Asia

June 9, 2026 @ 3:07 am By Michael Wong  |  

Hong Kong’s central bank and securities regulator said they will proceed with proposed amendments to clearing rules for over-the-counter derivative transactions, after a joint consultation received broad market support. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) issued consultation conclusions… Read More

June 9, 2026 @ 2:20 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) believes there is a significant ongoing evolution is taking place in Asia’s quantitative finance sector, enabled by growing interest from more active capital allocators, surging regional trading activity, and accelerated technology integration. Insights from Bank of America Securities’ recent gathering… Read More

June 8, 2026 @ 7:28 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Singapore-headquartered DayOne Data Centers said it has announced the final closing of its Series C equity financing with total gross proceeds of $4.5 billion, as the global digital infrastructure platform moves to accelerate expansion across Asia Pacific and Europe. The Series C round was led… Read More

June 8, 2026 @ 1:50 am By Michael Wong  |  

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) said it had convened a Tokenised Bond Expert Group comprising representatives from industry associations, financial institutions, legal advisory firms, and financial infrastructure and technology providers to drive further adoption and scalability of tokenised bonds in the city. The group… Read More

June 8, 2026 @ 1:13 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Artificial intelligence (AI) is now said to be fundamentally reshaping digital economies across global jurisdictions. South Korea and Taiwan have emerged as hubs driving tech advancements and market gains in the semiconductor and broader AI ecosystem. According to the latest Citi Research, AI-fueled demand has… Read More

June 7, 2026 @ 10:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Pakistan has emerged as a fast-growing Asian middle-power with nuclear capabilities but its economy has faced major challenges over the years. Despite issues related to rampant corruption, lack of productive tech industry segments, and a high dependence on imports, Pakistan is still home to a… Read More

June 7, 2026 @ 6:13 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis has recently indicated that a shadow economy centered on peptides has expanded into a significant financial force, surpassing a $100 million annual transaction volume through cryptocurrency channels. Once limited to dedicated biohackers seeking performance and health optimizations, this market has surged… Read More

June 7, 2026 @ 3:58 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Bangladesh-based AB Bank PLC has launched the pilot phase of a new digital lending platform that uses artificial intelligence to automate loan approvals and disbursements, underscoring the growing adoption of AI-powered financial services across emerging markets. The bank said its new service, called “AB e-Loan,”… Read More

June 7, 2026 @ 12:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

  Stablecoins or digital tokens pegged to dominant fiat currencies such as the US dollar or the Euro have evolved thanks to major improvements to their underlying technology as well as progressive regulations under the Trump Administration. And whenever the United States leads in an… Read More

June 7, 2026 @ 12:53 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Thailand’s KASIKORNBANK (KBank) and Ant International have entered a partnership to create new financial infrastructure. This collab aims to enable seamless, high-speed cross-border transactions, particularly focusing on real-time USD movements. By incorporating JPMorgan’s (NYSE:JPM) Kinexys platform, the initiative aims to effectively address longstanding inefficiencies in… Read More

June 6, 2026 @ 1:16 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Asia-Pacific led global high-net-worth individual wealth growth for the second straight year in 2025, as strong stock market performance and semiconductor demand helped drive gains across the region, according to Capgemini’s World Wealth Report 2026. HNWI wealth in Asia-Pacific rose 10.5%, the fastest among major… Read More

June 5, 2026 @ 1:23 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

On June 2, 2026, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took significant action by designating four prominent Iranian cryptocurrency platforms—Nobitex, Wallex, Bitpin, and Ramzinex—along with key individuals associated with Nobitex. This move underscores ongoing efforts to disrupt financial networks… Read More

June 4, 2026 @ 3:16 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) has recently announced the conclusion of a large-scale collaborative effort targeting scam operations. The initiative, involving major technology firms and U.S. law enforcement, resulted in the freezing of more than $3 million linked to fraudulent networks primarily active in Southeast Asia. This outcome… Read More

June 3, 2026 @ 4:11 pm By JD Alois  |  

Stablecoin issuer Tether will offer a gold-backed card in partnership with Fasset, according to a block post. The company claims this is a “world’s first” gold-backed neobank card. Fasset, based in Dubai, is regulated by the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority and holds both a VASP… Read More

June 3, 2026 @ 2:07 am By Omar Faridi  |  

A research report released recently by global Fintech firm Thunes with assistance from Juniper Research has introduced a Cross-Border Payments Interoperability Index which reveals that while domestic payment systems have achieved remarkable speed and efficiency, these advancements often halt abruptly at national boundaries, leaving cross-border… Read More

June 3, 2026 @ 12:19 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Singapore-based DBS Group (SGX:D05) is set to significantly strengthen its wealth management operations by launching 18 new wealth centres and upgrading 36 existing ones across key Asia-Pacific markets by the end of 2027. This initiative represents the largest physical expansion in the bank’s wealth franchise… Read More

June 2, 2026 @ 5:40 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Hong Kong’s monetary authority said it will develop a Digital Asset Platform later this year to support the issuance and settlement of digital bonds and, in the future, other digital assets. The move comes as the city looks to deepen its role as a “super… Read More

June 2, 2026 @ 9:16 am By JD Alois  |  

Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN)has launched its investing platform in India. India is a massive market of around 1.48 billion individuals. Yet only around 9.5% of the market invests in securities. Regarding crypto, estimates range from 90 to 127 million investors trade. These are mostly a younger demographic. In… Read More

June 1, 2026 @ 7:07 am By Michael Wong  |  

Ascend Bank, the virtual bank backed by Charoen Pokphand Group, is expected to debut in July, CP Group senior vice-chairman Suphachai Chearavanont said. The planned launch comes after rival Clicx Bank announced earlier this week it plans to launch its mobile app on June 19,… Read More

June 1, 2026 @ 2:36 am By Michael Wong  |  

Southeast Asia’s AI infrastructure market is still young, uneven, and heavily concentrated in Singapore. The sector has drawn about $1.2 billion in disclosed equity funding across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand from 2015 to 2026, according to a report by private market data platform Tracxn…. Read More