Asia

September 23, 2023 @ 10:51 am By Omar Faridi  |  

International insurtech bolttech welcomed leading impact investment firm LeapFrog Investments as a new strategic investor in an extension of its Series B round. LeapFrog’s $50 million investment adds to bolttech’s recent Series B funding round, now totaling US$246 million. bolttech will use the proceeds from… Read More

September 22, 2023 @ 8:31 am By Michael Wong  |  

Chinese digital payment giant Ant Group has officially integrated seven prominent Asian e-wallets and payment apps into its “Alipay+-in-China” Program (A+China Program). The firm confirmed that users of mPay (Macao SAR, China), Hipay (Mongolia), Changi Pay (Singapore), OCBC (Singapore), Naver Pay (South Korea), Toss Pay… Read More

September 22, 2023 @ 1:11 am By Michael Wong  |  

Starting next year, four top insurance companies headquartered in Singapore – AIA Singapore, Income Insurance, Prudential Assurance Company Singapore, and The Great Eastern Life Assurance Company – will undergo heightened capital requirements, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has announced. Specifically, the four insurers will… Read More

September 21, 2023 @ 3:18 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Ebury, a global financial solutions provider, is pleased to announce its partnership with 360tf, one of the pioneers of trade finance facilities in the UAE region. This collaboration will aim to improve how 360tf’s clients “access international trade solutions, providing seamless and direct access to… Read More

September 21, 2023 @ 2:11 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Singapore-based insurtech firm bolttech has announced raising $50 million in its Series B funding round anchored by impact investment firm LeapFrog Investments. The latest funding round brings bolttech’s Series B round to $246 million, marking the most substantial Series B round for any insurtech company… Read More

September 21, 2023 @ 6:17 am By Michael Wong  |  

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) unveiled the Green Fintech Competition today, aiming to foster the assimilation of green fintech solutions within the city’s banking realm. This competition aligns with HKMA’s commitment to buttressing the banking sector’s adaptability to climate risk. Green fintech enterprises, both… Read More

September 20, 2023 @ 7:26 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Sumsub, an international verification platform, has entered into a partnership with dtcpay, a prominent payment service provider based in Singapore. This collaboration aims to enhance the security and reliability of digital currency transactions, specifically in Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, UK, and Europe. A significant element… Read More

September 20, 2023 @ 7:27 am By Michael Wong  |  

SMI Vantage Limited, Singapore-based firm dedicated to cultivating new economy investments, is venturing into the cryptocurrency space by initiating a Bitcoin mining operation in Malaysia. The company disclosed the signing of a rental offer agreement via its wholly-owned subsidiary, SMI CS Pte Ltd. As per… Read More

September 19, 2023 @ 6:12 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) licensed “Al-tizam for electronic insurance brokerage” and “Altheqa Insurance Brokers” in order to “provide insurance aggregation services (soft launch).” With Al-tizam and Altheqa, there will “be five authorized insurance aggregation companies operating in Saudi Arabia.” This decision reflects SAMA‘s endeavor… Read More

September 18, 2023 @ 9:47 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Malaysia’s e-government service provider, MY E.G. Services Berhad (MYEG), is joining forces with China’s state-owned Guangxi Beitou IT Innovation Technology Investment Group Co., Ltd. (Beitou IT Innovation) to pioneer an international digital identity credentials service using the Zetrix blockchain. Unveiled at the recent China-ASEAN Expo… Read More

September 18, 2023 @ 9:32 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) has revealed that significant retail banks in the city-state have bolstered their security protocols against malware scams, introducing enhancements and new countermeasures to adapt to the ever-evolving threat landscape. In a bid to safeguard their varied customer base… Read More

September 18, 2023 @ 7:22 am By Omar Faridi  |  

RAM Holdings Berhad, the holding company of the largest credit rating agency in Malaysia and Southeast Asia, has entered into a partnership with MVGX Tech and Carbon Rating Malaysia Sdn Bhd (CRM) to strengthen RAM’s ESG rating capabilities. MVGX is a carbon Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company and… Read More

September 17, 2023 @ 5:15 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the city’s central bank, has released its Q2/2023 payment card statistics, revealing that the total number of credit cards in circulation in Hong Kong reached 19.71 million by the end of the second quarter. This indicates a marginal growth… Read More

September 17, 2023 @ 2:35 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has issued a public advisory warning against crypto businesses that are presenting themselves as “banks” or labeling their products as “deposits”. The regulatory body emphasizes that such misrepresentations may violate the Banking Ordinance. There have been instances of crypto… Read More

September 17, 2023 @ 2:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

On the occasion of its 3rd anniversary in the Egyptian market, Foodics in Egypt, the restaurant management solutions provider that’s based in the Middle East, conducted a comprehensive review of its future business strategy, business volume, and the services extended to its partners in the… Read More

September 17, 2023 @ 11:14 am By Omar Faridi  |  

State Bank of India (SBI), India’s largest bank, announced reduced customer verification time from 24 hours to just minutes in a partnership with Onfido, the global provider of automated identity verification and authentication solutions. SBI (UK) Ltd, the subsidiary of SBI in the UK, is… Read More

September 16, 2023 @ 10:40 am By Michael Wong  |  

Global payments company Circle Internet Financial (Circle) and Southeast Asia’s super app Grab announced a groundbreaking partnership that aims to usher in Web3 customer experiences in Singapore. This innovative collaboration will see the integration of Circle’s new Web3 Services platform directly into the Grab app…. Read More

September 16, 2023 @ 10:18 am By Michael Wong  |  

The recently introduced ASEAN QR Code innovation promises to open up a broader market for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) by facilitating seamless cross-border payments, Pandu Sjahrir, the legacy lead of ASEAN QR Code, told Indonesia’s news agency ANTARA. This integration offers a platform… Read More

September 16, 2023 @ 10:15 am By Michael Wong  |  

Hong Kong-based virtual insurer Bowtie has successfully wrapped up a $34.9 million Series B2 funding round, the company has confirmed. The latest financial injection was led by Sun Life Hong Kong Limited, and saw significant contributions from Mitsui & Co., Ltd. Bowtie’s announcement highlighted that… Read More

September 15, 2023 @ 12:11 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The team at TWINO is pleased to announce the expansion of TWINO Group lending operations into the Philippines, in a continued partnership with VIA SMS Group under the VAMO brand. Thus, VAMO Philippines securities are now “available for investments on TWINO platform allowing you to… Read More