Asia

June 20, 2023 @ 9:23 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

TransBnk, the Mumbai-based Fintech startup, has successfully raised $1 million in seed funding. The investment round was “led by 8i Ventures, the early stage India-focused VC fund known for its notable successes in the fintech space, including M2P, Slice, Easebuzz, amongst others.” Other contributors to… Read More

June 20, 2023 @ 9:19 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital asset firm CoinSwitch is getting ready to introduce a stock trading platform, so that it can meaningfully compete in a market which includes Groww and Upstox, among other service providers in India. According to an update shared by the ET, CoinSwitch intends to submit… Read More

June 19, 2023 @ 11:35 am By Omar Faridi  |  

We recently connected with Andrew Saks, who talked about the importance of financial inclusion for the vast majority. Notably, 1.4 billion people remain unbanked, which takes several countries in Southeast Asia to allow a larger virtual currency ecosystem to take root in their countries. The… Read More

June 18, 2023 @ 3:41 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Sygnum announces the upcoming expansion of its regulated operations in Singapore following the in-principle approval of its Major Payment Institution Licence (MPIL) application. The expanded Singapore offering includes regulated crypto brokerage service. It marks the latest expansion of Sygnum Singapore’s regulated activities “following the three-part… Read More

June 18, 2023 @ 3:38 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Pilon, a Singapore-headquartered FinTech firm that offers cloud-based Supply Chain Financing system, announced that it has successfully secured a top-up round from Philippines-based Kaya Founders “to accelerate growth plans and strengthen its presence in the Philippines market.” This undisclosed round of funding “follows a highly… Read More

June 18, 2023 @ 3:34 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Thunes, the global B2B payment infrastructure platform, today announced the inauguration of its new office in Beijing, China. This strategic move signifies Thunes’ commitment “to empowering Chinese businesses and consumers by providing faster and more affordable transactions with key international markets.” The opening ceremony of… Read More

June 18, 2023 @ 12:33 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

WeLab Bank, which claims to be the most innovative bank in Hong Kong, announced the expansion of its wealth management services with the launch of their new Featured Fund Platform. WeLab Bank ventured into wealth management business last year, “pioneering a personalized and intelligent investment… Read More

June 16, 2023 @ 11:36 am By JD Alois  |  

IndusInd Bank has integrated Wise to enable efficient and low-cost payments and transfers. IndusInd Bank reports a customer base in India of around 34 million, with 2606 Branches/Banking Outlets and 2878 ATMs spread across geographical locations of the country. Wise is a stealth bank that… Read More

June 14, 2023 @ 10:49 pm By JD Alois  |  

Digital securities marketplace ADDX has appointed former Singapore Exchange (SGX) Managing Director Chew Sutat as its new Chairman. According to a note from the company, Sutat has Chaired the listing committee of ADDX since 2019. SGX is a shareholder in ADDX. ADDX Pte Ltd took… Read More

June 14, 2023 @ 6:17 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Sequoia India & Southeast Asia, the “largest” venture capital firm in the region which manages over USD 9.2 billion across 13 funds, will now be known as Peak XV Partners globally. The rebranding has “come after Sequoia Capital (US/Europe), Sequoia China and Sequoia India & Southeast… Read More

June 13, 2023 @ 10:14 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has launched the 8th edition of the Global Fintech Hackcelerator, titled “Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Finance Global Challenge”, in order to “produce innovative and market-ready AI solutions that can transform the financial services industry.” The competition is “conducted in… Read More

June 11, 2023 @ 6:54 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Tonik recently revealed that it’s pleased to announce that they have successfully “onboarded over 1 million users since they launched in March 2021.” According to Tonik, this is such a momentous occasion for them “because it is solid proof of our significant contribution to improving… Read More

June 11, 2023 @ 12:03 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Netbank, the banking as a service platform, has launched a service that allows international remittance companies to facilitate overseas remittances into the Philippines. The market for Philippine Peso remittances “is huge since there is a large number of Filipino migrant workers all around the globe.”… Read More

June 10, 2023 @ 12:25 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Maybank recently launched its cross-border QR payment service for Maybank customers travelling to Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand as they can now make cashless and instant payment transactions via the MAE app. Similarly, incoming tourists from these countries “will also be able to make cashless payments… Read More

June 9, 2023 @ 3:16 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

On June 8, 2023, Binance, which is being sued by US regulators for a wide range of issues, conducted a one-day training program in collaboration with Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) in Taipei. This collaboration is “part of their broader commitment to contribute to combating… Read More

June 8, 2023 @ 6:11 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The team at Gemini is pleased to announce that Gemini will soon “begin the process of acquiring a crypto license to serve customers based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).” As a “forward-thinking,” global financial hub, the UAE is “continuing its tradition of leadership by… Read More

June 7, 2023 @ 11:08 pm By JD Alois  |  

Circle is continuing its push to mitigate regulatory risk by receiving licenses to operate beyond the boundaries of the US. This week, Circle announced it had been approved as a Major Payment Institution (MPI) by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Circle is a top… Read More

June 7, 2023 @ 10:54 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Dapi, a UAE-based fintech company, part of Hub71’s global tech ecosystem, is thrilled to announce a strategic partnership with global technology company Mastercard, aimed at introducing account-to-account (A2A) payments on Mastercard Payment Gateway Services (MPGS). The agreement was “signed at Seamless Middle East, the largest… Read More

June 7, 2023 @ 6:56 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

PhonePe Group, which recently received the NBFC-AA license from RBI, announced the launch of its Account Aggregator (AA) services through its wholly-owned subsidiary PhonePe Technology Services Pvt Ltd (PTSPL). PTSPL’s Account Aggregator service “will allow Indian consumers to consent to and share all their financial… Read More

June 7, 2023 @ 12:01 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Pepper Advantage, a global credit intelligence company, has obtained an AFPI fintech license to service the growing number of non-bank credit providers operating in Indonesia. With 112 fintech companies providing secured and unsecured credit products, non-bank lenders are “a significant factor in providing digital financial… Read More