Asia

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

December 22, 2022 @ 8:47 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 the launch of ChainKeeper — “an all-rounder platform for Web3 security, transaction tracking and reporting.” ChainKeeper was created by Uppsala Security in… Read More

December 20, 2022 @ 8:50 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Nemesis Technologies, a venture capital fund that invests in deep technology, announced that it is on course to become the world’s “largest” digitally securitized fund, with significant nine-figure backing from Institutional Investors & Family Offices across Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the US. Set up throughout 2022,… Read More

December 19, 2022 @ 10:47 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group,  announced a roadmap for the launch of its first Blockchain Node Service. Scheduled for the first quarter of 2023, the Blockchain Node Service will “support the growth of the evolving Web3.0 ecosystem and better… Read More

December 19, 2022 @ 10:17 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Validus announced that it has secured its first tranche of funds in a Series C-1 round with new, key strategic investors NongHyup Financial Group, NorinChukin Bank, Aizawa Asset Management and Lotte F&L Singapore. Validus’ early investors – Vertex Ventures SEA & India, Vertex Growth Fund,… Read More

December 19, 2022 @ 9:07 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) recently announced the licensing of Manafa – a finance company specialized in debt-based crowdfunding in the Kingdom. Manafa is “a closed joint-stock company with a capital of SAR 40 million.” The license was granted to the company “after a successful… Read More

December 19, 2022 @ 8:05 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Mastercard (NASDAQ: MQ) brings Apple Pay to its cardholders in Kuwait. Apple Pay is “providing a safer, more secure and private way to pay that helps customers avoid handing their payment card to someone else, touching physical buttons or exchanging cash — and uses the… Read More

December 19, 2022 @ 10:45 am By JD Alois  |  

LumiShare (previously IllumiShare), a digital asset management ecosystem, has raised $3.2 million in a funding round led by the Abu Dhabi royal family. According to a company statement, the funds were part of the early stages of its Abu-Dhabi-licensed $SRG token presale.  The funding will… Read More