Asia

December 31, 2022 @ 2:47 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

There has never been a “dull moment” in crypto, and this year was no exception, the team at Kraken noted. In 2022, Kraken celebrated 11 years of their mission “to accelerate the adoption of cryptocurrency so that you and the rest of the world can… Read More

December 31, 2022 @ 11:20 am By Omar Faridi  |  

China’s securities regulator stated on Friday (December 29, 2022) that online brokerage platforms Futu Holding and UP Fintech Holding have allegedly carried out unlawful securities businesses/transactions, and will now be banned from opening new accounts from mainland China investors. The penalty comes after over a… Read More

December 29, 2022 @ 11:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Hyphen Group, a Fintech firm backed by Hong Kong-based billionaire Richard Li, has reportedly secured $22 million in capital via a funding round that was led by PCCW. The company stated that the amount secured is more than its initial $20 million target. The company… Read More

December 29, 2022 @ 9:56 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Dubai Chamber of Commerce has announced the launch of a new Fintech & Payments Business Group aimed at bringing together companies of all sizes “within the fintech and payments sector to encourage collegial dialogue, advocate policy change and promote the emirate as a highly competitive global… Read More

December 29, 2022 @ 9:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Pak-Qatar Takaful Group and BLINQ Solutions Private Limited have reportedly entered an agreement with a goal to streamline payment collections and assist existing and new clients with making payments from an extensive range of payment solutions. According to a statement made on December 26, Saqib… Read More

December 29, 2022 @ 8:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Puneet Maheshwari, Director at Upstox, which supports powerful investing and trading made simple, and claims to be trusted by Indian consumers, reveals that Upstox is “an online trading app for Demat Account, Share Market, MF, IPO with 10 million+ customers.” Backed by Ratan Tata and… Read More

December 29, 2022 @ 1:47 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Global blockchain gaming company Wemade announced that Rise of Stars (ROS), a mobile game developed by LightCON Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Wemade Max Co., Ltd., revamped the Silthereum system on December 28, as follows. Updated Silther Check used for item purchase and Silthereum exchange… Read More

December 28, 2022 @ 9:36 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Akash Sinha, CEO & Co-Founder, Cashfree Payments has provided a brief evaluation of the year 2022 and the anticipated trends in 2023, with respect to fintech, digital payments, BaaS, among other sectors. Sinha noted: “India is in a strong position to become the global leader… Read More

December 28, 2022 @ 7:41 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

NYXEX, a digital asset exchange that claims it is poised to streamline the industry, is pleased  to announce that it has obtained the necessary liquidity and will be launching in Spring 2023. As an emerging player in the crypto-asset space, NYXEX is committed “to providing… Read More

December 27, 2022 @ 8:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Akulaku, a banking and digital finance platform in Southeast Asia, announced a $200 million investment from Japanese bank Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG). The investment round “provides additional support for Akulaku’s projected growth as it advances towards its mission of providing banking services across Southeast… Read More

December 27, 2022 @ 7:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Japan-based Fintech Smartpay has launched Smartpay Bank Direct, the country’s first digital consumer finance service that “allows customers to pay for online installment purchases straight from their bank accounts.” Smartpay Bank Direct “emphasizes user security while delivering convenience for the consumer, through a network of… Read More

December 27, 2022 @ 4:49 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital credit platform Money View has reportedly secured $75 million in capital via its Series E round, which has been led by Apis Partners, a UK-headquartered asset management firm. The investment round also included contributions from Tiger Global, Winter Capital, and Evolvence. As noted by… Read More

December 27, 2022 @ 1:30 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the nation’s central bank, has reportedly granted approval to the test launch of the country’s very first agriculture-focused Fintech platform, Digitt+ (providing an Electronic Money Institution or EMI permit). Digitt+ is supported by Akhtar Fuiou Technologies (AFT), the firm… Read More

December 26, 2022 @ 9:39 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Nageen Kommu, CEO at Digitap recently commented on the anticipated trends for the Fintech segment in 2023. In an update shared with CI, Nageen Kommu noted that the Indian Fintech market currently stands “as the third largest Fintech ecosystem in the world and is well… Read More

December 26, 2022 @ 2:17 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Deal activity (mergers & acquisitions [M&A], private equity, and venture financing deals) in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region “continues to bear the brunt of the ongoing global geopolitical issues and volatile market conditions on the back of rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in some… Read More

December 24, 2022 @ 11:06 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The World Economic Forum has launched the ASEAN Digital Generation Report 2022, the sixth edition of the report since 2017. This year’s report “examines digital financial services, gaps in access and where businesses, governments, and civil society organizations need to improve financial inclusion.” The report… Read More

December 23, 2022 @ 6:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Egypt’s digital restaurant supply chain startup Suplyd recently closes $1.6M funding round Suplyd, a startup that digitizes supply chain operations for the MENA region’s hotels, restaurants, and catering (HORECA) industries, announced their $1.6M pre-seed round funded “by Endure Capital, Seedstars, Camel Ventures, Falak Startups alongside… Read More

December 23, 2022 @ 3:19 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

UAE-based Fintech Galaxy, the “first” Central Bank-regulated Open Finance platform in the Middle East, announced the acquisition of Underlie, an Egypt-based Open Banking platform offering APIs to banks and businesses. The deal will help “to set FTG’s Open Finance and Open Banking wheels in full… Read More

December 22, 2022 @ 10:47 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Payments and API banking solutions company, Cashfree Payments is now offering one of India’s “widest” ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ (BNPL) suite. Cashfree Payments’ BNPL suite will “enable online businesses to provide customers with over 30 flexible financing options during checkout.” The company has “launched its… Read More

December 22, 2022 @ 9:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Real-time economic intelligence provider QuantCube Technology announced that it has secured funding led by Strategic Development Fund (SDF), the investment arm of UAE’s Tawazun Council, “together with previous backers Moody’s and Five Capital, and other private investors.” Using AI to analyze billions of alternative data… Read More