Tagged: asia

April 12, 2025 @ 5:51 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Hong Kong Investment Corporation Ltd (HKIC) and fintech platform WeLab announced a strategic partnership to accelerate artificial intelligence (AI)-driven financial services, aiming to promote digital financial inclusion across Asia. The collaboration will enable WeLab to expand its exploration of AI applications, including developing innovative AI… Read More

March 30, 2025 @ 6:15 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Asia-focused alternative investment firm PAG has reportedly closed its third fund dedicated to Significant Risk Transfer (SRT) deals, raising $1.25 billion from investors looking to tap into bank loan portfolios. This milestone underscores the growing appeal of SRT as a financial instrument that bridges the… Read More

February 23, 2025 @ 5:15 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Nikko Asset Management (Nikko Asset Management Co., Ltd. together with its subsidiaries), one of Asia’s asset managers, and Tikehau Capital, the alternative asset management group, announce the incorporation of Tikehau Amova Investment Management Pte. Ltd., their joint venture focused on developing private asset investment strategies…. Read More

February 22, 2025 @ 5:55 pm By Michael Wong  |  

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

February 9, 2025 @ 12:09 pm By Michael Wong  |  

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

January 13, 2025 @ 10:39 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The IMF has shared an update / analysis on how artificial intelligence will affect Asia’s economies. According to the blog post from the IMF, AI may widen inequality, but policymakers can “counteract this with more effective social safety nets, reskilling programs, and regulations to promote… Read More

December 3, 2024 @ 8:18 am By Michael Wong  |  

US e-commerce giant Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN)announced that it has invested more than S$2 billion ($1.49 billion) across its retail and cloud businesses in Singapore in 2023, bolstering its presence in the Southeast Asian market and supporting over 10,000 indirect jobs. The investment encompasses capital expenditure on… Read More

November 11, 2024 @ 7:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Funding Societies | Modalku, theunified digital finance platform for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Southeast Asia today announced signing the third credit facility* with HSBC under its ASEAN Growth Fund. The transaction, an accumulative commitment of over $100 million, includes the annual credit… Read More

November 10, 2024 @ 10:02 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

PwC has released their research report, entitled FinTech in ASEAN 2024: A Decade of Innovation. PwC noted that during the past decade, the global FinTech landscape has evolved rapidly, transforming financial services and “driving digital inclusion worldwide.” Yet, the research report explained that considerable challenges… Read More

November 8, 2024 @ 5:59 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Matrixport, which claims to be one of Asia’s largest “one-stop” financial services platforms, announced the integration of Fly Wing Technologies Pte Ltd’s OTC service on the Matrixport APP, enabling a better one-stop experience for users. All Matrixport-verified accounts must complete Fly Wing’s eKYC onboarding process… Read More

November 3, 2024 @ 6:15 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Asia’s economies can embrace services in order to boost growth and productivity, according to an update from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The latest report from the IMF noted that manufacturing has been the engine of growth in Asia, but a transition to “modern, tradable… Read More

October 10, 2024 @ 2:32 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Indonesian donation and crowdfunding platform Kitabisa has officially entered the country’s insurance sector by launching Kitabisa Insurance, a sharia-compliant subsidiary, marking a significant step in addressing Indonesia’s notably low insurance penetration rate, according to DealStreetAsia. The announcement follows the subsidiary’s introduction of its first product,… Read More

June 2, 2024 @ 6:47 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Philippines-based fintech startup Beppo has completed a pre-seed funding round, enabling the acquisition of JuanTax, a Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)-accredited tax platform, and five pioneering bookkeeping firms. The funding round, for an undisclosed amount, was led by Wavemaker Partners with participation from angel investors…. Read More

November 27, 2023 @ 8:28 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) adopts digital-first HR with its partnership with Darwinbox, Asia’s Human Resource Management System (HRMS) provider. With a legacy spanning over 170 years, BPI has “enhanced its employee experience and streamlined HR processes for its 18,000-strong workforce, covering a diverse… Read More

November 2, 2023 @ 9:56 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Funding Societies (Modalku), a unified small and medium enterprises (SME) digital finance platform in Southeast Asia, has announced raising $7.5 million in debt from Norfund, Development Financial Institution (DFI) operated by the Norwegian government. DFIs have played a significant role in impact investments in Southeast… Read More

October 29, 2023 @ 11:14 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Cambodia has recently taken a significant step forward in the financial technology sector with the unveiling of the Fintech Policy directive for 2023-2028. This strategic move is poised to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), propelling the nation into the forefront of the rapidly evolving fintech… Read More

October 21, 2023 @ 1:31 pm By Michael Wong  |  

PayPal Holdings, Inc. announced its investment in the Southeast Asia Women’s Economic Empowerment Fund (SWEEF) by Sweef Capital and Quona Opportunity Fund. This collaboration aims to propel women’s participation in global economics and finance. This strategic move is a part of PayPal’s pledge to support… Read More

September 13, 2023 @ 7:09 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Thailand’s digital bank, KASIKORNBANK (KBank), has launched a $100 million flagship fund, KXVC, aimed at fintech startups specializing in AI, Web3, and Deep Tech globally. The move is set to capitalize on the booming digital economy in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, projected to hit $1… Read More

September 9, 2023 @ 3:38 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The global trade finance gap soared to an unprecedented $2.5 trillion in 2022, escalating from $1.7 trillion two years prior, reveals the 2023 Trade Finance Gaps, Growth and Jobs Survey presented by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) today. This gap represents the discrepancy between requests… Read More

August 30, 2023 @ 8:47 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

More Asian travelers to Malaysia will enjoy a seamless digital payment experience at over 1.8 million merchants across the country while Malaysian residents will be able to pay with e-wallets of their home country abroad, thanks to a MOU signed recently between Payments Network Malaysia… Read More