Asia

December 27, 2020 @ 7:03 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this month, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced the first four digital banks approved by the regulator. The first digital banks out of the gate are the culmination of a multi-year process where MAS. In June 2019, MAS announced it would approve up… Read More

December 27, 2020 @ 4:39 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Dalal Buhejji, the Director of Business Development, Financial Services at the Bahrain Economic Development Board, has noted that there are currently around 400 financial institutions based in Bahrain. Buhejji pointed out that these companies are offered a “stable, predictable and proven” regulatory and business environment… Read More

December 26, 2020 @ 4:09 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Although Dubai’s economy is projected to contract by 6.2% this year, with the travel and hospitality industries hit really hard due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the country saw a significant increase in bank financing for its communications, storage, and transport sectors. There was also solid… Read More

December 26, 2020 @ 1:35 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) focus and support for contactless payments and the entry of WhatsApp into the nation’s Fintech sector is expected to lead to an increase in digital transactions. Although most business sectors have struggled to maintain operations due to the COVID-19… Read More

December 26, 2020 @ 11:00 am By Xu Gao  |  

WeBank Reduces Upper Limit of Microloan to ¥200,000 WeBank, the Tencent-backed digital bank, announced that it would reduce the upper limit of its microloan product (Weilidai) from ¥300,000 to ¥200,000 from December 26th. According to WeBank, the reduction was a response to the “Commercial Bank… Read More

December 26, 2020 @ 10:03 am By Omar Faridi  |  

China’s banking and insurance regulator released draft guidelines on Friday (December 25, 2020) regarding the sales of wealth management products by local commercial banks’ wealth management divisions. Chinese authorities will reportedly allow these wealth management subsidiaries to serve as sales agents for such products for… Read More

December 24, 2020 @ 10:38 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

  India-based banking group ICICI Bank announced earlier this week the launch of, Infinite India, which is an online platform for foreign companies looking to establish or expand business in the country. According to ICICI Bank, the platform offers them banking solutions as well as… Read More

December 24, 2020 @ 8:58 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The gig economy has been growing steadily in Asian countries like Malaysia, particularly at a time when the COVID-19 outbreak is forcing residents to pick up side jobs to supplement their earnings during these uncertain times. Although the gig economy or temp work opportunities are… Read More

December 24, 2020 @ 7:55 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Hong Kong based ZA Tech, a technology venture launched by insurance firm ZhongAn Online and supported by the Softbank Vision Fund, has revealed that it teamed up with the holding company of digital wallet OVO. Through the partnership, both organizations will offer insurance providers in… Read More

December 24, 2020 @ 5:50 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) has teamed up with a platform managed by Naver’s Cloud affiliate for digital innovation and development of Fintech-related services, the state-run bank confirmed on December 23, 2020. Through the partnership, both organizations will aim to enhance their Cloud and artificial… Read More

December 24, 2020 @ 2:50 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Avaloq, an international fintech providing services and digital solutions to banks and wealth managers, announced earlier this week the closing of NEC’s acquisition of Avaloq. As previously reported, the acquisition was announced in October and NEC purchased Avaloq for around 2.05 billion Swiss francs. Founded… Read More

December 24, 2020 @ 12:23 pm By JD Alois  |  

Chinese regulators are said to be investigating whether Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) has been engaging in non-competitive practices. Simultaneously, Ant Group – a top Fintech, is receiving additional scrutiny. Ant Group is the parent company of Alipay, China’s largest mobile payment platform. Additionally, it has been widely… Read More

December 23, 2020 @ 11:38 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Brunei’s Fintech sector continues to grow steadily due to the rising demand for digital financial services and its government’s push to encourage its residents to use modern payment methods. Brunei has the second-highest (after Singapore) human development index or HDI (which measures the overall quality… Read More

December 23, 2020 @ 10:46 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

CIMB Bank Vietnam and Viva Republica, the operator of the Toss app (a payments service), have launched the CIMB-Toss debit card after the success of the CIMB and Toss virtual card – which was introduced in July of this year. Launched earlier this month, the… Read More

December 23, 2020 @ 3:35 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

  Robocash Group, a Singapore-based fintech, announced on Tuesday it has expanded its Buy Now Pay service UnaPay in the Philippines. Founded in 2013, Robocash Group specializes in non-bank lending with a focus on consumer lending both online and offline and marketplace funding. “We provide a… Read More

December 23, 2020 @ 9:49 am By JD Alois  |  

Just last week, OSL became the first licensed digital asset trading platform in Hong Kong. It received approval by the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) to conduct  Type 1 (dealing in securities) and Type 7 (automated trading service -ATS) regulated activities and claims to be… Read More

December 22, 2020 @ 11:40 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital payments firm Pine Labs has reportedly secured $75-100 million through an investment round that was led by US-headquartered hedge fund Lone Pine Capital, which is known for financing established US businesses like Uber. Pine Labs is now valued at approimately $2 billion — a… Read More

December 22, 2020 @ 10:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Fintech has transitioned from the innovation and early development stages of OneConnect’s financial services offering to becoming its catalyst of business growth, according to Ye Wangchun, Chairperson and CEO of OneConnect Financial Technology Co., Ltd. (NYSE: OCFT). Ye‘s recent comments came during the fourth annual… Read More

December 22, 2020 @ 9:49 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Mumbai-headquartered Fintech firm TaxBuddy recently revealed that it has secured $1 million in early-stage funding from UAE’s fund Zenith Global. Launched in 2019 and owned by Mumbai’s SSBA Innovations Pvt. Ltd, the firm aims to offer an online tax advisory service through various subscription-based plans…. Read More

December 21, 2020 @ 11:14 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

SoftBank Group Corp. (TYO: 9984), a Japanese multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo with over $300 billion in assets, is reportedly planning to secure at least $500 million in capital via a blank-check company, according to sources familiar with the matter. The special-purpose… Read More