Singapore’s Whampoa Group selects Bahrain as HQ for new digital bank
Launching end of 2023, the new digital bank aims to support the adoption of digital assets worldwide.
Asia Pacific
Standard Chartered partners Worldpay from FIS to expand payment collections offering
With the partnership, the bank aims to expand the footprint of its solution across Asia and other markets.
Demystify Podcast: Demystifying BaaS with Kelvin Tan, Standard Chartered Bank
What is needed within a large bank to ensure a BaaS proposition can be conceived, deployed and nurtured?
WhatsApp partners Stripe to enable in-app business payments in Singapore
With the new feature, Singapore customers and businesses can now buy and sell directly in WhatsApp chats.
IOUpay goes into voluntary administration over suspected fraud
It took this step due to a “number of outstanding debts” with “no reasonable prospect” of repaying them.
South Korea’s Kakao Pay eyes majority stake in Siebert
Kakao Pay has acquired a 19.9% stake in the US firm and plans to buy an additional 31.1%.
IFGS 2023: Collaboration key for Singapore’s burgeoning fintech sector
Sopnendu Mohanty, chief fintech officer at MAS, discussed the country’s strategies and successes at IFGS 2023.
Demystify Podcast: Demystifying China, CDBCs and cashless with Richard Turrin
Based out of China, Richard Turrin has a ringside seat on how China is transforming into a cashless society.
Malaysian fintech Soft Space raises $31.5m in Series B1 funding round
The Malaysian payments platform plans to boost its global expansion and further develop its tech.
DMI Finance bags $400m equity funding led by MUFG
Also taking part in the round was existing investor Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank.
Mizuho and Line call off plans to launch mobile bank in Japan
Both firms say dissolution and liquidation proceedings of the mobile bank project will now go ahead.
Vemanti taps Finastra to power new SME neobank in Southeast Asia
Vemanti will deploy Finastra’s Fusion Essence solution, with plans to launch initially in Vietnam.
Crypto exchange OKX readies for Hong Kong launch
OKX sees “immense potential” in Hong Kong and is committed to building out the local ecosystem.
Thunes bags $30m from Marshall Wace as part of Series C funding
The funding was disclosed in a recent filing with Singapore’s Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority.
Kiatnakin Phatra Securities taps Temenos for wealth management tech
The Thailand-based wealth management firm will deploy the Swiss vendor’s Temenos Wealth solution.
Singapore’s Kredivo Holdings secures $270m in Series D funding
Japanese banking giant Mizuho Bank led the funding round, contributing $125 million.
Vietnamese digital bank TNEX seeks new CEO as Bryan Carroll steps down
Carroll says he will instead take up a position on the company’s board.
Consumer finance firm JIVF taps OpenWay for credit products platform
This is the first OpenWay installation of its Way4 platform on Oracle Cloud in Southeast Asia.
Hong Kong’s Livi Bank launches Livi Business for SMEs
Livi Business offers SMEs and entrepreneurs access to “fast, simple and personalised” financial services.
Philippines’ Security Bank taps ACI Worldwide to modernise payments
ACI’s enterprise payments platform will modernise the bank’s payments infrastructure.
Indonesia’s Bank BTPN taps Surecomp for trade finance solution
Bank BTPN says the partnership with Surecomp means “we can future-proof our trade finance business”.
US regtech Droit lands $23m Series B funding
The round was led by Pivot Investment Partners and UBS via its venture arm UBS Next.
Thought Machine plans to boost headcount by 20% in 2023
Thought Machine intends to hire across India, Japan and South Africa for the first time.
Shanghai Commercial Bank taps Salt Edge for PSD2 compliance solution
With the partnership, the bank says it will be able to offer customers a secure connection to external apps.
Clarency taps Form3 for access to Swift network
With the partnership, Clarency’s global customers will be able to send and receive payments on the Swift network.
Stripe unveils Tap to Pay for Android devices
Tap to Pay allows businesses to accept contactless payments using an NFC-enabled Android device.
Hong Kong proposes tighter rules for digital asset exchanges
The proposed framework will bring virtual assets in line with securities brokers and automated trading venues.
Singapore and India link up PayNow and UPI for real-time cross-border payments
The MAS and RBI will use a scalable cloud-based infrastructure to manage future increases in remittance volumes.
Bank of Japan to launch CBDC pilot programme in April
The pilot will test the technical feasibility of a CBDC and leverage the “skills and insights” of private industry.
PPRO extends payments infrastructure to South Korea
This integration “opens up a gateway” for PPRO’s global partners to reach South Korean consumers, PPRO says.
Singapore’s Aspire lands $100m in Series C funding
With the new funding, Aspire plans to build out its product offering and expand its regional presence.
Baiduri Bank taps Finbots.ai to modernise credit risk management
The partnership makes Baiduri the first bank in Brunei to migrate to an AI-led credit risk management solution.
Singapore’s Tazapay bags $16.9m in Series A funding round
The round brings Tazapay’s total capital raised to $18.9 million.
Standard Chartered Bank names new group chief transformation officer
Divyesh Vithlani brings more than 30 years’ worth of banking and technology experience to his new role.
Crypto exchange Binance snaps up majority stake in South Korea’s Gopax
The investment is part of Binance’s ‘Industry Recovery Initiative’ (IRI), launched in 2022.
Mizuho Bank in core banking tech overhaul with Oracle
Oracle’s solutions will support “critical” functions, including direct deposit accounts and liquidity management.
Zodia partners SBI DAH for Japan-based crypto custodian venture
The joint venture, SBI Zodia Custody, is owned 51% by SBI DAH and 49% by Zodia Custody.
GXS Bank names Muthukrishnan Ramaswami as group CEO
Ramaswami most recently spent 12 years as president of the Singapore Exchange (SGX).
Hong Kong’s ZA Bank names Ronald Iu as CEO
Iu served as chief risk officer (CRO) of ZA Bank, a role he will step down from immediately.
Singapore’s Trust Bank taps FIS for real-time payments
Trust Bank will make use of FIS’ real-time payments platform Open Payments Framework.
