Author: Fintech News Singapore

Drukair, Royal Bhutan Airlines, has entered into a strategic partnership with Worldpay to adopt a global payment gateway for its online booking platforms. Under the arrangement, Drukair will use Worldpay’s acquiring network and transaction routing capabilities to process cross-border card payments more efficiently, with the aim of reducing declined transactions for international customers. The integration supports real-time payment processing and includes fraud prevention tools to strengthen transaction security. The airline said the setup allows passengers to use a wider range of international credit and debit cards when booking flights online, improving reliability for customers booking from outside Bhutan as Drukair…

Google Pay is pushing further into financial services in India with a new UPI-linked digital credit card. The updates span payments, credit and merchant services on a platform that now serves more than 530 million users and 23 million merchants in the country. The product, called Flex, is a UPI-powered, RuPay-based, co-branded digital credit card that allows users to apply for and receive a card digitally, manage repayments and earn rewards within the Google Pay app. Users can convert eligible purchases into three- or six-month EMIs and compare repayment plans before confirming. The card has launched first with Axis Bank…

Akamai Technologies and Visa have partnered to address security and trust challenges as artificial intelligence agents become more active in online shopping. The collaboration integrates Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol across Akamai Cloud, combining agent authentication with Akamai’s edge-based behavioural intelligence, user recognition, and bot and abuse protection. The aim is to help merchants verify AI shopping agents and reduce fraud risks by identifying trusted activity at the network edge before it reaches merchant systems. As agent-driven traffic grows, merchants face challenges distinguishing legitimate AI agents from malicious bots while maintaining secure transactions, personalisation, and customer relationships. “By combining Visa Trusted…

Crypto.com has enabled SGD and USD deposits and withdrawals for Singapore users through a new partnership with DBS Bank. The addition introduces new banking rails that allow transfers in both currencies through DBS, complementing the platform’s existing banking partnership with Standard Chartered Bank. Together, the arrangements expand Crypto.com’s local fiat infrastructure and provide users with multiple deposit and withdrawal options in Singapore. Under the partnership, DBS will support the creation of client money accounts, enabling faster and simpler transfers of SGD and USD between users’ bank accounts and the Crypto.com app. Singapore is Crypto.com’s headquarters and a key market for…

Provenir has launched a new educational initiative aimed at helping banks and financial institutions improve their understanding, adoption and use of artificial intelligence (AI). The initiative includes an AI maturity assessment that allows organisations to evaluate their capabilities across areas such as strategy and governance, data readiness, analytics and the application of AI across the customer lifecycle. Based on the results, users are directed to learning resources aligned with their stage of AI adoption. These resources range from introductory material on data science in financial services to guidance on scaling AI-driven decisioning. Provenir has also introduced a complimentary Data Science…

Red Hat has announced the acquisition of Chatterbox Labs to integrate critical safety testing and guardrail capabilities into its AI portfolio. The deal, revealed on 16 December 2025, aims to strengthen Red Hat’s open source enterprise platform by adding a dedicated security for AI layer. As organisations move AI workloads from experimentation to production, the need for demonstrable and trustworthy models has increased. Chatterbox Labs, founded in 2011, specialises in model-agnostic AI safety and quantitative risk assessment. Their technology provides automated testing to validate data and models, offering risk metrics for Large Language Models (LLMs) and predictive AI architectures. Steven…

Japan’s Mizuho Securities will acquire a controlling stake in India’s Avendus for up to US$523 million (81 billion yen), according to a Reuters report. The transaction comes as Japanese financial groups continue to expand in India’s growing financial services market. KKR, which first invested in Avendus in 2016, will sell part of its stake as part of the deal. Mizuho will buy between 61.6 percent and 78.3 percent of Avendus from the U.S. private equity firm, making the company a consolidated subsidiary of Mizuho Financial Group, Japan’s third-largest banking group. The acquisition reflects rising demand from Mizuho’s corporate clients to…

Amazon is in preliminary talks to invest at least US$10 billion in OpenAI and provide its Trainium chips, people familiar with the discussions told Bloomberg. The talks remain at an early stage and could value the ChatGPT developer at more than US$500 billion. As part of the discussions, OpenAI would consider using Amazon’s in-house Trainium processors, which are designed to train large artificial intelligence models. The structure and timing of any deal could still change. A transaction would support Amazon’s push into AI hardware, a market dominated by Nvidia. Nvidia’s graphics processors remain the industry standard, but large technology companies…

The Summit opened with a jolt when a convincing deepfake of Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer Peter Sever took the stage, before the real Peter stepped in to shut it down. Peter and Co-founder & Chief Innovation Officer Jacob Sever outlined how APAC has become the epicentre of both digital transformation and digital crime, with 2.9 billion online users, thousands of fintechs, and an explosion in real-time payments. Deepfake fraud is surging, major fraud networks operate in the region, and one in four people are targeted as potential money mules. The founders noted the heavy human toll as inflexible verification…

Global payments group Zepz has partnered with Fireblocks to expand the use of stablecoins in remittances for WorldRemit and Sendwave. Zepz will use Fireblocks’ treasury, settlement and wallet infrastructure to support stablecoin-based transfers across its remittance services, with the aim of speeding up settlement and reducing foreign exchange and intermediary costs. WorldRemit and Sendwave serve more than nine million customers across over 130 countries. The integration is expected to strengthen Zepz’s ability to securely manage digital assets and automate treasury operations as stablecoin usage scales. The global remittance market is projected to reach US$895 billion by 2025, with more than…

Databricks has raised more than US$4 billion in a Series L funding round that values the data and artificial intelligence company at US$134 billion. The San Francisco-based company said it surpassed a US$4.8 billion revenue run rate in the third quarter, growing more than 55 percent year on year, while delivering positive free cash flow over the past 12 months. Revenue from its AI products and data warehousing businesses each exceeded a US$1 billion annualised run rate during the period. Databricks said its net retention rate has remained above 140 percent, with more than 700 customers now generating over US$1…

SHOPLINE has received a Major Payment Institution licensce from Singapore’s central bank, allowing it to provide regulated payment services in Singapore. The license was granted to Instage Technology, a subsidiary of the commerce software provider, by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. It allows the company to offer account issuance, domestic and cross-border money transfer, merchant acquisition and e-money issuance services. The approval gives SHOPLINE a regulated base in Singapore to support payment services for more than 600,000 merchants worldwide. SHOPLINE said the license strengthens its ability to deliver secure and compliant payment services, supported by governance, compliance and operational systems,…

Singapore-based trade finance platform Olea has raised US$30 million in a Series A funding round. The round was led by BBVA, with participation from XDC Network, theDOCK, other investors and existing shareholder SC Ventures. The company said the capital will support new capabilities, including artificial intelligence, Web 3.0 and embedded finance. Olea plans to scale its origination activities across key markets, supported by its network of institutional funding partners. The equity round follows a separate funding facility announced in November 2024. That facility was arranged by HSBC and Manulife | CQS Investment Management. Olea operates an institutional-grade trade finance platform…

StraitsX plans to launch its Singapore dollar-backed stablecoin XSGD and US dollar-backed stablecoin XUSD on the Solana public blockchain, with an initial rollout targeted for early 2026. The move expands the company’s multi-chain and cross-border settlement footprint and will make both stablecoins available on Solana for the first time. “Stablecoin adoption is increasingly driven by users and businesses who expect payments to be instant, low-cost, and available everywhere. Launching XSGD and XUSD together on Solana will be game-changing. It unites CEX support, AMM liquidity, lending pools, and everyday payments on a single high-performance chain. It also brings us closer to…

Singapore-based payments firm MetaComp has teamed up with Stable to expand the use of stablecoins in cross-border payments. MetaComp is licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore as a Major Payment Institution and Digital Payment Token service provider. It will integrate Stable’s blockchain network, StableChain, into its StableX Network. The partnership follows MetaComp’s launch of StableX at the Singapore Fintech Festival 2025 and its earlier collaboration with USDT0. Tin Pei Ling, Co-President of MetaComp, said, “Stablecoins are progressing from speculative tools to becoming increasingly integral to the backbone of global financial infrastructure. With the launch of the StableX™ Network and…

Singapore-based fintech Aspire has secured a series of regulatory approvals across Australia, Europe and the United States. This lays the foundation for its next phase of growth in key global financial hubs. Over the past year, the company has obtained eight licenses and registrations, strengthening its regulatory footing as it scales internationally. In Australia, Aspire has been granted a full Australian Financial Services License (AFSL), strengthening its presence in the Asia Pacific region. The license allows the company to offer its financial products directly to Australian businesses, including multicurrency accounts, payments, cards and spend management, as companies increasingly seek modern…

Singapore-based insurtech firm bolttech has partnered with telecoms company Orange Poland to launch a digital insurance comparison platform. The service is the first of its kind to be offered by a telecom operator in Poland. Built using bolttech’s insurance technology, the platform supports embedded insurance and allows customers to compare and purchase motor and home insurance policies online through a single service. Customers can also choose to receive support from a phone-based agent. The platform is designed to offer a simple, fast and transparent way for customers to compare coverage and complete purchases online. The partners plan to expand the…

Visa has launched a stablecoins advisory service to help banks, fintechs, merchants and businesses of all sizes assess how stablecoins could fit into payments and settlement. The new practice sits under Visa Consulting & Analytics and is positioned as a value-added advisory offering covering market fit, strategy and implementation. Visa said the service is intended to help clients explore how stablecoin infrastructure could support innovation and growth. The launch comes as the stablecoin market capitalisation has surpassed US$250 billion. Visa reported that its stablecoin settlement volume has reached a US$3.5 billion annualised run rate as of 30 November. The advisory…

Fintech continues to gain strong momentum year-on-year, driven by customer growth and demand. A 2024 global study by the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance and the World Economic Forum found that the average customer growth in the sector reached 37% from 2022 to 2023 across industry verticals and global regions. Revenue growth was also strong during the period at 40%, while profit growth climbed 39%, underscoring improved operational efficiency and sustainable growth. Customer demand is a key driver of this expansion. 90% of the 200+ fintech companies surveyed identified it as a leading factor supporting their growth, reflecting the sector’s…

Singapore and China have announced a new set of financial initiatives, including the appointment of DBS Bank as Singapore’s second renminbi clearing bank and the launch of an e-CNY pilot for Singapore travellers. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said DBS’ appointment would support further growth of Singapore’s offshore renminbi market. The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s Singapore branch has served as the city-state’s first RMB clearing bank since 2013. The move is expected to facilitate the use of the Chinese currency for trade, investment and other economic activities in line with regional needs. The e-CNY pilot will allow…