Siam Commercial Bank partners Azimo for money transfers from Europe
The Thai bank expands its electronic money services.
Asia Pacific
Colt to underpin connectivity at Taiwan’s major exchanges
Taiwan introduced continuous trading in late March.
Trustonic lands security deal with South Korea’s biggest bank
“KB Bank are taking a more open market approach,” says Trustonic.
Japanese challenger Kyash lands $45m Series C
To date, the fintech has raised $73 million since its creation in 2015.
MatchMove buys strategic stake in Shopmatic to build SME offering
MatchMove is slowly building up its armoury to morph into a full digital bank.
Singapore’s robo-advisor Smartly shuts, cites “intense” competition
Vietnamese owner VinaCapital Group made the decision to wind business down.
Virtual bank Airstar launches pilot in Hong Kong
The digital bank will onboard roughly 2,000 customers.
Sony Bank launches online account for Japan’s foreign residents
Japanese bank pushes digital-only account for branch-shy immigrants.
South Korea’s KB Kookmin Bank to launch cryptocurrency custody service
The bank filed a trademark application at the end of January.
SoftBank attacks Moody’s after debt downgrade
Moody’s cited SoftBank’s “aggressive financial policy” as it cut its rating from Ba1 to Ba3.
Barclays makes new executive hires in Asia Pacific
Carrie Chen and Sung-Min Chung join the bank to boost its client footprint.
Hong Kong’s first virtual bank opens its digital doors
Za Bank launches with incumbent-challenging interest rate.
HSBC joins Alibaba to offer Hong Kong’s online merchants quick loans
This is the first time HSBC will use third-party data to approve trade finance loans.
Will Asia’s Big Tech European expansion stick?
Asia’s mega funding rounds make Europe’s look like child play.
SoftBank to sell $41bn in assets to firm up financials amid virus outbreak
The company’s share price shot up 18.6% in Japan today.
World Bank issues $300m loan to boost Indonesian financial sector
International bank seeks to support Indonesian fintech and banks.
HSBC’s $6bn structural overhaul under threat from COVID-19
The global bank may have to delay its plans if the contagion becomes a long-term issue.
Appian unveils software to help banks operate amid coronavirus outbreak
The application is only available to companies with more than 1,000 employees.
Wirecard expands ecommerce partnership with WeChat Pay
European merchants can integrate WeChat Pay “in just a few minutes”.
WorldRemit teams up with Paykii
It will launch international bill payments through its own app/website using Paykii’s tech.
MatchMove applies for one of Singapore’s full digital bank licences
The company has teamed up with three other bidders.
Goldbell Financial Services picks Mambu to power debt investment
Singapore finance provider picks Mambu’s SaaS banking platform.
TransferWise teams with Alipay in latest Asian expansion
TransferWise customers just need the recipient’s name and Alipay ID.
Daon to provide biometric authentication for digital bank Tonik
Tonik was founded as Southeast Asia’s first digital-only bank.
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.
Central banks free up US dollar liquidity amid coronavirus pandemic
The price on the US dollar liquidity swap arrangements will go down by 25 basis points.
Mastercard and Samsung sign Pay on Demand partnership
The two firms aim to arm businesses in emerging markets.
Global fintech funding: 2018 still stands as the reigning year
As of February 2020, year-over-year deal counts were down by 22%.
Standard Chartered launches Banking as a Service solution in Indonesia
The white-label service was incubated at SC Ventures.
Wirecard and Singapore’s Grab partner on payments
The partnership will begin in Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore.
Step aside China, it’s Southeast Asia’s turn in the spotlight
The region is full of promise and possibility for investors and entrepreneurs alike.
Alipay plans digitisation for 40 million Chinese service providers
The move marks a shift in the business from financial to digital services.
Standard Chartered unveils new Hong Kong challenger bank Mox
The bank’s card will be numberless to prevent fraud.
China leads the way in adoption of ISO 20022 for payments
PBOC published its ISO 20022 migration plan as long ago as 2011.
First Digital Trust bags $3m investment led by Nogle
FDT and Nogle’s goal is to bring legacy financial services to the digital asset industry.
Leap Finance raises $5.5m to help finance Indian students abroad
Start-up wants to change the way students are given credit.
Starling Bank amps up advertising efforts with Team GB win
The bank is offering every British athlete an account with £100 in credit.
Is the future of banking not open but closed?
Europe and USA have to create their own ecosystems to compete with the East.
China’s Ant Financial buys small stake in Swedish unicorn Klarna
Klarna is already embedded into Alibaba’s AliExpress.
