Asia

ZhongAn Receives Hong Kong Virtual Banking License, Asks Users to Help with Design

ZhongAn Technologies International Group Limited (ZA International) has been granted a virtual banking license by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA). As part of the process of developing their digital bank, ZhongAn is reaching out to users to register for updates and to provide feedback… Read More

Bitmain’s Hong Kong IPO Application Lapses

An IPO application submitted by Bitmain to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in September has lapsed. Bitmain is the world’s largest crypto-mining consortium. The company operates numerous crypto mining and research facilities across the globe and also designs and manufactures some of the industry’s most… Read More

North Korean Dissident Group Raising Money on Ethereum

A group dedicated to the liberation of North Korea, Cheollima Civil Defence, is raising funds through the sale of 200 000 symbolic “visas” that promise holders they will be among the among the first to visit “Free Joseon upon liberation.” The group’s “Post-Liberation Blockchain G-VISAs”… Read More

Chinese Crypto Exchange CoinAll Lists Lambda (LAMB)

Chinese cryptocurrency exchange CoinAll announced on Tuesday it has listed Lambda (LAMB) on its platform. CoinAll describes Lambda as a safe, reliable and infinitely expanding decentralized storage network, whose mission is to promote the development of the Internet decentralization and build storage infrastructure for the… Read More

Wealth Management Tech Service PIVOT Fintech Receives Capital Markets Services License from The Monetary Authority Of Singapore

PIVOT Fintech Pte. Ltd., the digital wealth management technology services venture backed by Pintec Technology Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: PT) and FWD Group, announced last week it has been granted a Capital Markets Services (CMS) license by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Launched in 2017 by… Read More

Linh Thanh Group and KRONN Ventures AG Sign MOU to Launch Crypto Exchange in Vietnam

KRONN Ventures AG, a Switzerland based blockchain focused company, has signed a memorandum of understanding(MOU) with Linh Thanh Group, for the “production of cryptocurrency and the establishment of cryptocurrency exchange” in Vietnam. According to a release, the group has received a license from regulators to… Read More

China: WeiyangX Fintech Review

WeChat Shuts Down More Than 2,500 Accounts for Illegal Loan Activities On March 15th, China’s Central Television (CCTV) shined its spotlight on the illegal loans market during its annual Consumer Right’s Show. On March 18th, WeChat released an official statement about combating illegal credit services… Read More

Bitmain Says its New Equihash Cryptominer 3X Faster

Bitmain-ASIC-chip

One of the world’s largest cryptomining companies, Bitmain, has announced the release of a new crypto mining machine it claims is three times faster than its previous model. The new “Antminer Z11” is designed for the dedicated mining of cryptocurrencies that use the Equihash algorithm… Read More

Philippine Insurtech Saphron Raises S$1.4 Million Through Seed Funding Round Led By Sage & Talino Labs

Saphron, an insurtech based in the Philippines, has reportedly secured S$1.4 million through its seed funding round, which was led by Sage and Talino Labs. Saphron revealed it was built out of its “bold ambition” to make insurance radically accessible through powerful and seamless technology…. Read More

SE Asian Fintech Akulaku Set to Acquire Indonesian Lending Bank Yudha Bhakti For Rp 158 Billion

Akulaku, a SE Asia-based fintech, is reportedly set to acquire Indonesian lending bank Yudha Bhakti for Rp 158 Billion ($11 million). Founded in 2016, Akulaku is a fintech company that is focused on providing financial services to the underserved. The company has established offices in five countries/regions,… Read More

Chinese Crypto Exchange CoinAll Launches New-User Campaign For Expand Community

Chinese cryptocurrency exchange CoinAll announced on Thursday the launch of a new user campaign which will last a month and features a 10,000 USDT bonus pool. It was revealed that users who complete the two-task mission will have a chance to share in the bonus.  According to CoinAll,… Read More

Fast Growing Payments Platform InstaReM Partners with First Data

Singapore based Fintech InstaReM has announced a partnership with First Data (NYSE: FDC), a global leader in commerce-enabling technology and solutions. The new partnership will combine InstaReM’s digital payments and remittance solution with First Data’s debit processing solution. InstaReM said that by leveraging First Data’s… Read More

Japan to Cap Leveraged Crypto Trading at 2-4X, Down from 25X

The Japanese government has approved proposed amendments to laws governing cryptocurrency trading that will, among other things, cap leveraged trades permitted in Japan at 2-4X, Nikkei Asian Review reports. Presently, “Certain exchanges voluntarily cap leverage at 25 times the deposit, as with the rule for… Read More

Western Union and Thunes Partner on Mobile Wallets

Western Union (NYSE:WU), an old tech cross-border payment company has teamed up with Thunes (TransferTo Mobile Financial Services Ltd) to enable Western Union customers to send funds directly into mobile wallets around the world. Thunes connects diverse payment systems so unbanked or underbanked users gain access… Read More

Fintech InstaReM Closes on $41 Million Series C

InstaReM, a payments platform operating in over 50 countries, has closed on a USD $ 41 million Series C funding round led by Vertex Growth Fund, their first investment in Southeast Asia. James Lee, MD of Vertex Growth Fund, will be joining the Board of… Read More

Asian Blockchain Information Platform CoinNess Compelts Series A Funding Round led by Chinese Venture Capital ShunWei Capital, QF Capital, & FreesFund

CoinNess, an Asian cryptocurrency and blockchain information provider, announced on Monday it closed its Series A round funding calculated in millions of dollars, led by Chinese leading venture capital ShunWei Capital, QF Capital, and FreesFund. Speaking about the investment, Peter TAN, CEO of CoinNess, stated:… Read More

Singel’s Cross Border Mobile Payment Alliance VIA Expands to Japan

Singel announced on Monday its Asian cross-border payment alliance, VIA, has expanded its footprint to Japan. According to Singel, NETSTARS, a Tokyo-based mobile payment technology company, will join VIA, adding its 100,000 stores to the network’s current 1.6 million merchant partners. Singel reported that users… Read More

Malaysia Proposes Healthier ICO Framework That Also Shows Signs of Naivete

Citing a “growing interest” amongst the public in “blockchain-based digital assets,” the Malaysia Securities Commission has issued a proposed regulatory framework for the issuance of ICO’s (initial coin offerings) and is asking for the public’s feedback. The proposal actually contains many cogent suggestions that improve… Read More

Consultation: Malaysia Seeks Feedback on Proposed ICO Framework

The Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) has published a consultation on a framework for Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). The SC is one of many financial regulators that are seeking to better understand digital assets while investigating potential regulatory environments to create an effective ecosystem. The SC… Read More

China: WeiyangX Fintech Review

AI Startup Tigerobo Receives $33 Million in Series A Financing Early this week, intelligent financial search engine Tigerobo announced the completion of $33 million Series A financing, which was funded by PAC, CreditEase New Finance Industry Investment Fund and Gaorong Capital. Chen Bo, founder and… Read More

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