Pakistan regulator accepts batch of start-ups for regulatory sandbox
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan received 32 applications.
Asia
Federal Bank picks ACI Worldwide to boost fraud protection
More than $30m was stolen by fraudsters in India last year.
Indian digital wallet LovePay targets Gen Z market
The fintech already has more than 100,00 sign-ups.
Indian SME fintech Zaggle partners with Visa to launch ‘Founders Card’
Both firms want to speed up access to credit for SMEs.
India’s central bank creates $66m digital payments infrastructure fund
RBI has made an initial seed contribution of $33 million (RS 250 crore).
UK fintech Minted to launch in July with 2021 digital bank plans
The fintech is sharia-compliant and follows AAOIFI rules on gold.
DBS Bank launches real-time payments solution for India truck drivers
The bank partnered with the Transport Corporation of India.
India’s central bank says there are no curbs for banks to serve crypto traders
“No such prohibition exists” for banks, says regulator.
India among major markets to see increase in ATM usage over 2019
Research suggests ATMs are still popular tools for financial inclusion.
Bank of India selects Uniken REL-ID to secure digital channels
Two firms extend decade-long systems partnership.
India’s micro business financer Lendingkart raises $42.1m in Series D
The total raised includes the start-up’s D1 raise last August.
Indian neobank Walrus aims for teenage market
Newly launched bank wants to help teens learn about “bad world of money”.
MoneyGram and Federal Bank tie up remittance partnership
The partners will offer direct-to-account crediting.
Global fintech sees worst Q1 since 2016 for VC-backed deals
The quarter saw just 404 deals and ended on $6.1 billion.
SadaPay drives contactless adoption with Mastercard in Pakistan
The digital wallet aims to deliver three million cards over the next five years.
India’s FSS helps Fair Play deliver online payment acquiring
Fair Play is deploying FFS’ Payment Gateway and Merchant Hub.
Paytm Payments Bank partners with Mastercard for physical card rollout
Beta users of the bank will be first to receive the new cards.
Hi-Pay launches Mongolian payments gateway with ACI Worldwide
Hi-Pay selected ACI’s UP eCommerce Payments system.
Indian challenger-to-be Jupiter raises $2m in venture funding
The new round comes as a top-up to a $24m injection from November 2019.
ICICI Bank launches WhatsApp-based banking service
The Indian bank follows up on its API and digital development.
Appian unveils software to help banks operate amid coronavirus outbreak
The application is only available to companies with more than 1,000 employees.
WorldRemit teams up with Paykii
It will launch international bill payments through its own app/website using Paykii’s tech.
TransferWise teams with Alipay in latest Asian expansion
TransferWise customers just need the recipient’s name and Alipay ID.
Swift’s ISO 20022 migration set back a year to November 2022
“The new approach will avoid short-lived investments by customers,” says Swift.
Travelex owner Finablr prepares for insolvency
Finablr processed $115 billion in transactions in 2019, and more than 1,500 firms rely on it.
Over one million users migrate from Yes Bank’s to ICICI Bank’s UPIs
The collapse of Yes Bank is causing ripple effects for UPI partners.
Global fintech funding: 2018 still stands as the reigning year
As of February 2020, year-over-year deal counts were down by 22%.
Community Bank Bangladesh goes live on Infosys Finacle in 48 days
New bank plans to rapidly scale with Infosys system.
Dutch fintech TerraPay gets acquired & raises $9.6m
“Fintechs like TerraPay play a vital role in increasing financial inclusion in emerging markets.”
Is the future of banking not open but closed?
Europe and USA have to create their own ecosystems to compete with the East.
India’s lending start-up SMEcorner bags $30m Series B
The round was led by a $10.5 million investment from Germany’s Paragon Partners.
Standard Chartered commits $75bn to sustainable development
Infrastructure projects to get $40bn, whilst renewable energy and clean tech to get $35bn.
Pakistani challenger Sadapay preps 2020 launch
New mobile wallet will target Pakistan’s underbanked and freelancer market.
Ecommerce firm Dot lands $8m seed funding
The start-up builds ecommerce solutions for brick and mortar stores.
WhatsApp Pay to launch in India with initial 10m users
Facebook-owned firm plans a full roll-out this year.
Rewire CEO: We want to be the financial marketplace for migrants
Traditionally, migrants have struggled to find a one stop shop for their finances.
PaySend and JS Bank create freelancer-focused wallet in Pakistan
Pakistan is the fourth fastest growing global economy for freelance worker revenues.
ADB creates $50m venture fund for start-ups driving sustainability
The fund will support start-ups helping Asia and the Pacific reach their sustainable goals.
BIS fintech report: More harmonised standards and less TPP reliance
BIS has published a cross-country review on the fintech regulatory landscape.
How AI can address the global sanctions challenge
Banks shouldn’t delay exploring an AI-powered approach to their existing screening processes.
