Asia

August 14, 2023 @ 8:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Maybank and Credit Guarantee Corporation Berhad (CGC) announced the launch of the first-of-its-kind direct Application Programming Interface (API) platform for the SME Digital Financing. This integration effects faster CGC guarantee approval process “through real-time approvals, empowering the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with instant access… Read More

August 13, 2023 @ 5:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Fime has been selected by Bangladesh Bank to help launch the nation’s domestic card scheme. During this six-year partnership, Fime will aim to “provide consulting and testing services, and set up a certification body framework.” By establishing this independent payment infrastructure, Bangladesh Bank is “creating… Read More

August 13, 2023 @ 5:24 am By Omar Faridi  |  

UnionPay International (UPI) and Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd, or PayNet, Malaysia’s national payments network jointly signed an agreement in Shanghai in order to support “the cross-border QR code linkage and enable the full acceptance of the UnionPay App (Chinese-mainland, Hong Kong and Macao versions)… Read More

August 12, 2023 @ 4:26 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital investment platform Mnaara has completed a US$500,000 pre-seed round funded by investors from the UK, US, Middle East and Singapore. The investment round will enable Mnaara “to grow its team and continue developing its Shariah-compliant investment solutions catering to the globally underserved mass-affluent market.”… Read More

August 12, 2023 @ 11:18 am By Omar Faridi  |  

TerraPay, a global payments infrastructure company, has secured an In-Principle Approval for a Major Payment Institution (MPI) license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), “marking a significant step towards being a payments company with the most regulatory approvals.” With this coveted approval from MAS,… Read More

August 11, 2023 @ 3:07 pm By JD Alois  |  

Top UK-based digital bank, Starling Bank, is looking to expand its footprint beyond the borders of the UK, according to a report. Starling is preparing to launch operations in Asia, but apparently not with its own brand but by partnering with an Asian bank that… Read More

August 11, 2023 @ 9:33 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Tranglo is pleased to announce a partnership with TNG Digital Sdn Bhd that allows the Malaysian fintech giant “to expand its cross-border remittance services to millions of customers.” TNG Digital will leverage Tranglo’s network and infrastructure integration “to let its users send money directly from… Read More

August 10, 2023 @ 10:28 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Blockchain.com, which claims to be one of the world’s most trusted and earliest crypto platforms, announced that it has been granted a major payment institution (MPI) license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) on 1st of August 2023. This announcement follows Blockchain.com “receiving its… Read More

August 9, 2023 @ 10:26 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Netbank and UBX have signed an agreement to issue loans to sellers on ecommerce platforms, and started to issue these loans. Netbank expects to rapidly “expand its lending to e-commerce sellers in the next year.” Many sellers on e-commerce platforms “require additional working capital to… Read More

August 9, 2023 @ 6:58 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Automated Systems Holdings Limited (ASL), a global IT solutions and services provider, has strategically partnered with Finastra, a global provider of financial software applications and marketplaces, “to bolster its industry-specific DevSecOps business and strengthen its fintech trajectory.” Under this partnership, ASL has become “the sole… Read More

August 8, 2023 @ 9:14 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Merchant commerce omnichannel platform, Pine Labs announced the appointment of Navnit Nakra as their Chief Revenue Officer. Navnit will be responsible “for developing and executing growth strategies, new business generation, streamlining processes to attain efficiencies and maximising revenue streams for the Payments Business in India.”… Read More

August 8, 2023 @ 7:45 pm By JD Alois  |  

Wealthech Endowus has raised $35 million in funding, with multiple prominent investors participating in the round. Citi Ventures and MUFG Innovation partners, along with “four of Asia’s wealthiest families,” backed the firm, according to a company release. Existing investors that participated include UBS Next, Singapore’s… Read More

August 8, 2023 @ 4:09 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

VNX, a Liechtenstein-based company registered by the Liechtenstein Financial Market Authority (FMA), has partnered with Burrito Wallet, which is developed by a subsidiary of Bithumb, a Korean cryptocurrency exchange, to introduce South Korean users “to the digital assets VNX Gold, VNX Euro, and VNX Swiss… Read More

August 8, 2023 @ 8:32 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Uppsala Security, a provider of security tools and services for Crypto AML/CTF, Transaction Risk Management, Regulatory Compliance, Transaction Tracking, and Cyber Security announced a significant collaboration with CryptoTax, a virtual asset tax service platform headquartered in South Korea. This strategic partnership is geared “towards fostering… Read More

August 8, 2023 @ 6:07 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Small and medium-sized business (SMB) financing platform Funding Societies announced that it has teamed up with CGC Digital, the Fintech division of Credit Guarantee Corporation Malaysia (CGC) in order to support MSMEs operating across the Southeast Asian nation. Via this collaboration, CGC Digital created a… Read More

August 7, 2023 @ 9:29 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Mastercard (NYSE: MA) recently announced the introduction of Cardholder Verification Code (CVC)-less online transactions “for its debit and credit cardholders who have tokenized their cards on merchant platforms.” The move aims to “reduce the checkout time and make virtual transactions hassle-free and more secure.” CVC… Read More

August 7, 2023 @ 6:50 pm By JD Alois  |  

Reports have filtered out from Hong Kong that some executives at crypto exchange Huobi have been placed under arrest. At the same time, corresponding reports indicate that Houbi has seen an outflow of funds that are valued at over $500 million. In the past 24… Read More

August 7, 2023 @ 6:04 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Alternative payment methods such as mobile and digital wallets are being widely used in the e-Commerce space in Singapore, “accounting for 38.6% of the payments made on the online payments in 2023,” reveals GlobalData, a data and analytics company. GlobalData’s e-Commerce Analytics reveals “that Singapore’s… Read More

August 7, 2023 @ 5:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

Singapore is one of the most forward-thinking Fintech hubs in the world. Today, its top financial regulatory, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), has reaffirmed its support of Fintech and announced it will provide S$150 million to innovative firms over the next three years.  The… Read More

August 7, 2023 @ 8:56 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital currency exchange Huobi has reportedly seen total outflows of over $73 million during the last week, a time period in which a few of the firm’s executives were taken into police custody by authorities in China. Huobi operates one of the largest crypto exchanges… Read More