Asia

December 8, 2025 @ 10:04 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Private capital markets in the APAC region will enter 2026 on firmer footing, but their recovery remains uneven. PitchBook’s APAC Private Capital Outlook looks at how a softer rate environment, easing liquidity constraints, and the rise of domestic capital are now said to be “reshaping… Read More

December 8, 2025 @ 9:02 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Boursa Kuwait has signed a partnership with INJAZ Kuwait, a youth-focused non-profit, to support financial literacy and entrepreneurship programmes expected to reach more than 800 students in the first half of 2026, the exchange and INJAZ said. The collaboration will fund a set of classroom-style… Read More

December 8, 2025 @ 8:02 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission has sought public comment on proposed rules that would set a regulatory framework for sukuk, as Manila tries to broaden funding options and deepen its capital markets through Islamic finance. In a draft memorandum circular issued on Nov. 26,… Read More

December 8, 2025 @ 7:56 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

UBS (NYSE:UBS), the global wealth manager, announced the release of the latest UBS Billionaire Ambitions Report, which surveyed UBS billionaire clients around the world on the challenges and opportunities they tend to face. This report focuses on the forces driving global wealth creation, the “increasing… Read More

December 8, 2025 @ 8:01 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Robinhood  (NASDAQ: HOOD) reportedly entered into agreements in order to acquire Indonesian brokerage PT Buana Capital Sekuritas as well as licensed digital asset trader PT Pedagang Aset Kripto. According to the latest announcement, the recent acquisitions will now officially mark Robinhood’s entry into Indonesia, accelerating… Read More

December 7, 2025 @ 8:03 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

etaily, the Philippines’ digital-native retail platform, has secured new strategic investments led by Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), through its SMBC Asia Rising fund, bringing its total funding to over $24 million. Other investors in this round include Kaya Founders, JGDEV of the Gokongwei… Read More

December 7, 2025 @ 8:56 am By Omar Faridi  |  

ADGM, the international financial centre of Abu Dhabi, has reported strong Q3 2025 results, reinforcing its standing as the leading financial hub in the MEASA region. The asset management sector continued to be a major driver of growth, with Assets Under Management (AUM) in ADGM… Read More

December 7, 2025 @ 5:53 am By Michael Wong  |  

Hong Kong’s banking industry will roll out additional relief steps for residents and workers affected by the Tai Po fire, including emergency loan offers, fee waivers tied to a government support fund and fast-tracked handling of bank accounts belonging to people who died in the… Read More

December 6, 2025 @ 11:10 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Paribu is announcing Turkey’s latest fintech deal by acquiring CoinMENA, the local crypto exchange in the MENA region, in a transaction “for up to $240 million.” The transaction reportedly represents one of Turkey’s largest fintech acquisition to date and the country’s cross-border crypto deal. The… Read More

December 6, 2025 @ 11:09 am By Michael Wong  |  

Embed Financial Group Cayman Holdings (EFGH), a Singapore-headquartered provider of digital infrastructure for embedded financial services in emerging markets, has agreed to go public in the US through a merger with WinVest Acquisition Corp, a special purpose acquisition company. EFGH said the agreement implies a… Read More

December 4, 2025 @ 9:17 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Animoca Brands announced that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Rayls, a blockchain ecosystem to bridge traditional finance with decentralized finance, for a strategic partnership focused on the tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs). The partnership will leverage Animoca Brands’ network to… Read More

December 2, 2025 @ 6:19 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Thunes announced that it has received In-Principle Approval (IPA) for a variation of its Major Payment Institution licence (MPI) from the Monetary Authority of Singapore. This In-Principal Approval marks a key milestone in Thunes’ growth journey and demonstrates the Fintech firm’s ongoing commitment to being… Read More

December 2, 2025 @ 8:30 am By Michael Wong  |  

Emirates Gold and Malaysia’s Public Gold have installed a bullion vending machine in Dubai that the companies say is the first in the UAE to combine a Fintech account platform with automated dispensing of physical gold and silver. The firms unveiled the “Gold ATM” on… Read More

December 1, 2025 @ 10:18 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Singapore’s card payments market is expected to grow steadily by 6.2% in 2025, reaching appr. SGD158.2 billion (about $119.6 billion), supported by near-universal bank access, “extensive” merchant acceptance, and increasing use of contactless cards, according to GlobalData, a data and analytics company. GlobalData’s Payment Cards… Read More

December 1, 2025 @ 6:02 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

CertiK has recently joined forces with Korean gaming firm WEMADEin order to launch the Global Alliance of KRW Stablecoin (GAKS), to provide comprehensive security audit services for StableNet, Korea’s dedicated mainnet infrastructure for the complete lifecycle of KRW stablecoins. At blockchain focused CertiK, they claim… Read More

December 1, 2025 @ 11:06 am By JD Alois  |  

The People’s Bank of China issued a statement over the weekend regarding concerns about ongoing crypto speculation and a crackdown on stablecoins. Mainland China has banned crypto for years, allowing Hong Kong to serve as a jurisdiction where digital asset development and experimentation can take… Read More

November 30, 2025 @ 9:07 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Crypto exchange Upbit recently claimed that it had identified and fixed a major codebase vulnerability found in its internal digital wallet system and platform while carrying out an urgent probe into the recent $30 million hack / theft that impacted the South Korean exchange this… Read More

November 30, 2025 @ 6:51 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Compass Mining noted in a recent update that China currently holds an estimated 14% share of the global Bitcoin mining market. This, according to Hashrate Index, which reportedly makes it the world’s third-largest contributor to the overall global hashrate. Compass Mining also mentioned in their… Read More

November 30, 2025 @ 5:30 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

erad, the Riyadh-headquartered alternative financing platform for SMEs, has partnered with Jefferies (NYSE: JEF) (with co-investment from Channel Capital) to secure $125M in a credit deal, in order to accelerate embedded finance solutions across the GCC region. After the transaction is completed, it will mark… Read More

November 30, 2025 @ 4:38 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Coupang, South Korea’s biggest online retailer, apologised on Sunday after a breach exposed personal information from 33.7 million customer accounts, prompting government scrutiny and warnings of follow-on scams. The US-listed company said the leak involved customers’ names, email addresses, phone numbers, shipping addresses and some… Read More