Asia

May 18, 2021 @ 8:35 pm By JD Alois  |  

SoFi, a top US-based Fintech unicorn, is expected to trade on the Nasdaq on June 1st, according to a public statement. As was previously reported, SoFi decided to become a publicly listed firm in a SPAC merger with Chamath Palihapitiya’s Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings Corp…. Read More

May 17, 2021 @ 11:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Dubai-headquartered Fintech firm Mamo has reportedly secured $8 million through a pre-Series A funding round. Mamo offers a digital wallet and payments platform and has previously raised $1.5 million in order to launch a peer to peer payments app. As mentioned in a release shared… Read More

May 17, 2021 @ 10:47 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Mastercard-backed Pine Labs, an Indian merchant commerce service provider, has finalized the first close of $285 million in funding at a $3 billion valuation. Pine Labs provides payment terminals, invoicing tools, and working capital to over 150,000 merchants in the Middle East and other regions… Read More

May 17, 2021 @ 2:29 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Land Bank of the Philippines has introduced its digital onboarding platform for its clients so they can easily open up a savings account without being required to visit a physical bank location. The State-managed banking institution unveiled its digital onboarding system, called DOBS Mobile,… Read More

May 16, 2021 @ 11:48 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

UK-based Paysend, a Fintech firm with the goal to develop the “next generation” of integrated global payment solutions that will save time, money and serve millions, has announced that it will be expanding its operations to the APAC region. Paysend reports reaching over 3.5 million… Read More

May 16, 2021 @ 2:57 pm By Xu Gao  |  

Police in Changsha Receive Salaries in the Form of Digital RMB At present, digital RMB pilots have been conducted in various applications across China. On May 8th, employers at the Kaifu branch of Changsha Municipal Public Security Bureau received their salaries in the form of… Read More

May 15, 2021 @ 7:18 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Fintech Innovation Lab Asia Pacific program has now returned for its eighth edition this year with additional opportunities for early-stage and high-potential startups. Cyberport, a founding partner, will be giving finalists from the 2021 cohort the chance to take part in the 2-year (or… Read More

May 15, 2021 @ 3:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Ping An Insurance recently revealed that it has completed the initial close of Ping An Voyager Partners, LP, which is a growth stage venture fund. Approximately $200 million in commitments have now been made toward the planned $475 million target. The deal it intended for… Read More

May 15, 2021 @ 12:05 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), which is Hong Kong’s central banking institution that reports directly to the Financial Secretary, has announced the implementation plans for the third and fourth stages of its Open API framework. The next steps in the Open API Framework include… Read More

May 13, 2021 @ 11:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Huobi Group, a global blockchain firm, revealed on Thursday (May 13, 2021) that it has introduced Huobi Ventures, which is a “wholly-owned” subsidiary focused on expanding Huobi’s venture investment portfolio. Huobi Ventures will also be supporting “innovative” blockchain or distributed ledger tech (DLT) initiatives via… Read More

May 13, 2021 @ 10:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Pakistani online payments Fintech SadaPay notes that it’s been well over three months now since they began rolling out their numberless debit cards. The SadaPay team points out that the designs “perfectly” fit their vertical debit cards. The company’s management noted that they wanted to… Read More

May 12, 2021 @ 11:53 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has reportedly committed to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tencent Finance Academy (TFAHK) in order to support local Fintech talent. By leveraging HKUST’s solid academic foundation in Fintech and Tencent’s extensive industry experience, the MoU… Read More

May 12, 2021 @ 10:32 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The reserve bank of Bahrain is reportedly working with J.P. Morgan (NYSE:JPM) and Bank ABC in order to launch a real-time cross-border payments system (as part of a digital currency settlement pilot program). Bank ABC and J.P. Morgan will be conducting tests including the transfer of… Read More

May 12, 2021 @ 10:17 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

livi bank, which is notably one of Hong Kong’s eight digital banks, is now offering a Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) service with the introduction of livi PayLater that provides an instant installment option along with a virtual Mastercard debit card. The livi PayLater BNPL… Read More

May 12, 2021 @ 9:47 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), a multinational provider of real-time virtual payment solutions, reveals that it has expanded its working relationship with KNET, which is Kuwait’s national digital banking firm. Through the expanded partnership, ACI Worldwide and KNET will introduce several innovative virtual payment services in… Read More

May 12, 2021 @ 9:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Robo-advisor AQUMON has launched SmartGlobalX, which is described as a “smart” Bitcoin exchange-traded-fund (ETF) investment portfolio. It integrates SmartGlobal algorithms with a Bitcoin ETF in order to allow customers to invest in securitized digital assets, starting from as low as $1,000. AQUMON’s management noted that… Read More

May 11, 2021 @ 11:47 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Y-Combinator-backed Fintech firm Aspire has reportedly managed to reach $1 billion in annualized transaction volumes in just a year since the introduction of its business accounts (in May 2020). Aspire also revealed that it will be offering a new Bill Pay feature, which will be… Read More

May 11, 2021 @ 10:32 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Mobiquity, a digital transformation enabler, has teamed up with Kuwait International Bank (KIB), in order to support the institution’s goal of becoming a leading all-digital Islamic or Shariah-compliant financial service provider. Through the partnership, KIB will be working with Mobiquity’s team of experienced professionals –… Read More

May 11, 2021 @ 10:17 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

InvestCloud, a global Fintech company serving large banks, wealth management platforms and fund managers, revealed that it has launched its Wealth Advisor Platform by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), which is the largest bank in Japan and also one of the world’s largest financial institutions… Read More

May 11, 2021 @ 9:32 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

  Tonik, a neobanking group based in the Philippines, announced on Tuesday it secured $17 million through its Pre-Series B investment round, which was led by iGlobal Partners with participation from Sequoia India, Altara Ventures, and Insignia Venture Partners, Citius, Baring Vostok Private Equity, and… Read More