Asia

December 4, 2023 @ 6:01 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The digital lending market in the Philippines is poised for a significant expansion, with expectations to grow by 45.4%, reaching $488.8 million this year, from just $336 million a year earlier. This forecast, as per the latest report by PayNEXT360, a research and consulting firm… Read More

December 4, 2023 @ 6:51 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Allied Climate Partners (ACP), International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Temasek announced the intent to establish a green investments partnership in order “to address climate finance gaps and increase the bankability of green and sustainable projects in Asia, with an… Read More

December 3, 2023 @ 3:13 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

The seventh edition of Fintech Abu Dhabi welcomed a list of financial tech leaders and visionaries converging from across the globe on Nov. 29. This included those leading innovations in major financial institutions, startups, innovators, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, scientists and academics.. ADGM’s flagship event, Fintech Abu… Read More

December 3, 2023 @ 2:54 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Robo.cash said it has closed out November with new milestones. Robo.cash noted that November 2023 brought them several new positive developments. They reached the mark of 35,000 investors and total investor earnings “crossed the €20M milestone.” According to insights shared by Robocash, the APAC region… Read More

December 3, 2023 @ 9:11 am By Michael Wong  |  

GX Bank Berhad (GXBank), Malaysia’s first digital bank backed by Southeast Asia’s super app Grab, has officially launched its app, marking a significant milestone in the country’s banking sector. The launch event, attended by high-profile figures including YBhg. Datuk Johan Mahmood Merican, Secretary General of… Read More

December 1, 2023 @ 5:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Global equity management company Carta announced plans to expand operations to the Middle East—citing a 180% increase in year-over-year bookings across the broader Asia Pacific region, and “launching with flagship Middle East customers including Global Ventures, BECO Capital, Cotu Ventures, and Outliers VC and Middle… Read More

December 1, 2023 @ 4:56 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Copper will facilitate the transition of financial market infrastructure to blockchain-based rails addressing key goals in Abu Dhabi’s Economic Vision. Integration of blockchain-based services with financial infrastructure “will provide a solid foundation for the expansion of the local capital markets and attract international investors to… Read More

November 30, 2023 @ 10:31 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Checkout.com, the global payments service provider, announced today a strategic partnership with Standard Chartered as their cash management bank “to bring improved operational and performance to Checkout.com’s merchants in the region.” The partnership leverages technology to “integrate payment systems and deliver an infrastructure that will… Read More

November 30, 2023 @ 9:28 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Banks and financial institutions in Thailand leverage mature technology and incorporate modern features. However, industry professionals at the recent ENGAGE ASIA 2023 emphasized “that the challenge stems from the absence of unification across different touchpoints, resulting in fragmented customer engagement.” The majority of the systems… Read More

November 30, 2023 @ 4:51 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Paxos, the regulated blockchain & tokenization infrastructure platform, secured the in-principle approvals (IPAs) of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) for “the necessary Financial Services Permissions to issue US dollar and other currency-backed stablecoins, as well as to… Read More

November 30, 2023 @ 4:33 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) is pleased to welcome the listing of Asia Pacific’s first ETF to “track Saudi Arabian equities – the CSOP Saudi Arabia ETF (Stock code: 2830 / 82830).” This ETF, which tracks the FTSE Saudi Arabia Index, “provides investors… Read More

November 29, 2023 @ 4:24 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has reportedly issued an advisory against Binance for allegedly carrying out unauthorized business operations. This latest announcement from the Philippines comes shortly after the nation’s SEC stated that it would begin calling out unlicensed exchanges as part of… Read More

November 28, 2023 @ 11:21 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Wahed Invest Limited, the UAE robo-advisory subsidiary of Wahed Inc., a global Shariah-compliant fintech that aims to advance financial inclusion through accessible, affordable and value-based investing, has launched after “having been granted a Financial Services Permission (FSP) from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of… Read More

November 28, 2023 @ 9:40 am By JD Alois  |  

Tokenization or turning an asset into a “digital asset” or digital security makes a lot of sense. By leveraging technology, an asset can be managed more effectively, comply with regulations and be programmed to automatically perform certain services. Today, most investible assets are heavy on… Read More

November 28, 2023 @ 8:24 am By Omar Faridi  |  

SBI Holdings, Inc. announces that it has concluded a Memorandum of Understanding with Circle Internet Financial, a global financial technology firm and the issuer of USDC, the world’s regulated stablecoin, “to circulate USDC stablecoins, establish a banking relationship and promote the use of Circle’s Web3… Read More

November 28, 2023 @ 12:51 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Nium, the firm enabling real-time global payments, and Jeonbuk Bank (JB Bank), aSouth Korean financial institution, have announced a partnership. Together, they will offer the country’s first global remittance service “targeted at the 2.5 million non-Korean residents that live in South Korea.” The service will… Read More

November 27, 2023 @ 9:09 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Xero, the global small business platform, has released a new report revealing Singapore’s accounting and bookkeeping sector is undergoing significant transformation, “driven by technology innovation and shifting client expectations.” Xero’s State of the industry report “surveyed 300 accountants and bookkeepers working in Singaporean practices to… Read More

November 27, 2023 @ 8:28 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) adopts digital-first HR with its partnership with Darwinbox, Asia’s Human Resource Management System (HRMS) provider. With a legacy spanning over 170 years, BPI has “enhanced its employee experience and streamlined HR processes for its 18,000-strong workforce, covering a diverse… Read More

November 27, 2023 @ 2:03 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

A total of 2,675 venture capital (VC) funding deals were announced in China during January-October 2023 while the disclosed funding value of these deals stood at $34.6 billion. China witnessed considerable decline “in terms of both deal volume and value compared to January-October 2022,” according… Read More

November 27, 2023 @ 12:23 pm By JD Alois  |  

Singapore is well-recognized as the top Fintech hub in Asia. Receiving solid support from the government of Singapore, the small country has hosted an annual Fintech event and according to a public statement, participation in the annual Singapore Fintech Festival topped 66,000 participants this year,… Read More