryptocurrency mining. The incident, detailed in a recent technical paper, illustrates how advanced AI… Read More

March 9, 2026 @ 1:05 am By Michael Wong  |  

Hong Kong’s financial regulators have widened a regulatory sandbox for generative artificial intelligence, extending the programme beyond banking to cover securities, asset and wealth management, insurance, pensions and stored-value facilities as authorities push to position the city as a hub for responsible AI use in… Read More