Author: Fintech News Singapore

Qashier, a merchant operating system for Southeast Asia, announced a US$6.125 million Series A financing round, which consists of equity and debt. The Qashier Series A+ round was led by Cocoon Capital, IFP Securities and Blacksoil Global, and includes participation from angel investors. The capital will be used to support the company’s regional expansion and product development plans. Christopher Choo, the co-founder and CEO of Qashier, shared, “Merchants should not have to stitch together five vendors to run one business. By bringing payments, software, financial services and customer engagement into a single ecosystem, we give them clarity, lower costs and…

87% of GXBank’s small-business borrowers had never held a loan before. Deputy CEO Hildah Hamzah explains how the bank reaches them and still makes money. Hildah Hamzah is Deputy CEO and COO of GXBank, Malaysia’s first digital bank. She joined as employee number three and helped grow the team to around 400 people, with the bank focused on serving the B40 and M40 segments. She sat down with Fintech News Network to talk through whether digital banks have delivered on the financial inclusion they promised. In this episode: How 87% of its MSME borrowers were new to credit, and the…

Enterprise AI company Amity has opened its Southeast Asian regional headquarters and AI research and application hub in Singapore. Backed by a US$100 million Series D funding round, the expansion was led by EDBI, the investment arm of SG Growth Capital, which serves as the investment platform of EDB and Enterprise Singapore. Operations at the new AI Research and Application Center will focus on developing agentic AI and vertical models tailored for enterprise use. Amity is building these systems to execute complex business processes autonomously. Funding from the recent capital injection will accelerate product development through the new centre. Capital…

Over the past year, technology providers have accelerated their acquisitions of artificial intelligence (AI) agent startups as they race to build agentic AI platforms. According to a new report by global market research firm Forrester, these acquisitions signal key market trends. First, tech providers are moving to control the layer responsible for interpreting user intent and coordinating workflows, rather than focusing on data or foundational models. Second, conversational AI is being elevated from a front-end capability to a core execution layer. Just last week, Backbase, a provider of an AI-native banking operating system, acquired Kasisto, a pioneer in agentic AI…

Olivier Crespin has rejoined DBS Bank as Chief Analytics Officer as the lender deepens its focus on data, analytics and AI. Crespin previously spent more than seven years at DBS from 2010 to 2017, holding senior roles across digital banking, wealth management and private banking. During that period, he helped lead DBS’ digital banking push, including the launch of DBS Digibank in India and its expansion into Indonesia. He most recently served as Senior Consultant at DBS from June 2025 to June 2026, before taking on the Chief Analytics Officer role. Prior to that, Crespin was co-founder and CEO of…

DBS has completed a US$1 billion synthetic securitisation deal, giving the bank more capacity to lend while marking a first for a Singapore bank. The transaction references a diversified portfolio of corporate loans and is DBS’ first synthetic securitisation. Synthetic securitisations, also known as Significant Risk Transfer transactions, are widely used by global banks for capital and risk management. They allow investors to take on part of the credit risk linked to a loan portfolio. DBS continues to own and service the underlying loans, while the structure reduces the regulatory capital it needs to hold against those assets. This allows…

Visa Destinations is now live in 10 locations as travel spending shifts further toward concerts, sport, food and cultural experiences. The platform is available in Paris, London, Dubai, Milan, Rome, Mexico City, New York City, Miami, San Francisco and Thailand, with more destinations to be added later this year. Visa Destinations gives Visa cardholders access to travel offers, city guides and curated experiences across dining, entertainment, culture, hospitality, wellness, shopping and transport. These include priority access and selected experiences at attractions such as Top of the Rock Observation Deck in New York City and the Musée du Louvre in Paris.…

OceanBase has launched an AI database portfolio as enterprises look for simpler ways to connect trusted business data with AI agents. The OceanBase AI Database is built on the company’s LakeBase architecture, which combines data lake storage, database transaction processing and multimodal data capabilities. Its portfolio covers structured, unstructured and vector data, allowing enterprises to manage business records, documents, images, audio, video, logs and vectors within one data foundation. The launch includes OceanBase Lakebase, the core data engine for managing, processing, searching and serving data. OceanBase DataStudio supports data ingestion, processing, governance, semantic modelling and agent collaboration. Meanwhile, OceanBase DataPilot…

LexisNexis Risk Solutions has partnered with Promon to help businesses protect mobile apps as fraud attacks move deeper into app and device environments. This combines LexisNexis ThreatMetrix digital identity, device and behavioural intelligence with Promon Shield and Promon Insight, which provide in-app protection and trusted telemetry. The partnership is aimed at helping organisations protect mobile applications from tampering, malware, overlay attacks, device manipulation, reverse engineering and automated abuse. LexisNexis Dynamic Decision Platform will support the combined capabilities, allowing organisations to bring together app-level protection, identity intelligence and transactional risk signals for real-time fraud decisions. Promon Shield helps secure mobile applications…

Igloo has acquired Eazy Digital, a Singapore-headquartered insurtech startup with operations in Thailand and across Asia. The deal brings Eazy Digital’s client base and Thailand team into Igloo to strengthen its technology stack for insurers and intermediaries. Eazy Digital founder Harprem Doowa will become the Country Head of Igloo Thailand and Head of Tech Solutions for Asia Pacific. The acquisition marks Igloo’s second major transaction in Thailand within 12 months. It follows a 2025 joint venture with JMT Network Services, a subsidiary of the Jaymart Group, to launch a digital insurer in the market. Scaling digital insurance infrastructure Igloo has…

Personetics has embedded its AI platform into Experience Digital from Fiserv as banks look for better ways to use customer data. The integration allows banks and credit unions to deliver more relevant guidance, offers and digital experiences through Fiserv’s platform. The tools can help consumers manage cash flow, build savings and make everyday money decisions. Small businesses can use them to manage working capital and anticipate financial needs. Personetics CEO Udi Ziv said, “Financial institutions have no shortage of data, but many still struggle to translate that information into timely, relevant action. By embedding Personetics within Experience Digital, Fiserv is…

Applications have now opened for the 2026 Global Fintech Hackcelerator and SFF Fintech Excellence Awards ahead of Singapore Fintech Festival (SFF). The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced the call on 29 June. Winners for both programmes will be announced at the SFF Fintech Excellence Awards Dinner on 19 November 2026. The Global Fintech Hackcelerator, organised by MAS with the Global Financial Technology Network (GFTN), is seeking proposals from fintech firms and solution providers on how artificial intelligence (AI) can address key challenges in financial services. This year’s challenge areas cover credit and fraud risk modelling in digital banking, wealth…

Trading today gives you access to a wide range of global financial markets through a single online platform. By understanding the key tools and technologies available, you can build a stronger foundation before exploring more advanced trading strategies. Getting started in trading can feel overwhelming at first. There are different markets, various trading platforms and countless tools that promise to help you make better decisions. The good news is that most successful traders begin with the same thing: understanding the basics. Look at the Basics Before Exploring Advanced Features Every trading journey begins with understanding what trading actually involves. In…

Huawei and CP All are bringing wearable loyalty and payment features to 7-Eleven Thailand. CP All, which operates 7-Eleven in Thailand, signed a memorandum of understanding with Huawei during the Huawei Developer Conference 2026 at Huawei’s Dongguan campus. The partnership integrates 7-Eleven’s membership code and TrueMoney’s payment code into Huawei wearable devices. Customers can use the feature to access loyalty and payment functions through a single wearable interface in stores. The companies plan to improve the service and explore more everyday use cases for the technology. They also aim to support Chinese visitors in Thailand through Huawei’s QuickApp Services, with…

Finmo has appointed Josh D’Ambrosio as Chief Commercial Officer after securing new licences in Dubai, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong SAR. D’Ambrosio will oversee Finmo’s global go-to-market strategy, commercial growth, customer acquisition and strategic partnerships as the company expands across regulated markets. The new licences extend Finmo’s regulatory footprint to eight active jurisdictions. The company is looking to grow adoption of its Treasury Operating System and payment infrastructure across its key markets. D’Ambrosio has a decade of experience in regulated fintech, payments and digital assets. He was most recently Chief Commercial Officer at Banxa, where he helped shift the…

Financial services provider QI Tech has teamed up with Ant International’s Bettr to offer working capital and instalment payment options in Brazil’s online retail sector. The partnership will focus first on working capital loans for small and medium-sized online sellers, helping them fund inventory and support business growth. It will also introduce a Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) option for shoppers on AliExpress, allowing consumers to pay for purchases in instalments at checkout. The credit services will use transactional data, automated analysis and real-time decision-making to assess repayment capacity and manage risk. Pedro Mac Dowell, CEO and founder of QI…

Artificial intelligence (AI) has increased the sophistication of fraud, with criminals now increasingly deploying autonomous agents to launch attacks at scale, and improve their odds of success, according to a new report by BioCatch released in June 2026. The report, based on a survey of 1,440 professionals in fraud management, financial crime prevention, and risk and compliance professionals at financial institutions across 25 countries, reveals that 80% of the organizations polled had experienced an attack carried out by an AI agent. These findings are corroborated by other research. The 2026 Interpol Global Financial Fraud Threat Assessment, released in March, warns…

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is setting up a Future of Finance Institute to help financial firms move AI and tokenisation projects beyond pilots. The institute will initially focus on AI and tokenisation, bringing together financial institutions, technology firms, researchers and fintech players to support wider adoption across the sector. The Future of Finance Institute will build on existing MAS-led initiatives in AI and tokenisation, including the MindForge AI Risk Management Toolkit, PathFin.ai, Project Guardian and Project Orchid. MAS said the institute will act as a coordinating body for the next phase of Singapore’s financial innovation efforts. While MAS…

Singapore banks are moving to cut the friction families face when ageing, cognitive decline or bereavement turns banking into paperwork. The Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) has published a senior banking playbook as the country becomes a “super-aged” society, with one in five citizens now aged 65 and above. Banking a Longevity Society sets out 20 initiatives covering scam protection, banking access, financial resilience, estate matters and community support for seniors. A key focus is legacy planning and bereavement support, where families often face unclear processes during difficult transitions. By the first quarter of 2027, banks will align procedures…

Asia Pacific companies are not just receiving global investment. Increasingly, they are deploying it. As the World Economic Forum has documented, APAC’s share of global greenfield FDI has grown from 24% to 31% over the past decade, with India and Japan transitioning from inward FDI recipients to significant outward investment players. Singapore-headquartered companies, Australian firms, and Indian tech companies are building out US, UK, and European operations — and employment compliance in destination markets is consistently underestimated. This is not an HR-only challenge. As FinTech News Singapore has reported, cross-border payroll is becoming core fintech infrastructure — sitting at the…