Asia

Digital Payments Wallet GCash Chosen by Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in Philippines to Distribute Training Subsidies

Mobile payments wallet provider GCash has reportedly been chosen by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in the Philippines to distribute funding for training to local residents. TESDA has joined many other businesses and organizations that are using the GCash platform to carry… Read More

UAE’s Real Estate focused Fintech Stake to Allow Investors to Begin Investing with Only 2,000 Dirhams

A Dubai-based real estate-focused Fintech firm is planning to offer local investors an opportunity to invest in the property market with as little as 2,000 AED (appr. $544). UAE-headquartered Stake, which is supported by a Saudi national, is currently based in the Fintech Hive which… Read More

Digital Assets and Banking Platform Cashaa to Expand Operations in India, the UK, Europe, US

UK-based Cashaa, a digital asset exchange and banking service provider, has revealed that it’s listing on KuCoin exchange in order to promote the adoption of its native CAS token. As reported in July 2020, more than $3 million in Bitcoin (BTC) were allegedly stolen from… Read More

Digital Transformation: Chinese Consumers are Increasingly Using Smartphones to Make Payments as Thousands of Bank Branches have Shut Down

The long lines in front of ATM machines have now become a rare sight as Chinese consumers are increasingly using their smartphones to complete transactions, instead of making cash payments, according to a report from China Daily. Many people claim they can’t even recall when… Read More

China Might Further Tighten Control Over Large Fintech Firms by Limiting their Banking Partners, According to Former Finance Minister

Chinese authorities may consider further tightening control over large Fintech companies by restricting or limiting the number of banking institutions they can work with, according to the Securities Times which cited recent statements from a former Chinese finance minister. As first reported by Bloomberg, bad… Read More

Indonesian Tech Giant Gojek has Reportedly Paid Nearly $160 Million for Shares in Indonesian Bank Jago as Part of Major Fintech Deal

Indonesian tech giant has reportedly paid around $159.5 million for shares in an Indonesian bank (PT Bank Jago) – which is part of a major Fintech deal. Gojek is competing with ride-hailing app provider Grab which is also focused on establishing regional Fintech services. Gojek… Read More

Securities and Exchange Board of India Updates Rules for Asset Management Companies being Launched by Fintech Firms and Other Startups

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the regulator of the nation’s securities and commodities market, announced on Wednesday (December 16, 2020) that it has updated guidelines related to establishing asset management companies (AMCs) for Fintech firms and other startups. SEBI confirmed that it… Read More

Singapore’s Regulated Digital Asset Custodian Propine Develops Asset Tokenization, Compliance Solutions on Zilliqa

The team at Singapore-based Propine, a regulated digital asset custodian, notes that 3 months ago, the company was selected by blockchain platform Zilliqa as one of 8 startups to take part in the ZILHive Accelerator program. The Propine team has now confirmed that they managed… Read More

Fintech Fairbanc, which Offers Credit to Southeast Asia’s Unbanked, Is Now Backed by Columbia Business School

Fairbanc, the Silicon Valley-based Fintech firm that provides credit to the unbanked or financially underserved in Southeast Asia, has received financial backing from Columbia Business School’s student-run impact fund, Microlumbia. According to a release, this financial backing has come shortly after an investment from 500… Read More

Saudi Arabia has Seen an “Explosion” of Fintech Firms because of Support from Nation’s Authorities, Industry Professional Reveals

Fintech is expected to play an important role in Saudi Arabia’s efforts to further diversify its economy, according to commentary from the nation’s Budget 2021 report. Padmini Gupta from Fintech Rise notes in an update published by Arab News that sustained support this year from… Read More

Fintech Sector in the Philippines can Play a Key Role in Collecting Data for Climate-related Issues, Industry Professional Says

The Fintech industry could leverage its tools and capabilities to gather climate-related data in the Philippines, which would be in line with the nation’s goal of supporting sustainable financing, according to FintechAlliance.ph Chairperson Angelito M. Villanueva. In statements shared with local news outlet, the BusinessMirror,… Read More

Fintech Firm Fraxtor Secures Over $6.7 Million in the Past 9 Months from its Community of Real Estate Co-Investors

Fraxtor Private Limited, a company that operates an online real estate co-investment platform, has reportedly acquired over S$9 million (appr. $6.74 million) on its platform from its community of Accredited Investors (AIs), despite the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a release, the… Read More

Fintech Firm SquidPay to Facilitate Convenient and Efficient Contactless Payments in the Philippines

Philippines based Fintech firm SquidPay Technology Inc. has acquired Php 100 million (appr. $2.08 million) in funding through a Series A round and Php 100 Million (appr. $1.04 million) line of credit – which was arranged by the Eastern Securities Development Corporation (for the company’s… Read More

Samsung Invests in Funding Societies, a Marketplace Lending Platform

Funding Societies has received an investment from Samsung Venture Investment Corporation, according to a note from the Fintech.  Details on the investment were not disclosed. Samsung Venture is an investment arm of the South Korean conglomerate, Samsung Group, and has been an active investor in… Read More

US and Qatar Business Initiatives Now Valued at Around $200 Billion, Supported by Smart City Projects, Fintech, and Other Digital Technologies

The US-Qatar Business Council (USQBC), the Silicon Valley Forum and the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Washington DC recently held a discussion during a virtual event on December 8, 2020, titled “Qatar in Focus: Smarter Countries & Thriving Communities in the Digital Age.”… Read More

Majority of ASEAN Region Fintech Firms are Planning to Raise Additional Funds while Expanding Operations in 2021: Report

Four in five or 80% of Fintech companies in the ASEAN region are focused on expanding their operations following the COVID-19 outbreak. ASEAN member countries include Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. A report from UOB, PwC… Read More

P2P Bitcoin Exchange Paxful to Enforce Mandatory ID Verification in Most Asian Countries, Partners with Digital Bank

Peer to peer (P2P) Bitcoin exchange Paxful has confirmed that ID verification will soon become mandatory for many different countries beginning this month (December 2020). Paxful claims it’s one of the few crypto-asset marketplaces that strictly enforce KYC (Know Your Customer) verification checks and procedures…. Read More

HKMA Speech: Hong Kong Can Help Chinese Fintechs Go Global

In a speech this week delivered at the China Fintech Global Summit in Shenzen, Liu Yingbin, Senior Assistant President, Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) said that Hong Kong can help mainland Chinese Fintechs go global. Yingbin touted Hong Kong’s Fintech ecosystem which has emerged as… Read More

Fintech Collaboration: Monetary Authority of Singapore and Hungary’s Magyar Nemzeti Bank to Work on Financial Tech Projects

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB) have entered into a co-operation Agreement (CA) in order to collaborate on various Fintech initiatives that will enhance Singapore and Hungary’s economy. The CA aims to establish a framework for Fintech collaboration between… Read More

Malaysian P2P Supply Chain Financing Platform, CapBay, Reports Providing Nearly $25M in Financing Since March 2020

Malaysia-based CapBay, a peer to peer (P2P) supply chain financing platform, has reportedly arranged RM 100 million (appr. $24.68 million) in funding across 500 investment notes via its platform since it began operations in March of this year. This milestone is part of CapBay Group’s… Read More

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