Financial Technology
Fintechs, banks unite for win-win
Fintechs, banks unite for win-win
Changing markets are forcing them to forge mutually beneficial alliances.
China’s XTransfer granted electronic money institution license in the Netherlands
They plan to expand services across 30 countries in Europe.
Total spending in China via Alipay’s overseas wallets doubled during Labor Day holiday
Alipay Tap! also saw a 50% rise in spending during the period.
Revolut rolls out five new currencies including Chinese Yuan
Users can now hold and exchange 39 different currencies directly in-app.
Fintech funding rises to highest Q1 period in two years
They amassed $10.3b in funding across 777 deals made.
Money transfer firm Wise hiring hundreds of roles in Hyderabad
It will launch a new hub in the city in the second half of 2025.
Aleta Planet unveils digital payment app for Muslim merchants
It offers no transaction fees for 24 months and cashbacks for merchants.
Instapay and Mastercard enable near-real time remittance to 6 Asian countries
It will enable 3 million migrant workers in Malaysia to remit funds in local currencies.
JuanHand drives embedded lending with e-commerce tie-ups
The lending app only requires an ID, a smartphone, and an internet connection.
Philippine lending app JuanHand, Netbank team up to offer business loans
The loans will be tailored to the businesses’ specific needs, the two fintechs said.
MoneyHero partners with BPI to expand credit card offerings
Users can compare more than 20 credit card options in MoneyHero’s platform.
Millenials, Gen Z to lead fintech adoption in Southeast Asia by 2030
Adoption could rise to 79% by 2030 from 65% in 2024.
Fintech investments slated for revival on more digital asset deals
Deal value for crypto, blockchain, and digital assets hit just shy of $1b in 2024.
Hong Kong’s uFinance offers student loans to college students
They can borrow up to $21,050 per semester, at an interest rate of 6%.
HK’s card payment market to grow 11% in 2025
Credit cards accounted for 77.7% of the overall card payment value in 2024.
Fintech Aspire, Visa launch corporate card for Hong Kong’s SMBs
Globally, 4 in 5 small and medium businesses are looking to sell overseas.
Loan matching platform Lendela names new CFO, CTO
Lendela is planning to scale business across Hong Kong and APAC.
Commentary
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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
Banks need to rethink identity governance for AI agents
From stablecoins to sovereignty: The rise of trust-based digital dollar systems