Asia

October 11, 2019 @ 1:53 am By Cali Haan  |  

Following a confirmation from CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) on Twitter yesterday that the Binance cryptocurrency exchange will soon allow customers to their trading accounts using Alipay and WeChat, Alipay has tweeted to deny Zhao’s announcement, stating: “NO, you cannot…There’re several reports about @Alipay being used for… Read More

October 10, 2019 @ 3:28 pm By JD Alois  |  

In a wide-ranging speech at The World Federation of Exchanges General, Jacqueline Loh, Deputy Managing Director, Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) addressed the advent of blockchain or distributed ledger technology (DLT) in the utilization of regulated securities and exchanges. Singapore is a noted Fintech Hub… Read More

October 10, 2019 @ 9:30 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

C2FO, a fintech firm and market for working capital based in the U.S., announced on Wednesday it is acquiring India-based payment platform, Priority Vendor. C2FO reported that through the acquisition, Indian suppliers will receive a continuous flow of capital at costs lower than traditional financing… Read More

October 9, 2019 @ 9:52 pm By JD Alois  |  

Prominent blockchain startup ICONLOOP has raised KRW 10 billion (over USD 8 million) in Series A funding. ICONLOOP, based in South Korea, says this is the first VC investment since its launch in 2016. Investors included Korea Technology Finance Corporation (KOTEC) and T.S. Investment. ICONLOOP… Read More

October 9, 2019 @ 9:35 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Changing Zhao (CZ), CEO of Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency trading platforms, has confirmed on Twitter that the platform will begin accepting money transfers via Chinese payment giants WeChat and Alipay. The news is very significant because China has been pursuing a progressively… Read More

October 9, 2019 @ 12:12 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Sustainable Energy Development Authority Malaysia (SEDA) has agreed to a pilot trial to test the feasibility of solar energy trading in the Malaysian energy market using Power Ledger’s blockchain-based platform. The trial will kick off later this year and run for 8 months. Power… Read More

October 9, 2019 @ 10:59 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

CredoLab, a Singapore-based fintech provider of mobile-based alternative credit scoring solutions for banks, consumer finance companies, and retailers, announced on Tuesday it has formed a new partnership with iovation, a TransUnion company, specializing in device-based fraud detection and authentication solutions. CredoLab reported that through the partnership… Read More

October 9, 2019 @ 2:17 am By Omar Faridi  |  

South Korean mobile payments app CHAI and BGF Retail, which manages CU, Korea’s largest convenience store chain with around 13,500 locations, are developing a blockchain-based platform for conducting offline payments.  The nation’s consumers will be able to make payments by scanning and completing transactions with… Read More

October 8, 2019 @ 8:39 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

China Rapid Finance Limited (NYSE: XRF), one of China’s largest consumer lending marketplaces, announced on Tuesday it has formed a new strategic partnership with Chengdu Qiye Technology to offer services for institutionally-funded lending to small and medium-sized businesses. According to China Rapid Finance, the partnership marks… Read More

October 8, 2019 @ 3:15 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Fintech industry is set to enter 2020 with promising deals as more investors and companies explore potential investment opportunities. One-third of Fintech firms in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are based in the UAE. The number of Fintech… Read More

October 8, 2019 @ 2:38 am By Omar Faridi  |  

United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) National Bank of Fujairah (NBF) has partnered with Fintech Galaxy, a financial technology crowdsourcing platform. NBF recently participated in the MENA Fintech hackathon, which was hosted by Fintech Galaxy. The event brought together major local banks, regulators, financial industry professionals, and… Read More

October 7, 2019 @ 8:35 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Lawyers at Roche Freedman LLP filed a class action suit on October 6th against Bitfinex, Tether, and associated parties and firms. The suit alleges plaintiffs collectively suffered over $1.4 trillion USD in damages due to defendants alleged violation of Commodities Exchange and federal RICO statutes, as well… Read More

October 7, 2019 @ 7:30 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Hong Kong’s securities regulator, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), has released an updated regulatory framework for digital asset fund managers. The SFC posted the guidelines on its official website on October 4. SFC’s 37-page document, titled “Proforma Terms and Conditions for Licensed Corporations which… Read More

October 7, 2019 @ 6:46 am By Omar Faridi  |  

South Korea’s regulators have consistently preferred supporting blockchain-related initiatives over decentralized crypto tokens. Recent events confirm that the nation’s authorities are more inclined to support blockchain technology itself rather than investments in speculative cryptocurrencies.  According to local reports, approximately 97% of local crypto-asset exchanges might… Read More

October 6, 2019 @ 8:08 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Algo Capital, the investment division of the US-based blockchain startup Algorand, reportedly lost around $1-2 million in Algorand (ALGO) tokens and Tether (USDT) stablecoins after the company CTO Pablo Yabo’s mobile phone was hacked. The security breach allowed hackers to access an Algo hot wallet… Read More

October 4, 2019 @ 9:13 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Payments platform giant PayPal announced earlier this week it has received approval from The People’s Bank of China to acquire 70% equity interest in Guofubao Information Technology Co. (GoPay), Ltd., a holder of a payment business license in China. This will allow PayPal to provide… Read More

October 3, 2019 @ 4:21 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Blocko, a South Korean enterprise-grade blockchain development firm, is launching its operations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after securing funding in Europe and the Asia Pacific region.  UAE’s financial hub, Dubai, announced the Emirates Blockchain Strategy 2021 in April 2018. The nationwide strategy involves… Read More

October 3, 2019 @ 7:32 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Mumbai-based Varanium Capital, an asset manager that provides investment and consulting services to public and private businesses, is reportedly planning to raise ₹200-crore (appr. $28 million) for a Fintech-focused early stage venture capital fund. The Varanium NexGen intends to strategically invest around ₹2-5 crore (each),… Read More

October 3, 2019 @ 1:14 am By Cali Haan  |  

Representatives from Monex, SBI Securities, kabu.com Securities, Daiwa Securities, Nomura Securities and Rakuten Securities have formed the “Japan Security Token Offering Association” to self-regulate and advocate for security token offerings (STOs) in Japan. According to an announcement from Monex, “the Japan STO Association primarily works… Read More

October 2, 2019 @ 7:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) have revealed the 40 finalists have been shortlisted for the Fintech Awards to be presented at this year’s Singapore FinTech Festival x Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SFF x SWITCH)…. Read More