Cards & Payments
Credit cards command 58% of Japan's e-commerce value
Credit cards command 58% of Japan's e-commerce value
Worldpay data ranks the market as the global leader for direct card usage.
Why South Korea cards squeeze cash payments
GlobalData says bank access and merchant acceptance are keeping electronic transactions ahead.
APAC travellers rank payment security as top concern, Visa says
Card acceptance followed at 27% as more travellers brought cards and mobile wallets.
GCash operator Mynt gets approval to file for IPO
It will be equivalent to 12% of Mynt’s outstanding common shares post-IPO.
Stablecoins move into payment infrastructure
Visa says trust remains key to adoption.
Alipay debuts AI agent interface “Ah Bao” in China
Users only need to speak to Ah Bao, pick a service listed, and pay for it without switching apps or pages.
Citi Mobile App launches e-vouchers at 500 merchant outlets
Citi Mastercard holders are offered exclusive discounts and perks at certain hotels.
China and Indonesia link cross-border QR payments
Chinese users can use their UnionPay app, Alipay, and banking pps.
Singapore payments to hit $114b by 2030
Transaction value reached $39b in 2023 and is projected to grow 16.3% annually.
UnionBank hits 2 million credit cards in circulation
It also claims the highest Visa credit payment volume among Philippine banks in 2025.
Thai cash handout to lift finance company debt collection and asset quality
The campaign will boost mid and low-income earners and alleviate their cost of living.
Philippine SMEs can issue virtual prepaid cards in five minutes
Paymongo provides the service whilst Paymentology and Mastercard provide the licensed framework.
HSBC and Mastercard pilot AI agents for automated e-commerce payments
It automates procurement and payments between corporate buyers and suppliers.
APAC cross-border payments stay upbeat as Japan lags
Hong Kong posted the highest positive share at 69% followed by Thailand at 67%.
BofA to launch cross-border real-time payments via Swift and CashPro
It will connect with several real-time payment networks globally.
India’s UPI goes live at 4.5 million Cambodian merchants
Indian travellers can now pay via QR payments in Cambodia using their UPI app.
Tokenisation in the Philippines: The consumer is ready, but is the infrastructure?
Being token-ready involves much more than switching on wallet acceptance.
Commentary
From automation to agency: Asia’s wealth leaders can reinvent, not just streamline
Singapore aced its FATF evaluation — now comes the hard part
Are Asia’s digital banks prepared for the stablecoin era?
Why APAC is building home-currency stablecoins
Why Southeast Asian wealth managers must design the business before buying the technology
Why trust in Asian banking increasingly gets built off the record
Hong Kong cleared stablecoins for take-off. Getting them to work across Asia is the hard part
The financing challenge behind Asia’s wealth transfer