Asia

November 30, 2018 @ 5:05 pm By JD Alois  |  

Zilliqa, a blockchain project that is on a mission to provide a scalable, enterprise iteration of distributed ledger technology, has announced smart contract sharding with Testnet V3. This is the final testing phase before the mainnet is released, an event that is scheduled for January 31, 2019…. Read More

November 30, 2018 @ 9:36 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Huawei Cloud, a global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices, announced on Thursday it officially launched its Blockchain Service (BCS) for global use earlier this month, after launching the service for commercial use in China earlier this fall.  The company reported that the… Read More

November 30, 2018 @ 9:05 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Oriente, the Hong Kong-based financial services and technology company, announced earlier this week it secured $105 million through its initial funding round. The round included investment from the founders and a group of family offices such as members of the Berjaya Group, JG Summit Holdings, Inc., and Sinar Mas. The round ranks as one… Read More

November 30, 2018 @ 8:47 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

KuCoin, a Singapore-based international cryptocurrency exchange, announced on Thursday it has formed a new partnership today with Simplex, an EU financial institution providing fraud-free payment processing solutions. According to KuCoin, the partnership will enable new as well as current KuCoin users worldwide to purchase crypto using their… Read More

November 29, 2018 @ 11:11 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Digital bank Revolut has acquired licenses to expand in Japan and Singapore. The launch in the Asian countries comes just after the fintech reportedly is planning to raise $500 million through its upcoming Series D funding round. According to CNBC, Revolut reported it received a remittance license… Read More

November 29, 2018 @ 8:23 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Pundi X announced on Wednesday at Consensus: Invest 2018 in New York it has partnered with Quantum Energy Asset Management (QEAM). The new fund, QEX Fund SP (QEX), is described as a hybrid fund that is open to accredited investors. The QEX fund is described as a hybrid… Read More

November 29, 2018 @ 8:04 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

CreditEase announced on Thursday it was the winner the Star of Innovation award at Global Finance Magazine’s 2018 Stars of China Awards.   CreditEase reported that it has been actively using financial technology to drive inclusive finance and wealth management, serving a large base of high-growth groups,… Read More

November 28, 2018 @ 8:43 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) is out with their 3rd Asia Pacific Region Alternative Finance Industry Report. According to CCAF, the alternative finance sector in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region increased to $358 billion in 2017 but overall growth has slowed. As in previous… Read More

November 28, 2018 @ 12:32 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

UnionPay International (UPI), announced last week it has reached QR code payment service cooperation with Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway (MTR). UnionPay reported that in the future cardholders will be able to scan QR code via the UnionPay app or the MTR app after binding… Read More

November 28, 2018 @ 11:54 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

DBS Bank announced earlier this week it has signed an MOU with UnionPay International,a wholly owned subsidiary of China UnionPay, will enable more than one million DBS PayLah! users to use their mobile wallet overseas for cross-border QR code payments. According to DBS, DBS PayLah! users… Read More

November 28, 2018 @ 7:51 am By JD Alois  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Shanghai Municipal Financial Regulatory Bureau (SFRB) continue to strengthen financial ties including in the hot Fintech sector. Jacqueline Loh, Deputy Managing Director of MAS, and Dr. Zheng Yang, Director General of the SFRB, highlighted the cooperation at the 4th… Read More

November 28, 2018 @ 1:52 am By Cali Haan  |  

Like many countries in Asia and elsewhere, Malaysia has had it share of crypto scandals and similar amounts of legislator reticence around explicitly regulating the sector. Yesterday, however, Malaysian Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng broke rank and told fellow parliamentarians Monday that the public/private sector should refrain… Read More

November 27, 2018 @ 3:48 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

BlockShow, a blockchain event, announced on Tuesday it has formed a partnership with Bitfury, a full-service blockchain company, to bring the analytical security software Crystal to next week’s Singapore event. The duo revealed: “Crystal, which has assisted financial institutions and law enforcement in identifying and tracing criminal… Read More

November 27, 2018 @ 2:57 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Regardless of recent stories of bear markets and electricity rate hikes bankrupting small crypto miners across the globe, a Korean company called the Commons Foundation has announced it is opening, “the world’s largest cryptocurrency mining center and global cryptocurrency exchange,” in energy-rich Paraguay. Commons Foundation says… Read More

November 27, 2018 @ 8:29 am By Erin Hobey  |  

The Oamaru based New Zealand Whisky Collection has surpassed its equity PledgeMe crowdfunding campaign goal of NZ$500,000 last Wednesday from 212 investors. New Zealand Whisky has now extended its equity crowdfunding campaign until 17 December to meet investor demand; just over NZ$565,300 has been secured at this… Read More

November 26, 2018 @ 10:36 pm By JD Alois  |  

Almost immediately after revealing a $12.75 million funding round, Securitize has formed a partnership with Elevated Returns to boost their real estate tokenization program in Southeast Asia. Securitize is a token compliance platform and protocol for issuing and managing digital securities on the blockchain. Elevated Returns… Read More

November 26, 2018 @ 6:30 pm By Christian Hsieh  |  

At the tail end of 2017, all eyes turned to the cryptocurrency industry when Bitcoin’s price soared to reach nearly $20,000 per coin. Articles were written, hands were shaken, and early investors in the digital currency had a very good holiday season indeed. But that… Read More

November 25, 2018 @ 7:11 pm By JD Alois  |  

Following the recent Fintech Festival in Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has completed a new regulatory framework for payment services in Singapore. The Payment Services Bill is said to provide a “more conducive environment for innovation in payment services, whilst ensuring that risks across the payments… Read More

November 24, 2018 @ 9:47 am By Cali Haan  |  

A class action suit against the world’s largest cryptocurrency mining equipment maker and cryptomining conglomerate, Bitmain, has been filed in Northern California. The suit will test rumours circulating in crypto circles for some time that allege Bitmain used customers’ newly-purchased machines to mine crypto at… Read More

November 24, 2018 @ 9:32 am By Xu Gao  |  

Ping An Invests $47 million in Berlin-based Fintech Startup Finleap On November 20th, Ping An, one of China’s largest financial groups, announced its first entry into the European market. The Ping An Insurance Group’s Global Voyager Investment Fund led a €41.5 million ($47 million) investment… Read More