Asia

May 11, 2024 @ 5:27 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Global Fintech platform Airwallex is in discussions with several Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds as it seeks to raise capital for regional expansion, according to CEO Jack Zhang. The Melbourne-based startup has engaged with Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Mubadala Investment Co, and Saudi Arabia’s Public… Read More

May 11, 2024 @ 5:19 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Indian government has granted Binance and Kucoin, offshore cryptocurrency exchanges, the approval to register and operate as virtual asset service providers in India. This pivotal decision allows them to engage in a broad array of digital asset services,… Read More

May 11, 2024 @ 4:56 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Thunes, a global money movement innovator, has joined forces with Pomelo, a credit-powered remittance company and credit card issuer, to introduce a groundbreaking international money transfer solution from the United States to the Philippines. This strategic partnership transforms the way remittances “are handled via Thunes’… Read More

May 9, 2024 @ 10:08 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Setu, an Indian Fintech company, unveiled Sesame – India’s “first” Large Language Model (LLM) specifically designed for the BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance) sector. Developed by Setu in collaboration with indigenous AI research firm Sarvam AI, this breakthrough marks a “ChatGPT Moment” in the… Read More

May 9, 2024 @ 9:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Symphony – the markets infrastructure and technology platform – is expanding its global footprint by establishing a commercial office in the Middle East. The new office will be located in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the international financial center of the UAE’s capital, “underlining Symphony’s… Read More

May 9, 2024 @ 8:23 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The US, UK, and the Philippines are reportedly leading overall interest in small cap cryptocurrency tokens, according to an extensive update from CoinGecko. According to the research report from CoinGecko, the most degen country in crypto is the US, which “represented 16.8% of global interest… Read More

May 8, 2024 @ 4:50 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) welcomes the pilot launch of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong cross-boundary data validation platform The Shenzhen and Hong Kong authorities announced (6 May) the pilot launch of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong cross-boundary data validation platform. The platform utilizes blockchain technology and data coding… Read More

May 8, 2024 @ 4:48 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Yes Bank, a private sector bank in India, and EBANX, a global fintech company specialized in payment solutions for emerging markets, announced a strategic partnership for payment processing in India, for the global digital economy. This collaboration represents a significant milestone in the digital payments… Read More

May 8, 2024 @ 9:25 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Emirates NBD, a banking group in the MENA (and Türkiye) region, has announced Chainalysis as a key council member of the Digital Asset Lab. Chainalysis, the blockchain data platform, will “join professional services firm PwC, digital asset transfer and direct custody technology platform Fireblocks, and… Read More

May 6, 2024 @ 9:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The UAE card payments market is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.6% between 2024 and 2028 to reach AED764.1 billion ($208.2 billion) in 2028, according to GlobalData, a data and analytics company. GlobalData’s Payment Cards Analytics reveals “that card… Read More

May 6, 2024 @ 8:57 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the central bank of the Philippines, has issued new regulations mandating that banks and other financial institutions report significant incidents related to money laundering, terrorism financing, and proliferation financing within 24 hours. The directive, outlined in a circular signed… Read More

May 6, 2024 @ 11:17 am By JD Alois  |  

A legal consultancy has published a report on the regulatory environment for Fintechs in the MENA region. While digital finance is the future of all financial services, the emergence and regulation of various services have differed worldwide.  KARM Legal Consultants has crafted a “Fintech Legal… Read More

May 5, 2024 @ 9:17 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has officially lifted restrictions on two digital lending products of Bajaj Finance, nearly six months after imposing curbs due to non-compliance with its digital lending guidelines. The announcement, made in a regulatory filing by Bajaj Finance, noted that effective… Read More

May 5, 2024 @ 7:17 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

In a significant development, C2FO, the world’s on-demand working capital platform, announced that its TReDS platform, named C2treds has gone live with India’s largest bank State Bank of India (SBI) and Dabur India Ltd. among the inaugural participants on the platform. This milestone follows the… Read More

May 5, 2024 @ 6:33 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Navigating regulatory requirements is crucial for businesses aiming to expand their reach across borders, according to an update from Razorpay. Razorpay claims that it has “taken a significant stride toward global compliance for export payments with the recent integration of Video KYC (Know Your Customer)… Read More

May 4, 2024 @ 12:55 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Klumi Ventures announces its achievement as the United Arab Emirates’ Web3 venture capital firm regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). This event heralds a new era of innovation and investment opportunities in the region’s digital asset ecosystem,… Read More

May 4, 2024 @ 10:12 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Dubai Financial Market (DFM) and SIX, the Swiss Financial Market Infrastructure Group, announced today the signing of a collaboration agreement during the second edition of the Capital Market Summit. The partnership underscores a shared commitment to exploring and implementing collaborative initiatives “aimed at fostering… Read More

May 3, 2024 @ 6:33 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

The 2023 LexisNexis True Cost of Fraud Study – Asia Pacific finds that fraud costs APAC-based businesses nearly quadruple the face value lost in fraudulent transactions. In Australia, 66% of companies reported an increase in fraud in the 12 months prior to the survey, while… Read More

May 2, 2024 @ 9:55 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

MAS-regulated custodian Propine has announced its support for Fathom Dollar’s FXD, a stablecoin pegged to the US dollar and designed to bridge the $5 trillion trade finance gap. This development positions FXD at the forefront of real-world assets (RWA), leveraging the power of blockchain to… Read More

May 2, 2024 @ 7:48 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

iCapital, the global fintech platform driving the world’s alternative investment marketplace for the wealth management industry, announced the launch of a unique multi-strategy private market offering with Resona Bank, a commercial bank in Japan that provides a wide range of services including trust business. The… Read More