Asia Pacific


Abu Dhabi, Singapore to Promote Fintech Innovation

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) have signed an agreement to assist fintech entrepreneurs and support financial services innovation in Singapore and Abu Dhabi, according to Paybefore sister publication Banking Technology.

Abu Dhabi and Singapore sign up for fintech innovation

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) have signed a co-operation agreement to help fintech entrepreneurs and support innovation in financial services in Singapore and Abu Dhabi. The agreement establishes a framework for both regulators to assist start-ups and innovators to understand the regulatory regime in each jurisdiction and provide […]

China’s Chained Finance brings blockchain boost to SME funding

Chinese fintech firms Dianrong and FnConn have launched Chained Finance, the “first-ever” blockchain platform for supply chain finance. According to the pair, supply chain finance companies have been limited by existing technology and, to date, have only served about 15% of suppliers needing financial resources. They claim the vast majority of the 40 million SMEs […]

Banking Technology March 2017 issue out now

The latest edition of our flagship magazine – Banking Technology – is out now, packed with news, analysis and insights, case studies, research and expert commentary.

Japan applies AI to market surveillance operations

Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) and Japan Exchange Regulation (JPX-R) revealed that they have been reviewing artificial intelligence (AI) technologies developed by NEC Corporation and Hitachi to improve market intelligence operations.

Mizuho takes another step towards blockchain adoption

Japanese financial services provider Mizuho has partnered with Cognizant to test cross-border document sharing and custom digital currency applications of blockchain – and the cost implications of using the technology. Mizuho says the project was a success and concluded that a tamper-proof distribution database built using blockchain could support a platform to share information and […]

Blockchain and Bitcoin round-up: 22 February 2017

Jargon defeated. Unnecessary words deleted. A brief round-up. Featuring Adel, Bitfinex and crime. If something’s rotten in the state of Denmark, it’s going to get found out. Danish newspaper Berlingske has revealed that police stopped drug traffickers by tracing Bitcoin transactions. It’s not the first time great Danes have done good deeds. Last month, the […]

Thomson Reuters unveils Singapore innovation lab

In the name of innovation Thomson Reuters has officially opened a lab in the Singapore nation. It’s called Thomson Reuters Labs – Singapore, and will do the usual stuff. Namely, collaborate with the government, customers, tech start-ups and universities to “build partnerships and create innovative products and solutions for professional markets” throughout the Asia Pacific […]

IAG to launch insurtech hub in Singapore

Insurance Australia Group (IAG) is looking to build an insurtech hub in Singapore. The new unit, Firemark Labs, will act as an incubator for IAG and help teamwork between start-ups and research and tech partners for new products and services across Australia, New Zealand and Asia. Julie Batch, chief customer officer, IAG, says “customer lifestyles […]

8 Securities launches robo-advisor Chloe in Japan

Asian fintech company 8 Securities has launched Chloe, a robo-advisor that constructs portfolios with exchange traded funds (ETFs) listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE). To begin, customers must answer a short survey which will help Chloe set goals and target dates to achieve those goals. Each yen deposited is invested into a diversified global […]

Standard Chartered China teams with Tencent FiT for e-commerce solution

Standard Chartered China is partnering with Tencent Financial Technology Group (Tencent FiT) to launch a new e-commerce solution for corporates. The deal makes Standard Chartered the “first global bank to offer a one-stop online collection solution with WeChat Pay” and combines its cash management offering with the online payment gateway. The bank says it can […]

Japan seeks stronger ties to Iran’s central bank

Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) is looking to work closer on banking supervision with the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran (CBI). The pair have exchanged letters on co-operation and the plan is to examine the performance of their respective duties for the “safe and sound functioning” of banking organisations in their countries. […]

Haier Finance opts for Bloomberg’s FX electronic trading platform

China-based Haier Finance has adopted Bloomberg’s foreign exchange (FX) electronic trading platform (FXGO) and multi-asset risk system (MARS) for trading and risk management. Bloomberg FXGO provides access to liquidity from over 300 providers worldwide and commission-free trading for financial institutions, corporations, money managers and hedge funds across “all major” FX instruments including spot, forwards, options, […]

Data gets greater with new Singapore group

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has set up a new Data Analytics Group (DAG) with effect from 15 March 2017 as it looks to improve the financial sector and digital economy. DAG will use data analytics for insights, “enhance the supervision” of financial institutions, make regulatory compliance better for financial institutions, and improve work […]

Standard Chartered launches open banking API developer portal

Standard Chartered has unveiled its Open Banking Application Programming Interface (API) Developer Portal for transaction banking. The launch is part of its “digitisation agenda” and to increase collaboration with corporates, fintech firms and developer communities. The portal will initially provide a repository of API services focused on cash management and then roll out other API […]

Input Output’s Ouroboros protocol plots Bitcoin 2.0 prize

Input Output Hong Kong (IOHK), a blockchain architecture and development start-up, has built a proof-of-stake protocol as it seeks to create a “better” Bitcoin, aka Bitcoin 2.0. The protocol, called “Ouroboros”, is a consensus algorithm designed to be a foundation for blockchains that “improve” user governance, system maintenance, transaction processing speeds and blockchain scalability. IOHK […]

Brunei’s central bank selects Vizor for financial data revamp

Autoriti Monetari Brunei Darussalam (AMBD), the central bank of Brunei, has partnered with regulatory fintech vendor, Vizor Software. AMBD will use Vizor’s solution to collect financial data from external entities via a single portal, to generate reports and insights. AMBD says this is a key step to building a sound and dynamic financial system. The […]

Citi analyses VC investments in fintech for fresh insights

Citi’s global perspectives and solutions team has issued a 100-page report on digital disruption in the fintech industry. It has analysed venture capital (VC) investments in the fintech industry between 2010 and 2016, as well as the emerging technologies across the globe.

Siam Commercial Bank to invest $1.1 billion in fintech

Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) intends to invest about THB 40 billion ($1.1 billion) in creating, acquiring and developing its technology infrastructure over the next three years. The Thailand-based bank says this investment will help it provide products and services that are better suited to serving its younger and more affluent clients. SCB’s innovation-focused subsidiary, Digital […]

Singapore’s POSB launches banking chatbot

POSB, one of Singapore’s oldest banks and part of the DBS Banking Group, has launched an online virtual assistant. It is powered by the KAI conversational bot/AI platform from a New York-based fintech start-up, Kasisto.

Fintech tour Hong Kong: Park and ride

Park and ride? A visit to the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) and an opportunity for fintechs to ride the start-up wave.

The Monday mindset: 16 January 2017

Fintech zeitgeist! Welcome to the first in a new series of brief reports. Every Monday, we might look back at last week; look ahead to this week; share a few thoughts (our own or others); or discuss anything that catches our eye. Anything goes, so here goes. Rome versus Carthage. Britain versus France. History shows […]

HSBC targets Hong Kong millennials with new social payment app

HSBC will unveil a new payment app in Hong Kong in early 2017 aimed at millennials and offering a social aspect in addition to just payments. Called PayMe, it is “available to everyone in Hong Kong”, regardless which local bank the customer uses. However, the small print says it is only eligible to users with […]

Indonesia issues new fintech law for lending firms

The financial services authority (Otoritas Jasa Keuangan or OJK) of Indonesia has issued a new law affecting all fintech P2P lending firms in the country. The new law, applicable to all such business units operating in or intending to set-up in Indonesia, is aimed at protecting the consumer. The new law stipulates that such business […]

Japanese start-ups head abroad for innovation programme

The Japanese government is sending 55 SMEs and start-ups abroad as part of its new innovation programme. Called the Hiyaku Next Enterprise programme, it is part of the Silicon Valley-Japan Bridge Project, set up by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). That project was announced by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in April 2015 […]

Shanghai Prepaid Card Association blacklists 20 merchants

The Shanghai Prepaid Card Association is warning consumers about buying prepaid cards from certain merchants because of “malpractice in managing their prepaid card schemes”, reports Paybefore. According to an announcement on Shanghai’s municipal Website, the notice includes a blacklist of 20 companies in Shanghai for committing various infractions. The association is urging consumers to quickly […]

Microsoft and AMIS launch Asia’s first blockchain consortium

Microsoft has teamed with AMIS and the Industrial Technology Research Institute of Taiwan (ITRI) to form Asia’s “first” consortium blockchain network on Azure. They will use AMIS’s blockchain solutions with Azure as the cloud platform – “the only platform with BaaS” (Banking-as-a-Service). Azure will provide public, private and hybrid cloud models; and business and technical […]

Face the ace for NEC and Sumitomo Mitsui cashless payments trials

Tokyo-based IT provider NEC Corporation is conducting trials for cashless payment services using NEC facial recognition technology in co-operation with Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG), Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and Sumitomo Mitsui Card. The SMBC trials will continue to 30 January 2017, involving around 1,000 employees at the dining facilities of SMBC’s head office. […]

Japan Exchange Group unveils blockchain consortium

Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), Osaka Exchange OSE) and Japan Securities Clearing Corporation (JSCC) will form a blockchain consortium of Japanese financial institutions. All three are part of Japan Exchange Group (JPX) and will continue to conduct proof-of-concept (PoC) testing based on past findings and discuss the possibility of applying blockchain or distributed ledger technology (DLT) […]

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