April 20, 2026 @ 7:59 am By Michael Wong  |  

Financial institutions are moving further into blockchain-based settlement infrastructure, with Singapore Gulf Bank (SGB) launching a stablecoin minting and redemption service aimed at corporate and high-net-worth clients. The Bahrain-based lender said the new offering enables clients to convert fiat currencies into digital tokens, and vice… Read More

April 19, 2026 @ 4:28 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Factory, an artificial intelligence infrastructure startup, has raised $150 million in a Series C funding round led by Khosla Ventures at a $1.5 billion valuation, underscoring continued investor appetite for enterprise AI platforms that promise to automate more of the software development process. The round… Read More

April 19, 2026 @ 1:55 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Vietnam-based Farmnet, the trading arm of agricultural supply chain firm TechCoop, has secured a $11.75 million senior secured loan from Symbiotics, underscoring a growing shift among Southeast Asian startups toward alternative financing as venture capital remains tight. The facility, described as the first offshore institutional… Read More

April 18, 2026 @ 8:25 am By Michael Wong  |  

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a central factor in how businesses and institutional investors approach international expansion and capital deployment, according to a recent survey by HSBC. The survey found that access to AI, critical technologies, and supporting infrastructure will be among the most important… Read More

April 18, 2026 @ 2:26 am By Michael Wong  |  

Climate-focused venture capital is increasingly targeting the infrastructure behind artificial intelligence, as surging compute demand and power consumption create new investment opportunities across the digital economy. Vietnam-based Earth Venture Capital said it participated in Sygaldry Technologies’ $139 million financing round, which included a $34 million… Read More

April 13, 2026 @ 7:58 am By Michael Wong  |  

Pipe, a Fintech firm offering embedded financing tools for small businesses, has raised $16 million in a funding round led by investors including Fin Capital and MaC Venture Capital, the company said. The deal marks Pipe’s first equity fundraising since it relaunched its embedded financing… Read More

April 12, 2026 @ 11:01 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Hong Kong’s push to turn stablecoins from a regulatory concept into everyday financial plumbing is beginning to draw in the companies that handle money at the checkout counter. Digital asset trading platform EX.IO said it signed a memorandum of understanding with payment firm Payment Asia to… Read More

April 12, 2026 @ 4:56 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Singapore-based cross-border payments firm Thunes is expanding its stablecoin settlement capabilities through a new collaboration with Circle, as payment infrastructure providers step up efforts to connect blockchain-based rails with traditional financial systems. Thunes said it had joined Circle Payments Network Managed Payments, enabling its customers… Read More

April 12, 2026 @ 2:52 am By Michael Wong  |  

Malaysia is trying to make cheap money do heavier lifting. The government is rolling out up to 5 billion ringgit ($1.3 billion) in low-cost financing to help small and medium enterprises move beyond survival mode and into higher-value sectors such as technology, green projects, automation… Read More

April 12, 2026 @ 12:54 am By Michael Wong  |  

Vietnam’s race to build a regulated crypto market is beginning to look less like a policy experiment and more like a capital test. Vietnam Prosperity Crypto Asset Exchange Joint Stock Company (CAEX) said it had signed investment agreements with OKX Ventures and HashKey Capital, with… Read More

April 12, 2026 @ 12:11 am By Michael Wong  |  

The Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has launched a 4 billion peso ($68 million) loan program for micro, small, and medium enterprises, as the government moves to help smaller businesses cope with economic risks linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Trade… Read More

April 10, 2026 @ 1:05 pm By Michael Wong  |  

AsiaTokenFund Group said it had formed a strategic partnership with 1MAX.com to launch a curated cryptocurrency trading platform, betting that a more selective approach to token listings could appeal to investors navigating a volatile digital asset market. The platform will target both retail newcomers and… Read More

April 6, 2026 @ 5:45 am By Michael Wong  |  

AccuQuant, a Fintech platform focused on artificial intelligence and data-driven technologies, has raised $20 million in a funding round led by investors with backgrounds in digital assets and financial technology, according to an announcement. The company said the fresh capital would be used to strengthen… Read More

April 6, 2026 @ 5:15 am By Michael Wong  |  

Franklin Templeton has agreed to acquire 250 Digital, a cryptocurrency investment firm spun out of CoinFund, as the global asset manager deepens its push into digital assets and seeks to broaden its offerings for large institutional investors. The deal will also create a new unit,… Read More

April 5, 2026 @ 3:22 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Rosella, an AI-native commercial insurance brokerage focused on the U.S. small and mid-market segment, said it has raised A$3.7 million ($2.3 million) in pre-seed funding led by Peak XV Partners and Intact Private Capital. The transaction comes as investors continue to back startups trying to… Read More

April 5, 2026 @ 12:19 am By Michael Wong  |  

Bank Indonesia and the Bank of Korea have launched a cross-border QR payment link that allows Indonesians to pay in South Korea using QRIS through their domestic mobile apps, in the latest push by Asian central banks to build faster and cheaper regional payment networks…. Read More

April 4, 2026 @ 3:14 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Western Union has completed its acquisition of Dash, the Singapore-based digital wallet previously owned by Singtel, giving the U.S. payments company its first wallet in Asia-Pacific as it pushes deeper into digital financial services beyond its traditional remittance business. The deal, first announced in October… Read More

March 29, 2026 @ 6:27 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Indonesia’s antitrust agency has fined 97 peer-to-peer lending companies a combined Rp755 billion ($44.6 million) after finding them guilty of coordinating interest-rate practices in a cartel scheme, according to a report by The Jakarta Post. The Business Competition Supervisory Commission, or KPPU, said the lenders… Read More

March 29, 2026 @ 2:33 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Turkey’s parliament has dropped proposed cryptocurrency tax measures from a sweeping omnibus bill after opposition parties pushed back against the plan, Hurriyet Daily News reported. Lawmakers gathered under Deputy Speaker Celal Adan to debate the broad bill, which includes tax policy changes, defense spending measures… Read More

March 28, 2026 @ 6:00 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Singapore-based payments infrastructure provider Tazapay has closed a Series B extension led by Circle Ventures, bringing its total Series B funding to $36 million. The funding comes as the startup looks to expand its regulatory licenses and scale cross-border payment services across emerging markets. New… Read More