Asia

April 16, 2021 @ 2:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

RedBlock and NFT Bazaar have announced a strategic partnership in an “embrace” of the fast-evolving NFT industry. As noted in a blog post by RedBlock: “We are very pleased to announce that RedBlock and NFT Bazaar have officially entered into a strategic partnership, leveraging our… Read More

April 15, 2021 @ 10:58 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

B2B healthcare service provider Biddano is planning to streamline offline pharma distribution networks by bridging key supply chain gaps between distributors and chemists. The company leverages the latest technology to develop its platform and is currently looking to expand its network to 25 cities across… Read More

April 15, 2021 @ 10:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Banking technology firm Zeta is reportedly getting closer to achieving Unicorn status (valued at $1 billion or more) as it continues to work with varous investors in order to close a new funding round, according to TechCrunch which cited sources familiar with the matter. SoftBank… Read More

April 15, 2021 @ 10:17 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Saudi Arabia-based Cloud-enabled Point-Of-Sale (POS) startup Prexle has reportedly finalized its seed funding round which is valued at 2.5 million Saudi riyals (appr. $670,000). Company CEO and Co-founder, Abdullah Alajlan stated that they’re happy to close their latest investment round. He added that the funds… Read More

April 15, 2021 @ 9:12 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Luno, a crypto-asset trading platform in Malaysia that has been cleared by the Securities Commission, has revealed that it’s now managing over RM 1 billion or $240 millon worth of digital assets. This milestone has been reached in less than 2 years since the company… Read More

April 14, 2021 @ 11:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Robo-advisory services in Southeast Asian countries like Singapore are increasingly being used for managing finances and investments. Robo advisors were introduced around 2008, which was when the world was dealing with the global financial crisis. Over the years, digital transformation and the emergence of new… Read More

April 14, 2021 @ 10:47 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Payments solution provider Fave has reportedly been acquired by Pine Labs, an Asian commerce platform. The acquistion deal is deal valued at more than RM 185 million (appr. $45 million). With this strategic acquisition, Indian consumers may now use the Fave app at some point… Read More

April 13, 2021 @ 11:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The reserve bank in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has issued a license to Al Maryah Community Bank in order to offer services in the Middle Eastern nation. Al Maryah is notably the very first all-digital bank to have been given approval to begin providing… Read More

April 13, 2021 @ 7:51 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The United Kingdom and India may be considered global leaders when it comes to adopting the latest financial technologies which aim to benefit both individuals and businesses, according to Alderman William Russell, the Lord Mayor of the City of London. Fintech is transforming the traditional… Read More

April 13, 2021 @ 1:45 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Malaysia’s PayNet, the national payments network and shared central infrastructure for that nation’s capital markets, has decided to work with FassPay, a subsidiary of Soft Space, which will be a third-party acquirer for MyDebit, the country’s local debit card scheme. This new appointment should allow… Read More

April 13, 2021 @ 12:40 am By Omar Faridi  |  

DBS (SGX:D05)/POSB retail clients are now able to access a new feature offered via DBS’ AI-enhanced financial and retirement planning tool, called NAV Planner, which will aim to offer specific investment recommendations that are well-suited for different investment profiles and requirements. Evy Wee, Head of… Read More

April 12, 2021 @ 11:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

India-based Findeed, a consumer-focused Fintech firm, has acquired seed funding from Venture Highway and Anicut Angel Fund, along with contributions from First Cheque. The capital will be used for recruiting new talent and supporting the firm’s ongoing growth and development. Launched in July 2019 by… Read More

April 12, 2021 @ 11:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

RinggitPlus, a financial marketplace that’s owned by Jirnexu, has introduced RinggitPlus Advance, which is a one-to-one digital financial planning service for Malaysian residents. As noted by its management: “RinggitPlus is Malaysia’s leading financial comparison website. Everyday we help thousands of Malaysians #GetMore for their money…. Read More

April 12, 2021 @ 10:57 pm By JD Alois  |  

Accelerating Asia has announced the fourth cohort of its flagship 100-day program for pre-Series A startups. According to a release, the 11 startups have raised over S$6 million coming into the program. The 11 new portfolio companies cover ten verticals and include companies from Singapore,… Read More

April 12, 2021 @ 10:39 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Just six months into its launch, Maybank SME Digital Financing has reportedly cleared RM1 billion (appr. $240 million) worth of financing, serving over 8,200 SMEs, of which around 85% or 6,950 are startups and micro-enterprises based in Malaysia. Maybank stated that all applications that were… Read More

April 11, 2021 @ 5:20 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Ten high-potential technology firms have reportedly been chosen for 11th Annual Fintech Innovation Lab New York. As noted in the announcement (published on April 7, 2021), Fintech solutions aim to leverage AI and advanced data analytics to “address key industry challenges including sustainability.” As mentioned… Read More

April 11, 2021 @ 4:41 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

CurrencyFair, a cross-border payments solution provider, and Assembly Payments, whose platform aims to fully automate complex payment workflows, recently revealed that they’ve merged operations as part of a strategic investment from Standard Chartered (which is subject to shareholder approval and regulatory clearance). As noted by… Read More

April 10, 2021 @ 9:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

ZA Tech Global Limited, the technology venture established by ZA International and supported by Softbank’s Vision Fund 1, revealed on Friday (April 9, 2021) that it’s launching its Asia Fintech Center (AFC) in Singapore. The new center will focus on financial services innovation projects and… Read More

April 10, 2021 @ 8:13 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Ping An OneConnect Bank (PAOB) recently revealed that it has teamed up with JETCO in order to provide cardless ATM withdrawal services. PAOB clients will now have the option to make cash withdrawals from over 1,700 JETCO ATM machines based in Hong Kong. Customers may… Read More

April 10, 2021 @ 7:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

StashAway, a digital wealth management solution provider, recently revealed that it will be offering services to Hong Kong consumers. The firm’s management confirmed that it’s now licensed by the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC). StashAway is a digital investment platform that offers “intelligent” asset allocation… Read More