Michael Wong

Ethos Raises $6m for Risk Management Platform

Ethos, a modern model risk management platform, announced that it has secured $6 million in its Seed funding round anchored by Canapi Ventures and backed by Capital One Ventures and Better Tomorrow Ventures. Ethos aims to streamline how financial institutions and fintech firms manage model risk,… Read More

Talentir Unveils Real-Time YouTube Earnings Protocol

Talentir, billed as the fastest-growing on-chain YouTube distribution operation, has introduced a lending protocol that allows content creators to access real-time payouts and earn yield on their YouTube-generated income. The company’s latest product, stablecoin-payout.com, aims to bridge the gap between traditional online platforms such as… Read More

White House To Host Inaugural Crypto Summit

The White House is set to convene its inaugural “Crypto Summit” on March 7, bringing together founders, chief executives, and investors from the digital currency industry to discuss strategies for fostering innovation and establishing clear regulatory guidelines for virtual assets. David Sachs, who is the administration’s… Read More

Southeast Asia’s InsurTech Funding Plummets 61% in 2024 Amid Global Economic Uncertainty

Funding in Southeast Asia’s InsurTech sector slumped sharply in 2024 as investors adopted a more cautious stance amid global economic headwinds, according to a report by data intelligence platform Tracxn. Total investments fell 61 percent to $193 million from $495 million in 2023, reflecting a… Read More

HKEX to Revise Settlement Fee Structure in June

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) will overhaul its settlement fee structure from June, introducing a flat fee of 0.0042% per stock transaction in a bid to balance costs across different trade sizes, the bourse operator said. Under the current system, HKEX charges a minimum… Read More

Vietnam Finance Ministry Rejects Proposal to Start Crypto Transactions in 2026

Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance (MoF) has opposed a proposal by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) to allow cryptocurrency and digital asset transactions in financial centers starting July 1, 2026, citing the need for further research and regulatory development. The MoF’s stance was outlined… Read More

Philippines Removed from FATF Grey List After Three Years

The Philippines has been removed from the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey list after more than three years, following significant progress in strengthening its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) framework, the global financial watchdog said. The FATF, which monitors global efforts to combat… Read More

Hong Kong Weighs Crypto Derivatives, Margin Lending Approval

Hong Kong is mulling over the approval of new cryptocurrency and virtual assets products, including derivatives and margin lending, for select investors, as the city seeks to bolster its position as a regional digital assets hub. The move, outlined by Securities and Futures Commission (SFC)… Read More

HBAR Foundation Invests in Tokenized Fidelity Fund

HBAR Foundation has announced an investment in Archax’s newly issued tokens, which represent claims against Fidelity International’s United States Dollar Money Market Fund shares held by Archax. The move follows Archax’s recent tokenization of the fund on the Hedera network—a milestone for the FCA-regulated digital… Read More

Turkish Fintech Firm iyzico Completes $87m Paynet Acquisition

Turkish fintech company iyzico has finalized its $87 million acquisition of Paynet, securing regulatory approvals in one of the largest technology deals between two local firms, the company said. The acquisition, approved by the Turkish Competition Authority and the Central Bank of the Republic of… Read More

Cambodian Interior Minister Urges Crackdown on Illegal Online Lenders

Cambodia’s Minister of Interior Sar Sokha has called for intensified efforts to suppress illegal online lending, urging citizens to stop repaying loans from unlicensed lenders and report such activities to authorities. Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Interior Ministry’s annual review meeting, Sokha reiterated… Read More

Saudi Digital Bank Derayah Prices IPO at $8 per share

Derayah Financial Company has priced its initial public offering (IPO) at 30 riyals ($8) per share, the upper end of its indicated range, following strong demand from institutional investors. The Saudi-based independent digital investment platform attracted 243 billion riyals ($64.79 billion) in total orders during… Read More

Philippines’ Fintech Lenders Fill MSME Credit Gap

Financial technology firms are emerging as alternative lenders for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), including those in agriculture, amid banks’ continued hesitancy to extend loans to the sector. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Monetary Board member Romeo Bernardo said fintech firms are playing an… Read More

Hong Kong Outlines New Priorities to Advance Sustainable Finance

The Green and Sustainable Finance Cross-Agency Steering Group set out new priorities to bolster sustainable finance in Hong Kong, focusing on sustainability disclosures, transition finance, and green fintech development, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) said. The Steering Group, jointly led by the HKMA and… Read More

Litas.io Secures $20m to Expand Blockchain-Based Payment, Crowdfunding Platform

Litas.io, a blockchain-based payment and crowdfunding platform, has secured a $20 million investment commitment to enhance its technology and expand its business, the company said. Litas is based in Vilnius. The company states that it “simplifies access to digital finance for SMEs but also integrates… Read More

UK’s Tuma Ventures Secures Payment System Provider Licence in Tanzania

Tuma Ventures Limited, a UK-based payments company regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), has received approval from the Bank of Tanzania to operate as a licensed Payment System Provider (PSP). With the PSP licence, Tuma Ventures will offer a range of financial services in… Read More

Asian Fintech Transactions Hit $16.8tr in 2024: Report

According to recent research by UnaFinancial, the total volume of Asian Fintech transactions reached $16.8 trillion in 2024, marking an increase of $2.1 trillion from the previous year. The report noted that Asia accounted for 48.2% of the global fintech volume, which totaled $34.8 trillion… Read More

First: Bulgarian Stock Exchange Launches SpaceCrowd, an Equity Crowdfunding Platform for Startups

The Bulgarian Stock Exchange (BSE) has unveiled SpaceCrowd, Bulgaria’s first equity crowdfunding platform aimed at helping startups and early-stage businesses raise capital, BSE CEO Manyu Moravenov said. Developed in collaboration with the Central Depository, SpaceCrowd provides a new funding avenue for young companies with growth… Read More

TXSE Group Closes $161M Raise as Subsidiary Files for National Exchange Status

TXSE Group Inc announced that its subsidiary, the Texas Stock Exchange LLC (TXSE), has filed a Form 1 registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to operate as a national securities exchange. This filing, one of the few submitted by a fully integrated exchange… Read More

TeamSec Secures $7.6m to Expand AI-Powered Securitization Platform in MENA

TeamSec, a company that claims to be the world’s first AI-powered securitization platform, has raised $7.6 million through a joint investment led by Deniz Ventures, the venture capital arm of DenizBank, and Doha-based Rasmal Ventures. The funding round, executed under the Emirates NBD Innovation Fund—the… Read More

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