Asia

Thailand Eyes Top Spot as Global Digital Hub

Thailand has the potential to become a world-class digital hub, which could offer a lot of economic opportunities for the country, Digital Economy and Society Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong said. During Thailand Blockchain Week 2024 at Emsphere shopping mall in Bangkok, he noted that digital technology,… Read More

Ant International and Partners Unveil MSME Sustainability Too

Global digital payment and financial services firm Ant International is collaborating with industry partners to develop the MSME Sustainability Impact Scorecard (MSME S-Card). This pioneering digital solution aims to empower Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Asia to track their environmental and social impacts… Read More

Digital Assets Firm Matrixport APP Introduces OTC Service to Lower Barriers for Traditional Capital

Matrixport, which claims to be one of Asia’s largest “one-stop” financial services platforms, announced the integration of Fly Wing Technologies Pte Ltd’s OTC service on the Matrixport APP, enabling a better one-stop experience for users. All Matrixport-verified accounts must complete Fly Wing’s eKYC onboarding process… Read More

Ant International Deploys AI to Enhance Cross-Border Transactions for SMEs

Ant International, a digital payment and financial technology provider headquartered in Singapore, has been enhancing its integration of AI technologies to support and secure millions of daily cross-border transactions for merchants across 200+ markets. Yang Peng, Chief Executive Officer of Ant International said that integration… Read More

Regtech Jumio Partners with Riley Cillian to Streamline Digital KYC Processes for Platform’s Video Chat Apps

Jumio’s identity verification solutions helping global social media company streamline KYC, improve conversions and meet regulatory requirements Jumio, the provider of automated, AI-driven identity verification, risk signals and compliance solutions, announced its partnership with Riley Cillian to streamline eKYC for the social media platform’s video… Read More

Singapore’s Boxo Teams Up with Digital Commerce Platform Checkout.com

Boxo, a “Super App” enabler, announced a partnership with Checkout.com, a payment solutions provider. By leveraging Checkout.com’s platform, Boxo’s clients across MENA and SEA regions will benefit from payment solutions and the ability to deliver seamless customer experiences. This translates to seamless transactions and convenience… Read More

Fintechs Thunes and GCash Introduce Cross-Border Digital Wallet Top-Up Solution

Thunes, which claims to be the “Smart Superhighway” to move money around the world, announced a new collaboration with GCash, the digital wallet in the Philippines. This initiative enables GCash users to top up their wallet balances directly within the app using funds from their… Read More

Coinbase Is Launching Engineering Hub in Singapore to Support Web3 Developer Ecosystem

Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) is launching a new Engineering Hub in Singapore, supported by Singapore Economic Development Board, in order to foster the local developer ecosystem. Coinbase noted in a recent update that it is officially introducing an Engineering Hub in Singapore to support the local developer… Read More

Mastercard Introduces Pay Local to Enable Digital Wallet Providers to Make Frictionless Payments

Mastercard (NYSE: MA) has launched Pay Local in order to empower digital wallet providers with new ways to pay. With Mastercard Pay Local, digital wallet providers will gain access to more than 2 billion Mastercard cardholders, enabling card-based payments and providing choice to travelers Mastercard… Read More

Banque de France, Monetary Authority of Singapore Conduct Post-Quantum Cryptography Experiment to Enhance Communication Security

Banque de France and Monetary Authority of Singapore conducted post-quantum cryptography experiment to enhance communication security. The Banque de France (BdF) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) today announced the completion of a joint experiment in post-quantum cryptography (PQC) conducted across “continents over conventional… Read More

Fintech Wise Granted Direct Access to Philippines Instant Payments Infrastructure

Wise (LSE:WISE), the tech company building the “best” way to move and manage the world’s money has been granted direct access to InstaPay, the Philippines’ real-time payment system, and can settle with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) real-time gross payment system, PhilPaSS Plus. Wise claims… Read More

Hong Kong’s HKEX to Establish Riyadh Office to Strengthen Middle East Presence

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) is pleased to announce that it plans to open an office in Riyadh in 2025. The office will now aim to strengthen HKEX’s Middle East presence as the Group looks to promote connectivity between China and the Gulf… Read More

Anchorage Digital Singapore Obtains Major Payment Institution License from MAS

Anchorage Digital Singapore Pte Ltd has reportedly received approval as a licensed Major Payment Institution from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), marking a key milestone in our global expansion. With this license, Anchorage Digital Singapore now offers a complete, integrated solution including custody, staking,… Read More

Open Banking: Salt Edge Works with Spire on Bahrain Banking Project

Open banking enabler Salt Edge has announced a partnership with the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) to boost its tech stack in regard to its Open Banking Framework and requirement for banks to have APIs for corporate accounts. Bahrain is said to be the first… Read More

Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to Support Commercialization of Tokenization

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has announced plans to support the commercialization of asset tokenization. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) officially announced on November 4, 2024 its plans to advance tokenization in financial services. These include: forming commercial networks to deepen liquidity of… Read More

Corporate VC Funding Declined Due to Inflation Pressures, China’s Economic Challenges, Other Issues – Report

CBInsights has released their State of CVC Q3’24 Report. According to the detailed research report from the team at CBInsights, CVCs or corporate venture capital funding show “heightened” interest in early-stage rounds, even as CVC deal-making has reportedly fallen to its “lowest level since 2018.”… Read More

Saudi and Hong Kong Strengthen Economic Link with New $1bn Joint Investment Fund

The Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) 8th Edition in Riyadh to jointly anchor a proposed $1 billion investment fund. The initiative, announced on October 31, is… Read More

Paxos’ USDG Stablecoin Designed for Institutions

Paxos, a blockchain and tokenization infrastructure platform, has introduced Global Dollar (USDG) – a US dollar-backed stablecoin that Paxos said is “substantively compliant with MAS’ upcoming stablecoin framework.” Paxos Digital Singapore Pte. Ltd. is the issuer of USDG and is regulated by the Monetary Authority… Read More

Asia’s Financial Services focused Labor Productivity, Digital Technology Adoption Leading to Economic Shift – Report

Asia’s economies can embrace services in order to boost growth and productivity, according to an update from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The latest report from the IMF noted that manufacturing has been the engine of growth in Asia, but a transition to “modern, tradable… Read More

UAE’s Warburg AI Secures Fresh Funding to Boost AI Financial Services

Warburg AI, a UAE-based artificial intelligence company specializing in financial services, has raised $250,000 in seed funding to accelerate the development of its AI-driven financial solutions, according to an announcement. Founded in September 2024 in Sharjah by entrepreneurs Ben Feaver, Lancelot de Brier, and Madiyar… Read More

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