Tagged: southeast asia

Financial and Identity focused World Network to Assist Thailand with Combatting AI-centric Threats Online

World, the human-centered financial and identity network, is now available in Thailand. Thais can get their World ID verified at a number of World Spaces throughout Bangkok, with more locations “slated to open throughout 2025.” With the second-highest GDP in Southeast Asia, Thailand is “one… Read More

Digital Bank Tonik Surpasses 1M Loans, Supports Consumer Lending in the Philippines

Tonik has crossed 1 million cumulative loans disbursed since inception, cementing its status as the Philippines’ credit-led digital bank and propelling a new era of “credit inclusion.” While traditional banking institutions continue to emphasize corporate credit, Tonik zeroes in on a “$40 billion latent unsecure… Read More

AI and Blockchain Innovations Accelerate Singapore’s Fintech Ecosystem Growth Amid Investment Recalibration – Report

Singapore’s fintech sector “recalibrated” in 2024, with investment totaling $1.3 billion, the lowest level seen since 2020 according to a report from KPMG. This strategic pivot reflects a global trend “as fintech investment reached a seven-year low of US$95.6 billion.” Despite reduced funding levels, Singapore’s… Read More

Southeast Asia’s InsurTech Funding Plummets 61% in 2024 Amid Global Economic Uncertainty

Funding in Southeast Asia’s InsurTech sector slumped sharply in 2024 as investors adopted a more cautious stance amid global economic headwinds, according to a report by data intelligence platform Tracxn. Total investments fell 61 percent to $193 million from $495 million in 2023, reflecting a… Read More

HKEX to Revise Settlement Fee Structure in June

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) will overhaul its settlement fee structure from June, introducing a flat fee of 0.0042% per stock transaction in a bid to balance costs across different trade sizes, the bourse operator said. Under the current system, HKEX charges a minimum… Read More

Singapore Fintech Association Welcomes Tribe Payments

Tribe Payments, a digital payment and infrastructure orchestrator focused on specializing in issuer and acquirer processing, joined the Singapore FinTech Association (SFA). This latest milestone that builds on Tribe’s October 2024 expansion into Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. Joining the SFA strengthens Tribe’s presence within one of… Read More

Malaysia’s EWA Fintech Payd Reports $400K Seed Extension Round

Payd, a Malaysian fintech specializing in Earned Wage Access (EWA) solutions, has reportedly raised a $400,000 seed extension round from A2D Ventures, Orbit Startups, and AngelSpark. This investment will now aim to accelerate Payd’s mission to enhance the financial well-being of employees across Southeast Asia…. Read More

Malaysian Insurtech PolicyStreet Launches Drive+ Membership Loyalty Program

PolicyStreet, an insurtech based in Malaysia, is shifting gears with the launch of its customer loyalty program, Drive+ Membership. Designed to put Malaysian drivers in the “fast lane” of savings and convenience, the Drive+ membership features benefits such as “an 80% discount on road tax,… Read More

Switzerland’s SIX Stock Exchange Enhances Asian Market Data Access with ThaiQuest Partnership

Thai financial market solutions firm ThaiQuest has agreed a multi-year partnership with SIX, the financial data and market infrastructure provider, to access market data from SIX and enhance its financial information business. As explained in the announcement, ThaiQuest will gain access to the SIX financial… Read More

KuCoin Research Reveals Strong Positive Sentiment Towards Digital Assets in Vietnam

KuCoin, a global cryptocurrency exchange, is pleased to share the findings from its second edition of the KuCoin Campus Survey, conducted during the Vietnam Technology & Investment Summit (VTIS) 2024. With 926 participants surveyed from Dec 3 to Dec 4, 2024, the results underscore the… Read More

Malaysia’s Maybank Launches Flexi Anti-Fraud Feature, Money Lock, via MAE Fintech App

Maybank announced that it launched a counter-fraud security feature on the MAE App called Money Lock, which allows customers to lock funds in the savings or current accounts of their choice from “being digitally accessed, keeping the funds safe from online scammers.” With this added… Read More

Asia’s WeLab Bank Focused on Becoming Profitable Digital Banking Platform in 2025, Reports 70 Million Users

WeLab noted that in 2024, their regional expansion strategy has achieved considerable success, with the group now serving nearly 70 million users across Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Indonesia. According to the update from WeLab, this momentum propels them closer to their ambitious goal of… Read More

Southeast Asia Experiences Decline in Investments But Fintech and Blockchain Ecosystem Remains Strong – Report

Southeast Asia faced a challenging year in 2024, marked by a “significant contraction” in funding, amid a weak global economy, a new report revealed. According to Tracxn‘s report, prepared by industry analysts, the region’s tech ecosystem experienced a sharp decline in financial inflows and major… Read More

Cross-Border Trade Payments Platform XTransfer Partners with OCBC

XTransfer, the B2B cross-border trade payments platform, and OCBC, the financial services group in SE Asia, have announced their latest partnership. OCBC China will now aim to leverage the OCBC Group’s regional network and resources in its major markets of Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia as… 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

Fintech Firms in APAC Region Secured $2.3B in VC Funding in H1 2024 – Report

PitchBook has released its report, entitled Q4 2024 Exploring APAC’s Fintech Pathways: Part II: Southeast Asia. PitchBook has shared a deep dive into Southeast Asia’s fast-evolving fintech developments by navigating regional market nuances. According to the research study, the APAC region has many relatively strong… Read More

Malaysia’s GHL Systems partners with Japan’s JCB to accept cards in Southeast Asia

Malaysia’s GHL Systems Berhad and Japan’s JCB International Co Ltd have formed a strategic partnership to enable the acceptance of JCB cards for GHL’s merchants in Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, the companies said. The collaboration aims to enhance payment convenience for merchants and shoppers… Read More

Digital Commerce Payments Ecosystem in Malaysia Set to Grow Steadily Due to Fintech Adoption – Report

The digital commerce payments ecosystem in Malaysia payments is set to reach $14.7 billion by 2028, according to projections from GlobalData. The Malaysian e-commerce market is now expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5% between the current year 2024 and… Read More

ASEAN GenAI Funding Expected to Surge 50% in 2025, GenAI Fund Reports

Funding for the generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) sector in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is projected to increase by 50 percent year-over-year in 2025, according to the latest report from GenAI Fund. The “ASEAN GenAI Startup Report 2024” attributes this anticipated growth to… Read More

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