Asia

July 10, 2021 @ 4:53 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Netbank and Investree have announced a new partnership in order to expand electronic SME lending in the Philippines. Netbank, which is a banking as a service (BaaS) platform, and Investree, an SME lender from Indonesia, have confirmed that their partnership will focus on expanding loans… Read More

July 9, 2021 @ 5:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

BigPay is focused on expanding its business operations into Thailand after Airasia’s acquisition of Gojek’s Thailand division via its digital unit in a deal valued at RM208 million (appr. $50 million). This move has been announced ahead of AirAsia‘s plans to offer a Super app… Read More

July 8, 2021 @ 9:28 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Workmate, a Southeast Asian Workforce Management Platform and marketplace for informal workers, has reportedly acquired a senior secured loan of “up to $10 million” from Lendable Inc., a provider of debt to Fintechs in emerging and frontier markets. As mentioned in the announcement: “A committed… Read More

July 8, 2021 @ 7:41 pm By Priyanka Pani  |  

Vietnam is the latest among smaller nations to have joined the crypto bandwagon as the country is developing a strategy towards having a digital government. In the last few weeks, countries such as El Salvador, Portugal, and Philipinnes have introduced regulations around cryptocurrencies. Vietnam’s Prime… Read More

July 8, 2021 @ 1:31 pm By JD Alois  |  

The news regarding China’s crypto exit continues to cascade around the world as the second-largest economy puts the squeeze on Bitcoin mining, crypto trading, and other uses of crypto-assets. Just this week, it has been widely reported that the People’s Bank of China has demanded… Read More

July 8, 2021 @ 11:21 am By JD Alois  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Banque de France (BdF) say the two agencies have successfully completed a test using central bank digital currency (CBDC) for a wholesale cross-border payment and settlement. Both jurisdictions have been known to be experimenting with CBDCs with the… Read More

July 7, 2021 @ 9:01 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Real-time payments are becoming increasingly common as cash as a payment solution or method for consumers in Southeast Asia, according to research from ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW) and YouGov. Three out of five or around 60% of consumers residing in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore… Read More

July 7, 2021 @ 1:44 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Qtum Chain Foundation, which supports the ongoing development of Qtum (QTUM), a leading blockchain platform, reports financial expenditures quarterly “for transparency and openness with the community.” The Qtum Chain Foundation’s latest report, published on June 6, 2021, notes that they have covered (as usual)… Read More

July 6, 2021 @ 10:45 pm By Priyanka Pani  |  

Crypto-trading platform PDAX has launched seven new cryptocurrencies for its users: Chainlink (LINK), Enjin (ENJ), Basic Attention Token (BAT), Graph (GRT), Compound (COMP), Aave (AAVE), and Uniswap (UNI). With this, the total number of coins offered on the platform is pegged at 14. Founded in… Read More

July 6, 2021 @ 12:45 pm By JD Alois  |  

Pine Labs is raising more money, according to a statement from the firm. Pine Labs says that Fidelity Management & Research Company, funds managed by BlackRock, Ishana, Tree Line, and a fund advised by Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC are all participating in the funding…. Read More

July 6, 2021 @ 10:56 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The BitOoda team has shared their Weekly Hash report, dated July 5, 2021. The target Bitcoin (BTC) hashrate is down 28% (on weekend reset), the BitOoda team noted in their latest report. China’s Bitcoin mining ban is “playing out, resulting in target Hashrate falling to… Read More

July 5, 2021 @ 10:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Indonesia’s digital wallet provider OVO has introduced a Shariah-compliant mutual fund product, which reportedly offers a fairly low buy-in for a product of its kind (less than $1). It lets investors instantly cash out their funds in real-time. The Syariah Syailendra OVO Bareksa Tunai Likuid… Read More

July 5, 2021 @ 9:04 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Build for Bahrain Acceleration Program, held in partnership with Bahrain Fintech Bay and the US State Department’s MEPI, has now ended with the three winning teams successfully completing the acceleration program and 3-month incubation period (held at Bahrain FinTech Bay). The program (in Bahrain)… Read More

July 5, 2021 @ 7:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Capital Bank Group has reportedly chosen open API banking solutions provider Codebase Technologies in order to develop and deploy its first all-digital banking platforms in Jordan and Iraq. Through the partnership, Capital Bank Group will aim to deliver its digital bank offering to its retail… Read More

July 5, 2021 @ 7:06 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Contour, a blockchain or distributed ledger tech (DLT)-enabled trade finance network that was previously called Voltron, has established a new innovation lab in Singapore. Contour says it will be working cooperatively with its wide network of banking institutions, corporates and various other ecosystem partners to… Read More

July 5, 2021 @ 12:24 pm By Priyanka Pani  |  

Global cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is bullish about its India plans despite the uncertainties around regulations. Coinbase’s CEO Brian Armstrong announced that the company is building out an “amazing team “ in India. Sharing its ambitious plan, the US-based crypto major said that there has never… Read More

July 5, 2021 @ 12:19 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Kakao Pay, a Fintech division of Kakao, which is the South Korean company that operates the KakaoTalk messenger app, reveals that it has submitted its initial public offering (IPO) filing. The company intends to secure as much 1.632 trillion Korean won (app. $1.4 billion) in… Read More

July 5, 2021 @ 10:56 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Startups currently being supported by the Swiss Innovation agency Innosuisse will soon have the option to visit Japan or South Korea in order to expand their businesses globally. These initiatives will be supported and facilitated by setting up two new camps this year to address… Read More

July 5, 2021 @ 10:10 am By Omar Faridi  |  

ZA International reveals that it has entered an agreement with BC Technology Group, which is the parent firm of OSL Digital Securities, a Securities and Futures Commission (SFC)-licensed digital asset service provider. Through the partnership, OSL should become the exclusive digital asset trading partner to… Read More

July 4, 2021 @ 7:55 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Hong Kong-based digital asset custody provider Hex Trust revealed earlier this week that it has acquired a strategic investment from Cyberport, a local Fintech hub and digital community. The size of the investment has not been shared publicly. The new investment should allow Hex Trust… Read More