Asia

December 21, 2025 @ 6:35 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The crypto sector faced yet another challenging year in 2025, with stolen funds continuing their upward trajectory, according to an update from Chainalysis which noted that their close examinations reveals a significant shift in crypto theft patterns, characterized by several key developments: the persistence of… Read More

December 20, 2025 @ 3:15 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Sweden’s development finance institution Swedfund has agreed to lend up to $20 million to Vietnamese non-bank lender EVF General Finance JSC (EVF) to expand credit to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, with a sizable portion of the funding earmarked for climate-related projects and women-owned businesses…. Read More

December 20, 2025 @ 10:58 am By Michael Wong  |  

Credit card usage in Hong Kong rose sharply in the third quarter of 2025, with both the number of cards in circulation and transaction volumes climbing, while debit card activity declined, data released by the territory’s central banking authority showed. Figures published by the Hong… Read More

December 19, 2025 @ 1:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced financial and capital markets initiatives to deepen financial cooperation with China. The initiatives were announced at the 21st Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) meeting in Chongqing, China, which was “co-chaired by Singapore Deputy Prime Minister and Minister… Read More

December 19, 2025 @ 1:13 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Crypto.com announced a strengthening of its fiat payment capabilities with DBS Bank, which is reportedly Southeast Asia’s largest bank by assets.  This highlights Crypto.com’s commitment to working with banks to deliver services under the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s (MAS) framework. Crypto.com users in Singapore may… Read More

December 19, 2025 @ 6:00 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Aberdeen Investments, a specialist asset manager, announced real estate acquisitions: WORVE Yokohama Isezakicho, a recently completed build-to-rent property, along with a portfolio of various residential properties across some of Tokyo’s districts. It now comes after the strategic acquisition of WORVE Isezakicho, “completed in Feb ’25;… Read More

December 18, 2025 @ 11:56 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

10x Banking, a cloud-native core banking platform, has partnered with audax, a digital banking technology solutions provider, to help banks in Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East scale new digital offerings and modernize their core banking services. Research from 10x Banking shows banks now… Read More

December 18, 2025 @ 8:59 am By Michael Wong  |  

SEAX Global, a privately held Southeast Asian wholesale connectivity provider, has acquired a major stake in Thailand’s Interlink Telecom Pcl (ITEL), expanding its footprint in one of the region’s biggest network markets, the companies said. The deal adds ITEL’s domestic fibre network and telecom licences… Read More

December 18, 2025 @ 12:15 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Asia-Pacific deal ecosystem has reportedly experienced a slowdown in activity during January-November 2025, reflecting a “broader trend of cautious deal-making.” The total number of deals (comprising mergers & acquisitions (M&A), private equity and venture financing deals) announced in the APAC region “decreased by 5%… Read More

December 17, 2025 @ 9:02 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Olea Global Pte Ltd, a platform enabling global trade, announced the completion of its $30 million Series A round. The funding round was led by BBVA (Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A), with participation from XDC Network, theDOCK, others, as well as existing shareholder SC Ventures,… Read More

December 17, 2025 @ 6:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Animoca Brands, a digital assets leader building blockchain and tokenized assets to advance the future of Web3, announced it entered into a term sheet with GROW Investment Group , China’s investment and asset management platform backed by Julius Baer. Under the term sheet, Animoca Brands… Read More

December 17, 2025 @ 2:04 am By Michael Wong  |  

Outstanding debt in Indonesia’s online lending industry climbed to 92.92 trillion rupiah ($5.6 billion) in October, the Financial Services Authority (OJK) said, as growth accelerated while credit quality held broadly steady. The regulator said online-loan balances rose 23.86% from a year earlier, picking up from… Read More

December 16, 2025 @ 8:09 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Proxymity, the digital investor communication platform, announces the expansion of its partnership with Deutsche Bank, one of the global financial institutions, with the rollout of Proxymity Vote Connect Access in Thailand. Deutsche Bank is said to be one of the first adopters of Proxymity’s digital… Read More

December 15, 2025 @ 8:12 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Avalanche Foundation has recently announced the formal incorporation of a Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) Foundation within Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), a milestone in Avalanche’s vision to support Web3 adoption, enterprise partnerships, and ecosystem growth across the MENA region. The DLT entity (The Avalanche… Read More

December 15, 2025 @ 5:17 pm By Michael Wong  |  

South Korea’s push to tighten rules for virtual assets is moving into a second legislative phase focused on stablecoins, as policymakers and financial firms step up discussions on how won-linked tokens could be issued and used, according to organisers of an industry forum. The second… Read More

December 15, 2025 @ 3:56 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Circle Internet Group, Inc. (NYSE: CRCL), one of the world’s internet financial platform companies, announced a regulatory milestone in the United Arab Emirates as it strengthens its presence in the region. Circle has secured a Financial Services Permission (FSP) license from the Financial Services Regulatory… Read More

December 14, 2025 @ 12:37 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Capital A Berhad and Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia have signed a letter of intent to explore the development and testing of a ringgit-denominated stablecoin, joining a growing list of firms looking to build regulated digital-asset rails for payments and settlements. The project would be pursued… Read More

December 14, 2025 @ 7:31 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Copper Securities (ME) Limited (CSL), a member of the global Copper Group, announced its intention to expand activities within Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), focusing on Digital Asset custody, collateral management, and settlement solutions subject to regulatory approval by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA)…. Read More

December 13, 2025 @ 2:37 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) has signed a strategic partnership with private investment firm Bain Capital to support Bain’s expansion in the emirate, linking the move to the launch of a new financial-services cluster aimed at fintech, insurance, digital assets and alternative investments. The… Read More

December 13, 2025 @ 2:35 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

GoTyme Bank, which claims to be one of the fastest-growing banks in the Philippines and a JV between the Gokongwei Group and Tyme Group, announced the launch of its cryptocurrency investment feature. This launch was reportedly made possible in partnership with Alpaca, a global player… Read More