Author: Fintech News Singapore

Digital payments provider dtcpay has introduced the dtcpay Award at the National University of Singapore (NUS) to recognise top-performing students in fintech-focused courses and strengthen collaboration between academia and industry. The award will be presented annually to students who excel in three fintech-related courses across the undergraduate, MBA, and Master of Finance programmes at NUS Business School. In addition to a cash prize, recipients will be offered internship opportunities at dtcpay, where they will gain hands-on experience, work with the company’s leadership team, and access resources to support their professional development. The initiative is part of dtcpay’s broader effort to…

SeaMoney is reportedly poised to receive up to US$75 million from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to scale its digital lending programme in Thailand. This is part of a proposed asset-backed securities (ABS) issuance aimed at broadening financial access for underserved communities. According to DealStreetAsia, the IFC plans to invest in the senior tranche of the ABS, which will be backed by nano loan receivables originated under SeaMoney’s lending programme regulated by the Bank of Thailand. The securities will be issued by a special purpose vehicle incorporated under Thai law. SeaMoney (Capital) Co Ltd, a subsidiary of New York-listed Sea…

Airwallex has announced its partnership with Yuno to provide seamless and scalable cross-border payment solutions to businesses worldwide. This collaboration will enable Airwallex and Yuno to streamline global transactions, supporting more than 1,000 payment methods across 195+ countries. As a result of this partnership, Airwallex will strengthen its offering of efficient financial services to larger enterprises, enhancing its ability to support businesses in managing international transactions with greater flexibility. “By joining forces with Yuno, we are empowering businesses with faster, more flexible financial solutions – helping them scale effortlessly across borders,” said Arnold Chan, General Manager, APAC, Airwallex. Chee (SheueChee)…

Reddit is a popular forum-style social media platform where users share content, ask questions, and engage in discussions within niche communities known as subreddits. It hosts more than 100,000 subreddits, each dedicated to a specific topics, interest or themes, including many focusing on personal finance and fintech. Today, we look at some of the most prominent personal finance and fintech subreddits relevant to readers in Asia, highlighting those with large and engaged communities. r/DigitalbanksPh Created: November 07, 2023 Number of members: 89K+ The r/DigitalbanksPh subreddit serves as a community for individuals interested in exploring and discussing digital banking options and…

Mastercard has introduced a new program, effective 1 April, aimed at making it faster and easier for companies to adopt virtual card numbers (VCNs) for commercial payments. The initiative is designed to simplify the way banks and platform providers integrate Mastercard’s virtual card technology into tools that businesses already use, helping to reduce friction and speed up onboarding. The program builds on Mastercard’s existing VCN technology to deliver a more seamless, consumer-like payment experience within corporate systems. Platform partners include working capital providers, expense management tools, meeting and event software, and hotel booking platforms. Under the new setup, banks using…

Visa has appointed Lisa Sargent as its new Country Manager for Cambodia, taking over from Ivana Tranchini. Sargent, who has been with Visa for nearly six years, previously worked on co-brand business development and expanding acceptance across new sectors in Southeast Asia. Before joining Visa, she held several roles in the financial services sector in Australia including ING and the National Bank of Australia. In her new role, Sargent will lead Visa’s operations in Cambodia, supporting the growth of digital payments in the country. Lisa Sargent, Country Manager for Cambodia, said, “My team and I look forward to working closely…

Flagright, an AI-native anti-money laundering (AML) compliance platform, has secured US$4.3 million in seed funding, according to a report by Financial IT. The round was led by Frontline Ventures, with participation from angel investors Rubin Ritter (former Co-CEO of Zalando), André Silva (former Global Head of Expansion at Revolut), Phillip Chambers (CEO of Orbex), Ahmed Badr (COO of GoCardless), Teng Sherng Lim (former CCO of Advance.AI), and Saqib Mirza (CEO of Sciopay). Existing investors Y Combinator, Pioneer Fund, and Moonfire Ventures also took part in the round. Founded in 2022 by Baran Ozkan and Madhu Nadig, Flagright began as a…

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has released a consultation paper proposing a regulatory framework designed to expand retail investors’ access to private market investment funds. This initiative addresses the growing interest from both retail investors and industry players in diversifying investment portfolios beyond traditional public markets. Currently, retail investors in Singapore have limited access to private market investments such as private equity, private credit, and infrastructure. The proposed Long-term Investment Fund (LIF) framework aims to bridge this gap by adapting existing requirements to better match the nature of private market investments and the specific needs of retail investors. MAS…

Global expansion is an ambition for many SMEs, but the reality of cross-border transactions tells a different story. Traditional banking systems, built to serve large corporations, often sideline smaller businesses, forcing them to navigate slow, expensive, and complex international payment processes that can hold back growth. For SMEs in Singapore and across the Asia-Pacific region, these barriers are particularly pronounced. Many operate in fast-moving industries like e-commerce, manufacturing, and digital services, which rely on speed and efficiency in financial transactions. Yet, high foreign exchange fees, shifting regulatory landscapes, and fragmented banking networks continue to create obstacles. The numbers paint a…

Standard Chartered has launched SC GPT, a GenAI tool, across 41 markets worldwide as part of its strategy to integrate AI into its business. The tool is designed to improve operational efficiency and client engagement. SC GPT is expected to support over 70,000 employees globally by improving operations and productivity, tailoring sales and marketing efforts to drive revenue, advancing software engineering through automation, and enhancing the way risks are measured, managed, recorded, and reported. Mohammed Rahim, Group Chief Data Officer at Standard Chartered, said: “The tool has been developed with strong governance and ethical AI principles at its core. As…

Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed a criminal complaint against Aux Cayes Fintech Co. Ltd., the operator of the OKX digital asset exchange platform in Thailand, and nine individuals for allegedly running a digital asset exchange without the required license. The complaint, filed with the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD), follows a referral and further investigation by the SEC. The regulator found that on 15 October 2021, OKX offered digital asset trading services through its Thai website, charging a transaction fee of 0.1% and promoting its services across various social media platforms, including Telegram, X (formerly Twitter), and…

The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) and Google Cloud have announced a strategic collaboration to develop ATLAS (Automated Thai Listed Company AI-Info System). ATLAS is an AI-powered search platform designed to improve the efficiency and accessibility of Thailand’s capital markets. Built on Google Cloud’s Vertex AI and powered by the Gemini 2.0 Flash model, ATLAS allows users to retrieve information through natural language prompts, simulating human-like conversations. Drawing on SET’s internal knowledge base, the tool aims to reduce the time spent on information retrieval and data processing. SET plans to integrate Google Cloud’s BigQuery platform to support real-time data analysis…

DBS Group has emerged as the leading contender to acquire a controlling stake in Indonesia’s Panin Bank, according to people familiar with the matter, as the Singaporean bank progresses through the second round of bidding. The potential deal involves a sale of roughly 86% of Panin Bank, the country’s 12th largest lender. The stake is held by Australia’s ANZ Group and the founding Gunawan family and was valued at around US$1.8 billion at Tuesday’s market close. Reuters reported that DBS is currently ahead of Malaysia’s CIMB Group in the bidding process. ANZ, which owns 39% of Panin Bank based on…

Grab Holdings is in talks to raise as much as US$2 billion in short-term financing to fund a potential acquisition of Indonesian tech rival GoTo Group, Bloomberg reported. The Singapore-based ride-hailing and delivery platform is engaging with banks on a bridge loan with a tenor of about 12 months, according to people familiar with the matter. The discussions remain at an early stage, and both the loan structure and acquisition terms are subject to change. The fundraising effort signals that Grab is making headway in due diligence and evaluating the structure of a deal that could be valued at over…

Every time a customer pays with a card, the seller loses more than it seems at first glance. Payment processing fees are not just a fixed percentage that payment providers talk about. In 2025, the online and offline trading market is facing a new wave of hidden fees, complicated tariff plans, and unexpected contractual terms. Many entrepreneurs don’t even realize how high the true cost of each transaction is. What payment “traps” are lurking for sellers this year, and how to avoid unnecessary costs? We understand the details. Payment processing costs Accepting card payments is an integral part of modern…

Cryptocurrency has made its mark as a revolutionary form of finance. Without traditional intermediaries, you’re your own bank, free to make transactions at any time. But along with this freedom comes vulnerability. Every day, vast sums of digital currency are traded, stored, and spent in the open market. And with it, a new set of risks emerges. Crypto’s decentralization, in eliminating the middleman, also eliminates anyone to call if something goes wrong. No central authority. No insurance. You and only you are in charge of keeping your assets secure. You could wake up to see your portfolio soaring—the Bitcoin price surging to…

Ant International and LankaPay have officially launched Alipay+ in Sri Lanka through LANKAQR, the country’s national QR code standard introduced by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. With the rollout now live, travellers from 10 countries and regions can use 14 Alipay+ partner e-wallets to make payments at over 400,000 merchants across Sri Lanka by scanning the LANKAQR code. Supported wallets include Alipay (Chinese mainland), AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR), MPay (Macao SAR), Hipay (Mongolia), GCash (Philippines), Changi Pay and OCBC Digital (Singapore), Touch ‘n Go eWallet and MyPB by Public Bank Berhad (Malaysia), Naver Pay and Toss Pay (South Korea),…

Sumsub, a global full-cycle verification platform, has launched a new suite of products aimed at streamlining online identity verification and reducing repetitive Know Your Customer (KYC) checks. The Reusable Digital Identity suite includes two offerings—Sumsub ID and Reusable KYC—designed to help users and businesses save time and improve onboarding efficiency. The tools allow users to securely store and reuse their verified identity documents across more than 4,000 platforms within Sumsub’s client ecosystem. This addresses the common issue of users needing to verify their identities multiple times across services, especially when accessing critical sectors such as finance or transportation. According to…

Singapore’s digital bank, Trust Bank, has introduced a new security feature called Trust Lock, designed to provide users with an added layer of protection against scams. The launch comes amid rising concerns over financial fraud, with at least S$1.1 billion reported lost to scams in Singapore last year. Trust Lock allows customers to secure funds in a designated Savings Pot within the bank app. The funds cannot be moved unless digitally unlocked through a two-step verification process, which involves tapping a physical Trust card on an NFC-enabled phone and entering a six-digit Trust Key. Once this is done, funds become…

HSBC Holdings plans to ramp up investment banking efforts in Asia and the Middle East following a strategic retreat from the US and Europe, CEO Georges Elhedery told Bloomberg Television. Elhedery, who took over in September, said the bank is reallocating US$1.5 billion in cost savings toward areas of growth. The focus includes strengthening debt and financing capabilities globally, while sharpening its presence in Middle Eastern equity capital markets and M&A advisory. The shift follows a broad restructuring under Elhedery’s leadership, which merged commercial and investment banking units, designated the UK and Hong Kong operations as standalone businesses, and significantly…