Asia

September 8, 2026 @ 5:17 am By Michael Wong  |  

Saudi Arabia’s Al Qadsiah Club has signed a memorandum of understanding with cybersecurity provider LogRhythm | Exabeam to explore the use of cloud-based security and AI  tools to protect the sports club’s growing digital operations. The agreement, signed on the sidelines of technology conference LEAP… Read More

September 7, 2026 @ 11:13 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Singapore-based Ant International has received a payment institution licence from Brazil’s central bank, expanding its regulated presence as the financial technology company strengthens its local and cross-border payment capabilities in Latin America’s largest economy. The licence from Banco Central do Brasil builds on services Ant… Read More

September 7, 2026 @ 10:01 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved an initial public offering (IPO) by Mynt Inc., operator of the GCash mobile wallet, that could raise up to 92.32 billion pesos ($1.6 billion), potentially making it one of the country’s largest-ever listings. The regulator approved… Read More

September 7, 2026 @ 3:02 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has warned the public to stay alert to phishing scams involving the unauthorised binding of payment cards, including ATM cards, to contactless mobile payment services. The HKMA said it recently received reports from banks of scams in which fraudsters… Read More

September 7, 2026 @ 9:14 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Standard Chartered (LON: STAN) has expanded its digital-asset services in the United Arab Emirates, introducing institutional spot trading in Bitcoin and Ethereum through its Dubai International Financial Centre unit. The bank said the offering makes it the first global systemically important bank to provide this… Read More

September 6, 2026 @ 5:54 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Informal money-transfer systems such as hawala have grown more organised and now lean heavily on digital tools to hide criminal proceeds, a Financial Action Task Force (FATF) report concludes. Drawing on information from about 45 countries and organisations, including Pakistan and India, the Paris-based body… Read More

September 6, 2026 @ 3:16 pm By Michael Wong  |  

German development finance institution DEG is proposing an additional $10 million loan to JC Growth Credit Fund 1 LP, a venture debt vehicle managed by Singapore-based investment firm January Capital, according to a disclosure seen by CrowdFund Insider. The proposed financing would top up an… Read More

September 6, 2026 @ 2:32 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

South Korea is preparing what appears to be one of the most progressive official programs yet to put conventional capital-market products onto blockchain rails. On September 4, 2026, the Financial Services Commission presented a staged policy roadmap for tokenized securities after a public-private council meeting… Read More

September 6, 2026 @ 9:13 am By Michael Wong  |  

Hong Kong-listed Capital Industrial Financial Services Group is considering acquiring a 24.84% stake in a Chinese robotics-focused financial leasing company as it seeks to expand into robotics and intelligent manufacturing, according to a disclosure filed with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX). The company has… Read More

September 4, 2026 @ 12:13 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has reached an agreement to buy Tokyo-based COMWARE Co., Ltd., a move designed to expand its mid-market offering in Japan and deepen the capabilities of Accenture Edge, a unit created in June 2026 to help smaller and mid-sized firms use artificial intelligence… Read More

September 3, 2026 @ 2:48 am By Michael Wong  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has committed S$220 million ($173 million) over three years to support financial technology development, artificial intelligence adoption, and industry infrastructure under the fourth edition of its Financial Sector Technology and Innovation Scheme. The renewed programme, known as FSTI 4.0,… Read More

September 3, 2026 @ 12:24 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Alpaca and Indonesia’s exchange have taken a formal step toward linking local brokers with overseas markets. On September 1, 2026, Alpaca co-founder and CEO Yoshi Yokokawa and Indonesia Stock Exchange President Director Jeffrey Hendrik signed an agreement at IDX’s main hall in Jakarta. The pact… Read More

September 2, 2026 @ 10:12 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Singapore’s central bank has taken a further step toward turning its long-planned stablecoin regime into law. On 1 September 2026 the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) published a consultation on proposed changes to the Payment Services Act 2019. The package would give legal force to… Read More

September 2, 2026 @ 3:53 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Five years on from Asia-Pacific’s venture capital surge, most startups funded at the peak remain in business, but far fewer have kept advancing through new rounds, later stages or exits. A PitchBook resaerch study published in late August 2026 tracks the 24,602 unique APAC-headquartered companies… Read More

September 2, 2026 @ 1:07 am By Michael Wong  |  

Ant International’s Alipay+ has connected with the Philippines’ national QR payment system, allowing international visitors to pay merchants through supported overseas e-wallets and banking apps. The integration with QR Ph means participating merchants can accept payments from Alipay+ partner users through their existing QR codes… Read More

September 1, 2026 @ 9:49 am By Michael Wong  |  

Malaysia’s Forest City Special Financial Zone is offering a 5% corporate tax rate to eligible fintech companies and payment-system operators, as the development seeks to attract technology-enabled financial services businesses near Singapore. The preferential rate is available for 10 consecutive assessment years and may be… Read More

September 1, 2026 @ 9:43 am By Michael Wong  |  

Singapore-based payments platform HitPay has integrated its payment infrastructure with Superbench, allowing business-to-consumer service providers to manage customer inquiries, bookings, and payments through a single system. The partnership adds embedded payments to Superbench’s AI-powered customer engagement platform, covering transactions from online deposits to in-person point-of-sale… Read More

September 1, 2026 @ 9:17 am By Michael Wong  |  

Deposits held with Hong Kong banks increased in July, while renminbi deposits and cross-border trade settlements recorded stronger growth, according to data released by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA). Total deposits with authorized institutions rose 0.9% in July 2026, with Hong Kong dollar and… Read More

September 1, 2026 @ 7:30 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Vietnam is reportedly building a supervised market for tokenized real-world assets, treating blockchain not as a speculative venue but as a new channel for raising capital against tangible economic activity. The core legal instrument is Government Resolution 05/2025/NQ-CP, signed on 9 September 2025. It launched… Read More

August 31, 2026 @ 9:04 am By JD Alois  |  

The European Commission says the following platforms now fall under the Digital Securities Act (DSA). According to an EU statement, ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox now qualify as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) or Very Large Online Search Engines (VLOSEs) because they have topped 45 million… Read More