Asia

December 2, 2024 @ 10:18 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Monochrome Asset Management is pleased to announce that it has expanded its custody solution by onboarding BitGo Trust Company, Inc to its list of crypto-asset custodians for the Monochrome Bitcoin ETF (IBTC) and Monochrome Ethereum ETF (IETH). This partnership reportedly aligns with Monochrome’s growth initiatives… Read More

December 2, 2024 @ 10:12 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Hong Kong is reportedly planning to waive taxes on investment gains made from cryptocurrencies as well as other alternative assets for hedge funds, private equity funds and various family offices as the city-state aims to improve its attractiveness as a wealth management center. In a… Read More

December 1, 2024 @ 8:05 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

The Asian Development Bank and the Mastercard Impact Fund, administered by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a partnership aimed at supporting micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) across Asia and the Pacific. The initiative will initially… Read More

December 1, 2024 @ 7:33 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

WadzPay Worldwide Pte. Ltd., an innovator in the blockchain tech and financial services company, announced it secured a capital commitment of SGD 50 million in the form of a Share Subscription Facility (SSF) from GEM Global Yield LLC SCS. The SSF will now aim to… Read More

December 1, 2024 @ 6:22 pm By Michael Wong  |  

South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) agreed on Sunday to postpone the implementation of a controversial cryptocurrency tax by two years, responding to mounting investor backlash and political pressure. The decision mirrors the party’s move a month earlier to scrap a planned… Read More

December 1, 2024 @ 2:00 pm By Michael Wong  |  

US-based cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has withdrawn its pre-application to operate in Turkey, according to a report by Turkiye Today. The Capital Markets Board of Türkiye updated its list of companies requesting liquidation on November 29. The update revealed that Coinbase, which had initially filed its… Read More

November 30, 2024 @ 8:59 am By Omar Faridi  |  

A total of 984 venture capital funding deals were announced in India during January-October 2024 which was a YoY improvement of 5.8% in deal volume. This, according to an update from GlobalData. Notably, the total disclosed funding value of these deals in India surged by… Read More

November 27, 2024 @ 8:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Global digital payments company, Checkout.com, announced its expansion into Japan supported by new direct acquiring capabilities. This move reflects Checkout.com’s commitment to delivering payment solutions across APAC, designed to meet the needs of domestic and global merchants. To lead this expansion, Checkout.com has appointed Noriko… Read More

November 26, 2024 @ 11:26 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Although globally there has been positive moment for insurance technology platofrms, Insurtech funding has continued its downwards trend in certain regions. But APAC has been fairly resilient, according to a BCG report. As India aims for Viksit Bharat by 2047, a stable and resilient financial… Read More

November 26, 2024 @ 11:25 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

This year has seen a number of seemingly positive developments for the cryptocurrency ecosystem, according to an update from Chainalysis. Chainalysis noted in a blog post that in many ways, crypto has continued to gain mainstream acceptance, following the approval of spot Bitcoin and Ethereum… Read More

November 25, 2024 @ 4:09 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

A total of 2,116 venture capital funding deals valued at around $28.2 billion were announced in China during the timeframe between January-October 2024, according to a new research report. This represents a significant year-on-year (YoY) decline of 22.5% in VC deal volume, whereas the total… Read More

November 24, 2024 @ 6:46 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Qatar Development Bank (QDB) has announced a strategic investment in Wahed, a global financial technology company that specializes in Shariah-compliant investing. The move underscores QDB’s commitment to fostering innovation and advancing Islamic finance. Wahed, founded in 2015, has grown into a major player in the… Read More

November 24, 2024 @ 6:40 pm By Michael Wong  |  

South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) plans to enhance the monitoring of abnormal transactions in virtual asset exchanges as market volatility intensifies, particularly following the U.S. presidential election. This move aims to address gaps in current systems and bolster consumer protection measures. Virtual asset exchanges… Read More

November 23, 2024 @ 6:08 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

Indian retail intelligence platform Bizom has collaborated with global nonprofit Accion and Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, the philanthropic arm of Mastercard, to expand its digital consumer packaged goods (CPG) marketplace. The collaboration seeks to serve more than four million small retailers through embedded credit… Read More

November 23, 2024 @ 5:40 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Philippine fintech startup Salmon is aiming to secure a thrift bank license for the Rural Bank of Santa Rosa as part of its strategic expansion in the country, according to company officials. The move is intended to transform the rural bank into a retail-oriented thrift… Read More

November 22, 2024 @ 4:34 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

BitGo Singapore Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of BitGo, Inc., announced its official launch to provide regulated digital asset custody, trading, settlement, and token management services to the APAC region. The launch comes after BitGo obtained its Major Payment Institution License from the Monetary Authority of… Read More

November 22, 2024 @ 4:33 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

SOLOWIN HOLDINGS (Nasdaq: SWIN), a financial services firm providing high-net-worth and institutional investors with solutions across traditional and virtual assets, announced its partnership with Zodia Custody, a digital asset custodian backed by Standard Chartered, which has been selected by NASDAQ as a new core custodian… Read More

November 22, 2024 @ 10:29 am By Omar Faridi  |  

CF Benchmarks has reportedly added Bullish as Constituent Exchange for the “trusted” institutional Bitcoin index, CME CF Bitcoin Reference Rate. Bullish Exchange has officially joined a select list of “rigorously” vetted, “high-integrity,” Constituent Exchanges for CME CF Bitcoin Reference Rates CF Benchmarks, the UK FCA-regulated… Read More

November 21, 2024 @ 9:56 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Chainalysis are pleased to share the fifth annual Chainalysis Global Crypto Adoption Index. In each year’s report, they look at both on- and off-chain data “to determine which countries are leading the world in grassroots crypto adoption.” Chainalysis research highlights countries “where unique cryptocurrency use… Read More

November 21, 2024 @ 9:09 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Tarabut, an open banking platform operating in the MENA region, and Geidea, Saudi Arabia’s payments solutions provider, have entered a strategic partnership to explore and develop SME financing solutions, subject to regulatory approvals. SMEs represent 1.3 million businesses in Saudi Arabia, and they face a… Read More