Australian startup Marloo, a technology company developing AI tools for financial advisers, has raised US$2.7 million in funding to expand its platform and accelerate product development. The company operates across the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, aiming to provide advisers with AI-first software that reduces administrative burdens and supports client relationships. The round was led by Blackbird Ventures, the first investors in Canva, with participation from CoVentures. It also included a group of fintech leaders and company founders, among them Tom Hambrett (Chief Legal Officer, Revolut), Sam Halse (former COO, Adyen), Philip Fierlinger (Co-founder, Xero), Tom Kelly (Co-founder, Heidi Health),…
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ANZ Bank will reportedly cut about 3,500 jobs over the next year in a restructuring drive led by Chief Executive Nuno Matos. Bloomberg reported the overhaul is aimed at cutting complexity, eliminating duplication and refocusing the bank on higher-priority work while restoring investor and regulatory confidence. The lender expects to book a pre-tax restructuring charge of about A$560 million in the second half of 2025. The reductions, equal to roughly 8 percent of staff, will be accompanied by the removal of close to 1,000 contractor roles. ANZ said customer-facing jobs and those tied to its Suncorp acquisition will be spared.…
Banks today face three unstoppable forces: the need for rapid digital adoption, the surge in demand for seamless, mobile-first services, and increasingly complex regulatory requirements. These have made one thing clear: transformation is an imperative. Across the Asia Pacific, banks are under mounting pressure from fintech disruptors and their peers who are racing ahead in their modernisation journeys. For banking leaders, the pressing question is how quickly and effectively this transformation can be achieved. The answer lies in the strategic adoption of cloud banking through SaaS, enabled by partnerships that blend deep financial expertise with robust infrastructure. To explore how…
Singapore’s blended finance programme FAST-P has taken a major step forward, with its Green Investments Partnership (GIP) reaching a first close of US$510 million. The fund will support green and sustainable infrastructure projects across Southeast and South Asia, backed by a strong pipeline of deals. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said commitments came from a mix of public, private and philanthropic investors. These include MAS itself, the Australian Government through Export Finance Australia, International Finance Corporation, Dutch development bank FMO, HSBC, Temasek, British International Investment, Bank of the Philippine Islands and Allied Climate Partners. The European Commission is also…
MetaComp, a licensed provider of cross-border foreign exchange and digital asset infrastructure based in Singapore and regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), has announced a strategic partnership with OSL Group, a digital financial infrastructure platform headquartered in Hong Kong. The collaboration will focus on developing digital solutions for cross-border payments, enhancing the market infrastructure for tokenised real-world assets (RWAs), and strengthening regulatory-compliant innovation across the two financial centres. Central to the partnership is the aim of building a more interconnected ecosystem for digital assets and tokenised finance. Areas of focus include improving liquidity, enabling cross-border transactions, supporting compliant…
Stripe and Paradigm rolled out Tempo to give enterprises a blockchain built for payroll, remittances and other daily payments. The new L1 targets stablecoin transactions and real-world financial use cases, addressing gaps the firms see in trading-oriented crypto infrastructure. Tempo draws on Stripe’s payments experience and Paradigm’s crypto engineering work, with design motivations such as fees denominated in fiat units familiar to users and support for batch transfers. Initial design partners include Anthropic, Coupang, Deutsche Bank, DoorDash, Lead Bank, Mercury, Nubank, OpenAI, Revolut, Shopify, Standard Chartered and Visa. The network is expected to support payment acceptance, global payouts, microtransactions, tokenised…
Banking software company Temenos announced that CEO Jean-Pierre Brulard has stepped down with immediate effect. The board named Chief Financial Officer Takis Spiliopoulos as interim CEO while it searches for a permanent successor and has engaged an executive search firm. Board chair Thibault de Tersant thanked Brulard for his leadership saying, “Jean-Pierre has positioned the company for long-term success, simplifying our global product and technology organisation, aligning our product portfolio with our strategic priorities and increasing our US presence. While we will be moving to new leadership to execute the next phase of the strategic plan, and have started the…
Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a growing threat to personal security, with public confidence in online authenticity continuing to erode amid rising fears of manipulated content and AI-friend deception. A new study by Jumio found that 74% of consumers in Singapore believe AI-powered fraud now poses a greater threat to personal security than traditional forms of identity theft, underscoring the rapid proliferation of AI tools to commit fraud. The Jumio 2025 Online Identity Study polled more than 8,000 adult consumers in the US, the UK, Singapore and Mexico, to assess consumer awareness around issues involving online identity, fraud risks,…
IG Group Holdings has appointed Gavin Chia as CEO of IG Singapore and Emerging Markets, September 1 2025, subject to regulatory approval. The appointment comes as IG looks to expand its product offering across Asia. Chia was previously CEO and a founding employee of Moomoo Singapore, where he developed the platform into one of the country’s leading brokerages within four years. He has held senior positions at UOB Kay Hian, Haitong International and PhilipCapital, and is recognised for his experience in scaling businesses and working with regulators, exchanges and industry partners. “Singapore is a hub for increasingly sophisticated investors, and…
Fireblocks has announced the launch of the Fireblocks Network for Payments, aimed at supporting stablecoin transactions in more than 100 countries, including Singapore and Hong Kong. The new network extends Fireblocks’ infrastructure to stablecoin payments, providing institutions such as fintech firms and payment service providers with the ability to manage payouts, remittances, merchant settlements, cross-border treasury, and global payment flows. It links local payment rails, blockchains, and stablecoin systems with on/off-ramps, issuers, liquidity providers, on-chain foreign exchange, and remittance services covering over 60 currencies. “Fireblocks is the backbone of stablecoin payments,” said Michael Shaulov, Chief Executive and Co-founder of Fireblocks.…
ICICI Bank has opened a new branch in Bengaluru designed to meet the specific banking requirements of startups through a mix of digital and in-person services. Situated on 19th Main Road, Sector 3, HSR Layout, the branch is intended to act as a single point of access for emerging businesses at different stages of growth. The branch provides a range of services for both founders and employees of startups. Business banking facilities include current accounts, such as GIFT City accounts, overdraft options, corporate credit cards, escrow services, foreign currency accounts, and working capital loans. These loans extend to financing against…
SNP Group has opened its new Asia-Pacific headquarters at Asia Square in Singapore, strengthening its presence and commitment to the region. The German software company, which specializes in SAP data migration and management, said the new office will consolidate go-to-market, delivery, and support functions, while also serving as a hub for talent development and customer engagement. SNP completed more than 50 go-lives in Asia Pacific over the past year, all delivered on time, without disruption, and providing immediate business value. Customers in the region are also adopting its Kyano platform to enable AI-powered processes that improve productivity, accuracy, and decision-making.…
Global neobank Revolut is banking on Google Cloud to fuel its next growth surge, as the fintech sets its sights on more than 100 million customers worldwide. Revolut said a multi-year, multi-million dollar partnership will expand its use of Google Cloud’s infrastructure to handle rising demand and ensure seamless performance. The company will also use Google’s AI and machine learning tools, including Gemini, to deliver real-time financial insights and improve fraud detection. Revolut has more than 60 million customers, up from 1.5 million in 2018, and says it has held the #1 spot on mobile app stores in multiple markets.…
Trust Bank is marking its third anniversary with a series of promotions, including a collaboration with POP MART and a giveaway of electric vehicles. The partnership features a limited edition Trust x POP MART x Sweet Bean Merlion tote bag, redeemable at the Trust Experience Centre at FairPrice Xtra VivoCity for customers who make five qualifying purchases of at least S$50 between 15 September and 12 October. New credit card sign-ups using the promo code <TRUSTPOP> receive a guaranteed spin on the gachapon machine for Sweet Bean blind boxes or one of 10 ultra-rare Sweet Bean Merlion figurines, personally signed…
OWNY is centralising its anti-money laundering (AML) checks with Flagright, aiming to streamline monitoring and reporting. The platform is designed to help institutions manage private investments and capital across borders. Its services include private wealth management, alternative asset investing, document processing, payments via ACH, wire, FX and SWIFT, and back-office reporting for regulatory purposes. By adopting Flagright’s technology, OWNY will use real-time monitoring, AML screening, risk scoring, and case management across its operations. OWNY added that its clients depend on the platform to manage private offerings and move funds worldwide, and that Flagright’s centralised tools will support compliance at scale…
Singapore has ordered Meta to tighten its grip on scams, warning that Facebook could face million-dollar fines if fraudulent accounts and impersonation ads continue unchecked. The police will issue an implementation directive under the Online Criminal Harms Act (OCHA), the first time Singapore is using this power. It requires Meta to put in place measures to address scam advertisements, accounts, profiles and business pages that impersonate key government officials on Facebook. Non compliance may result in fines of up to S$1 million. Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming said Facebook is the…
Antom is bringing AI agents to the checkout by launching a payment system that supports both cards and digital wallets. The move makes Antom one of the first partners in Asia Pacific to work with Mastercard and Visa on card-based agentic payments. The new solution is designed to help AI agents handle real-world transactions more easily. By covering a wide range of payment options, from digital wallets to bank cards, it gives users more flexibility while adding safeguards to reduce fraud and strengthen transparency. Built on the Model Context Protocol, the platform lets payments flow naturally through conversations with AI…
Global financial platform Airwallex is moving into the billing space with its acquisition of OpenPay, adding subscription management and revenue analytics to its global platform. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Airwallex’s billing services will be available for both new and existing customers in the fourth quarter of 2025. The acquisition brings OpenPay’s billing and analytics tools into Airwallex’s global platform, strengthening its position against competitors such as Stripe Billing and Recurly. OpenPay’s technology includes smart payment routing, AI-driven retention tools, real-time insights and subscription management for tiered, usage-based and flat fee models. Demand for hybrid and usage-based…
Experian and the Singapore Fintech Association (SFA) have launched an accelerator programme to help startups expand into new markets, form business partnerships, and strengthen their presence across Southeast Asia. The Experian SFA Accelerator Programme will begin with an information session on 8 September. It will identify fintechs working on solutions such as digital onboarding, alternative data scoring, open banking, and electronic Know-Your-Customer and Know-Your-Business processes. Applications and evaluations will run through September, with one to three companies to be shortlisted in October. The selected firms will then enter partnership discussions and go-to-market activities, leading to a wrap-up and results announcement…
DBS Group’s push to expand into Malaysia has hit a snag, with Bloomberg reporting that its proposed purchase of a stake in Alliance Bank is on hold while it awaits clearance from the central bank. People familiar with the matter said DBS and Alliance’s biggest shareholder, Vertical Theme, filed applications with Bank Negara Malaysia about eight months ago but have yet to hear back. Approval is required before discussions on a sale can take place. Vertical Theme, backed by Temasek Holdings, owns about 29 percent of Alliance. DBS had considered raising that stake to nearly 49 percent through a partial…