Asia

March 18, 2020 @ 8:08 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Khatabook, a business app that helps micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs)  with performing digital transactions, has revealed that it has entered a partnership with former Indian Cricket captain Mahendra Singh (MS) Dhoni. MS Dhoni, the World Cup-winning skipper, will make a strategic investment in… Read More

March 18, 2020 @ 7:56 am By Omar Faridi  |  

AMTD Digital, the digital finance division of AMTD Group, has revealed that it will be acquiring a controlling stake in PolicyPal, a firm that’s licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). PolicyPal is notably the first graduate of MAS’s Fintech regulatory sandbox program. The… Read More

March 18, 2020 @ 7:26 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the nation’s central bank, has announced that it will be lowering the capital requirements for payment aggregators. This move may further increase the number of digital transactions carried out in the country. The RBI noted in a statement published… Read More

March 18, 2020 @ 12:58 am By Omar Faridi  |  

India-headquartered PhonePe, a major digital payments platform, has been diversifying its line of products and services, which initially included only a mobile wallet (and a few other services). PhonePe is planning to become a full-fledged financial services firm, and has been working toward this goal… Read More

March 17, 2020 @ 11:36 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Oman’s Ministry of Technology and Communications (MTC) has committed to a memorandum of cooperation (MoC) with BankDhofar at the Sas Center for the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR), in order to manage a technology innovation lab at the center. The MoC was reportedly signed by Dr…. Read More

March 17, 2020 @ 3:23 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Liv, the digital banking division of Emirates NBD, a Dubai government-owned banking institution and one of the largest financial institutions in the Middle East, is planning to provide customers instant access to their credit scores, with just a single click. The Al Etihad Credit Bureau… Read More

March 16, 2020 @ 11:48 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

India-based NBFC Clix Capital Services Pvt Ltd (Clix), an established online lending platform, has introduced an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered bot, called “Maya,” in order to improve customer experience. Maya will assist the lending service’s clients in acquiring quick loans by first checking their credit scores… Read More

March 16, 2020 @ 7:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Fintech TransferWise has announced that its 7 million+ customers can now send money instantly to Alipay users. Alipay is the payments platform provided by Ant Financial (Alibaba). Ant Financial is the highest valued Fintech in the world. “Our newest partnership with Alipay has been one… Read More

March 16, 2020 @ 12:24 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency platform Crypto.com announced on Monday it is officially shipping MCO Visa debit cards to the UK. The platform reported that the MCO Visa Card range features metal cards with no annual or monthly fees, up to 5 percent cryptocurrency cashback on everyday… Read More

March 16, 2020 @ 10:20 am By JD Alois  |  

Singapore based Zilliqa, a speedy blockchain platform, has partnered with Switcheo, to launch a “non-custodial, decentralised exchange” (DEX). Zilliqa and Switcheo are said to be working towards a minimum viable product and rounds of internal testing by the end of Q2 2020 and external user… Read More

March 16, 2020 @ 9:02 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Two major Fintech companies, Aion Digital and Qarar, are teaming up in order to accelerate the growth and development of online lending platforms across the Middle East region. According to a press release, the collaboration between the two Fintechs aims to “revolutionize the credit market”… Read More

March 15, 2020 @ 3:14 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Vinnie Lauria, an entrepreneur and venture capitalist who established Golden Gate Ventures, an early-stage VC company managing more than $250 million in assets, notes that his Singapore-based company has been watching emerging tech sectors across the Southeast Asia region. Lauria reveals that he’s seeing significant… Read More

March 15, 2020 @ 3:13 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

An increasing number of UK Fintech firms are establishing operations in Doha, the capital city of the Middle Eastern country of Qatar. Financial technology companies are setting up their businesses in the country after it introduced progressive investment laws and regulations, according to an official… Read More

March 15, 2020 @ 2:17 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Earlier this month, the AMTD Group, a financial services group established by CK Hutchison (a Cayman Islands–registered global conglomerate based in Hong Kong that focuses on ports and related services, retail, infrastructure, energy, and telecommunications, and operates in more than 50 countries), revealed that it’s… Read More

March 15, 2020 @ 10:45 am By Xu Gao  |  

The PBC, NDRC and Four Other Authorities Jointly Release the Work Plan for Coordinated Regulation of Financial Infrastructures In order to strengthen the construction of financial infrastructure, coordinate the regulation of important financial infrastructures and improve the capability of the financial sector to serve the… Read More

March 14, 2020 @ 7:09 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Singapore-headquartered DBS Bank, a multinational banking and financial services corporation with over $330 billion in total assets, has reportedly facilitated a trade financing settlement through vCargo Cloud’s CamelONE trade finance portal (TFP). The SGD 4.8 million (appr. $3.4 million) letter of credit transaction was carried… Read More

March 14, 2020 @ 3:25 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

PropertyGuru, an online property marketplace, revealed on March 12, 2020, that it will be  expanding into home finance with the launch of PropertyGuru Finance. According to a release, the proptech company’s management noted that it aims to help Singapore’s residents save money and have a… Read More

March 14, 2020 @ 11:23 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Two Fintech companies are teaming up to develop a new banking service for young people living in Saudi Arabia, who may prefer to make cashless payments from their mobile devices. Digital Bank challenger Moven, which was established by Brett King in 2010, will be partnering… Read More

March 13, 2020 @ 2:48 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

CreditEase Fintech Investment Fund (CEFIF) announced on Friday it is participating in a $36 Million Series B+ financing round in Fenbeitong, a corporate expense management startup based in China, alongside Eight Roads, Glade Brook Capital, Ribbit Capital, IDG Capital, and China Growth Capital. Founded in 2016,… Read More

March 12, 2020 @ 9:46 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) has reportedly acquired 32.35 million RMB (appr. $4.7 million) in special funding in order to finance the ongoing development of its blockchain or distributed ledger technology (DLT)-enabled trade finance platform. The funding, which will be gradually injected during a… Read More