Asia

July 6, 2022 @ 12:59 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

As part of Amazon Egypt’s ongoing commitment to improve its shopping experience and offer clients in the country with flexible and affordable payment options, Amazon Egypt (amazon.eg) is offering installment plans via valU, the Buy-Now, Pay-Later (BNPL) lifestyle-enabling Fintech in MENA, a subsidiary of EFG… Read More

July 6, 2022 @ 8:41 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The team at Robo.cash noted that they will continue updating clients on the work of platform originators in 2022. RC Riga Singapore started the year confidently, “having significantly increased its loan portfolio.” Here are some key points shared by the Robocash team: 78% of loans… Read More

July 5, 2022 @ 8:35 am By JD Alois  |  

watchTowr, a Singapore-based cybersecurity startup has raised $8 million in a pre-Series A round led by Prosus Ventures and Vulcan Capital. Previous investor Wavemaker Partners also participated in the round. Prior to this round, watchTowr raised seed funding of $2.25 million. watchTowr said it will… Read More

July 4, 2022 @ 6:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

  ZA Bank, one of a handful of regulated digital-only banks in Hong Kong, has announced a new promotion to increase users. ZA Bank has launched “Millionaire PowerDraw” to “bring joy to HongKongers.” The promotion offers a single winner each month HKD 100 million (USD… Read More

July 4, 2022 @ 10:57 am By JD Alois  |  

A member of the Singapore Parliament has inquired as to whether, or not, the government intends on further restrictions on crypto trading. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Senior Minister and Minister in charge of MAS (the Monetary Authority of Singapore) has issued a response. Shanmugaratnam states that this… Read More

July 3, 2022 @ 11:17 am By Omar Faridi  |  

GetVantage, India’s revenue-based financing Fintech & growth platform for SMEs, has raised $36 million in growth funding led by Varanium Nexgen Fintech Fund, DMI Sparkle Fund, and returning investors Chiratae Ventures and Dream Incubator Japan. Other new investors who participated in this investment round “include… Read More

July 2, 2022 @ 3:18 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Innoveo, a global tech firm and “pioneer” in no-code platform-as-a-service, announced that Oman Insurance company, one of the largest publicly listed insurers in the United Arab Emirates, has successfully gone live with its ZeroCode ‘KUDOS’ platform “leveraging Innoveo Skye, driving near-immediate efficiencies and enhancing the… Read More

July 1, 2022 @ 8:39 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Franklin Templeton, one of the world’s largest independent asset managers, officially opened its first Asian Fintech incubator in the heart of Singapore. The Franklin Templeton Singapore Fintech Incubator is “a joint incubation program for early-stage Fintech startups in partnership with F10 Global Innovation Network Singapore… Read More

June 29, 2022 @ 11:10 am By JD Alois  |  

Three Arrows Capital (3AC), a large crypto hedge fund that held $10 billion in assets at one point, has been forced into liquidation according to a report. Earlier this week, Voyager Digital  (TSX: VOYG) (OTCQX: VYGVF), a digital asset firm that lent over $650 million to… Read More

June 28, 2022 @ 11:34 pm By JD Alois  |  

Leading Asian SME financing platform and emerging neobank Funding Societies is acquiring regional payments solution, CardUp. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. CardUp is a payments provider serving both businesses and individuals. CardUp was founded in 2016 and operates in Singapore, Hong Kong,… Read More

June 28, 2022 @ 7:40 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Hamilton Lane (NASDAQ: HLNE) recently announced that Victor Jung is joining the firm as Head of Digital Assets. In this role, Jung will be “responsible for developing and overseeing the execution of the firm’s digital asset strategy.” He will oversee this strategy globally and “report… Read More

June 28, 2022 @ 1:25 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Liminal, a wallet operations infrastructure that secures digital assets, has reportedly surpassed $3 billion in transactions via its platform. Established in 2021, this milestone comes “as a reflection of the company’s capacity to scale in a relatively short amount of time,” according to an update… Read More

June 27, 2022 @ 11:34 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

China Construction Bank (Chongqing and Singapore branches) and ADDX have entered a partnership “to help domestic investors in China participate in the country’s official offshore investment scheme.” The financial institutions announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that “paves the way for them… Read More

June 27, 2022 @ 9:23 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Spire, a GCC Open Banking services provider, has announced a partnership with Mastercard (NYSE: MA),  a technology leader in the global payments sector. The collaboration will “help banks revolutionize consumer engagement and enhance user experiences in the region by integrating Spire ‘Ingage’ and Mastercard’s Merchant… Read More

June 27, 2022 @ 2:08 pm By JD Alois  |  

Three Arrows Capital (3AC) has defaulted on a $670 million loan. Voyager Digital  (TSX: VOYG) (OTCQX: VYGVF) , a digital asset firm that had previously warned it had exposure to 3AC in regards to 15,250 Bitcoin (~$308 million) and $350 million (USDC) for over $650… Read More

June 24, 2022 @ 3:25 pm By JD Alois  |  

Hex Trust, Hong Kong-based digital asset custody provider providing services across Asia, has gained provisional approval for a Virtual Asset MVP license in Dubai. According to a statement by Hex Trust, the Government of Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) has approved it to operate… Read More

June 22, 2022 @ 9:18 am By JD Alois  |  

Nium has partnered with the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF), a non-profit that supports the growth of public blockchain Stellar, to enable payouts to 190 countries. According to Nium by leveraging Stellar the payments and transfers improve upon the traditional correspondent banking system. Joaquin Auyso, Head… Read More

June 21, 2022 @ 8:04 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Visa (NYSE: V), which claims to be the leader in virtual payments, recently announced the launch of its global She’s Next initiative in the United Arab Emirates in order to economically empower women entrepreneurs. The initiative has been introduced with assistance from First Abu Dhabi… Read More

June 20, 2022 @ 10:43 am By JD Alois  |  

OurCrowd, a leading global securities crowdfunding platform, has partnered with the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) in the Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) program, according to a statement issued by OurCrowd. The goal is to boost international collaboration between the two countries to increase investment as… Read More

June 19, 2022 @ 11:55 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) and the Financial Services Authority of Indonesia (Otoritas Jasa Keuangan: OJK) have exchanged letters on Fintech Cooperation Framework “regarding Innovation in the financial sector.” This will lead to “increased exchanges regarding innovative trends and strengthen the cooperative relationship between the… Read More