Bank-backed blockchain trade platform Contour launches in Singapore
Contour is built on R3’s Corda platform.
Asia Pacific
EXCLUSIVE: Woodforest National to Implement Finxact on Microsoft Azure
Furthermore, US-based Finxact has also made its first core banking system sale abroad – in Thailand.
Rise of the machines: AI and machine learning in financial services
FinTech Futures launches its first industry report for 2020. Download it today!
Pine Labs becomes Indian unicorn after Mastercard investment
Pine Labs valued at $1.5 billion after latest financing.
Japan floats idea of a digital yen
Party lawmakers are working on proposals.
Video: Top fintech stories this week – 24 January 2020
FinTech Future’s weekly news round-up.
Tokopedia lines up $1.5bn funding from Alibaba and Softbank
The $1.5bn funding would value Tokopedia at between $8bn and $9bn.
Alipay partner Tranglo integrates Ripple’s cross-border payments
Tranglo partnered with bigtech Alipay earlier this month.
WorldRemit ties up cross-border remittance partnership with Alipay
London-based firm gives users green light to sent money to Alipay wallets.
Central banks in Europe, Japan and Canada assess potential digital currencies
Central banks in Canada, the UK, Japan, Switzerland, and Sweden are teaming up.
DBS launches QR-code based b2b payments
DBS’ QR-code based solution is powered by DBS Rapid and DBS Max.
Tonik digital bank selects Finastra Fusion Essence
The Philippines’ first digital bank selects its new core.
Japan’s MUFG switches CEO after first year, digital chief takes control
The unusual decision points to the bank’s newly-placed importance on fintech.
Capital markets fintech iStox raises $5m in South Korea
iStox claims to offer one-stop issuance, custody and trading of digitised securities.
Chinese regulators planning digital banking go-ahead
New set of rules could see a bevy of digital challengers in China.
Ping An Technology builds innovation lab with Intel to boost cloud tech
The lab will also “supercharge” Ping An’s AI-based services.
EXCLUSIVE: New bank in Laos selects Flexcube core banking system
Money for the new bank is understood to be coming from China.
Thai blockchain start-up Lightnet gains $31.2m in Series A funding
Lightnet plans to dislodge cross-border giants like Swift.
Know Your Customer and Botsync close first $2.5m on Hong Kong’s AngelHub
The rounds are part of a larger $50 million Series C round by AngelHub.
Video: Top fintech stories this week – 11 January 2020
FinTech Future’s weekly news round-up.
Tencent brings third player UnionPay to China’s mobile payments arena
UnionPay’s QuickPass serves just 240m users, whilst 1.2bn use Tencent’s WeChat.
The Philippines set for first digital-only bank as Tonik gets green light
Tonik Financial will set up the island nation’s first online bank.
China drafts rules to tackle risky half a trillion financial leasing sector
Only 2,985 of the 10,900 leasing firms in China are active businesses.
Covered Bond Bank migrates international branches to Avaloq Banking Suite
New York, Singapore, and Shanghai all switch to Avaloq system.
ATB Financial’s Holbrook steps down as chief transformation officer
He had been at the Canadian firm for nine years.
Standard Chartered pinches new global head of cybersecurity from Singtel
David McLinton also spent time as JP Morgan Chase’s CISO.
Payments app KogoPay crowdfunds £200k and hits £10m valuation
The London and Bangkok-based start-up tallied 281 investors.
Singapore’s digital bank licence race heats up with 21 bidders
Roughly 50 companies are involved in the bidding.
Hong Kong’s sustainable finance start-up MioTech closes Series A funding
The start-up wants to expand its presence in Singapore and Mainland China.
Chinese regulator opens market access for foreign banks
CIRBC unveils rejigged rules to encourage foreign investment in Chinese market.
HSBC to shut down Hong Kong ATMs after protest vandalism
Protestors also attempted to damage the bank’s famous lion statues.
Tokyo: fintechs welcome!
Japan is keen to turn Tokyo into the number one financial hub in Asia.
China suspends London-Shanghai exchange partnership
The rumoured order comes amid rising political tensions.
Razer Fintech, Grab and Singtel bid for Singapore digital banking licence
There are only five of the new licences up for grabs.
Our top women in fintech and banking 2019 short list
A short-list of rising stars and household names in banking and fintech.
UK challenger Supreme Fintech set to launch globally in February 2020
The start-up is gearing up for its 1 February 2020 launch.
Banking’s biggest core go-lives in 2019
Always exciting, sometimes terrifying, here are the biggest ‘go-lives’ in core banking 2019.
2019’s top core banking deals
The core deals which made waves this year, summarised just for you.
China’s fintech scene started late but trumps US, says Baidu’s fintech arm
Du Xiaoman Financial talks fintech and AI in China.
Video: Top fintech stories this week – 13 December 2019
FinTech Future’s weekly news round-up.
