Pine Labs has teamed up with Google Cloud to develop agentic commerce infrastructure for Indian merchants. The collaboration will use Google Cloud’s Gemini technology across merchant discovery, marketing, operations and payments. Pine Labs plans to develop AI agents that can create and place ads across Google Search, YouTube and its point-of-sale devices. Its issuing business is also building Jarvis, a Gemini Enterprise-based platform for programme creation, diagnostics and customer support on Woohoo. The companies are also working on tools that make merchant catalogues easier for AI agents to read and recommend. Pine Labs’ P3P payment layer will support transactions within…
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DBS and Avaloq will jointly develop new wealth management capabilities as the bank targets S$1 trillion in retail and wealth assets by 2030. The two firms have signed a MoU to expand their 18-year partnership across business growth, co-innovation and capability building. DBS will explore wider use of Avaloq’s wealth management platform across its markets and business lines, with deployments tailored to local requirements. The firms will also look at jointly developing capabilities across digital platforms, products, execution and future wealth management models. The expanded partnership comes as demand for professional investment advice grows across Asia while the industry faces…
Wise has rolled out its multi-currency account and card in Thailand for local travellers, expatriates and digital nomads. Customers can hold and convert more than 40 currencies, set exchange rate alerts and spend locally or overseas using a physical or digital Wise Card. The card can also be added to Google Pay for contactless payments, while the Wise app supports QR payments through Thailand’s PromptPay network. Customers travelling in the region can also use supported QR payment systems including DuitNow in Malaysia, QRPh in the Philippines and PayNow in Singapore. Other features include bill splitting, destination spending guides and ATM…
Southeast Asian organizations are leading global peers in using artificial intelligence (AI) safely and responsibly, positioning them for stronger return on investment (ROI) from the technology, according to a new study by SAS and the International Data Corporation (IDC). The annual report, which tracks how organizations around the world are adopting AI, building trust in AI and realizing business value from the technology, found that Southeast Asia’s Trustworthiness Index rose 8.8 points from 57.7 in 2025 to 66.5 out of 100 in 2026, demonstrating improved practices. The Trustworthiness Index evaluates governance, data, and oversight practices that prove AI reliability across…
Payment intelligence firm IPID has secured US$16 million in Series A funding led by Foundation Capital. Citi and HSBC participated as strategic investors, alongside existing backers QED Investors, Monk’s Hill Ventures and Quona Capital. IPID will use the funding to expand its global network, grow in the United States and Europe, and develop capabilities covering US payment rails, stablecoins and digital assets. The company provides bank account verification services across more than 50 countries, helping financial institutions verify recipient details before funds are sent. The round follows IPID’s US$5.3 million pre-Series A in 2024. “Every payment starts with a decision,…
EBANX is preparing to launch payment operations in Pakistan in the first half of 2027. The company will initially support local digital wallets JazzCash and Easypaisa, followed by Raast, Pakistan’s national instant payment system. The move follows EBANX launches in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Türkiye this year. “Pakistan is a classic mobile-first market where smartphone ownership runs 20 to 40 percentage points ahead of card ownership. This makes local account-based payment methods, bank transfers, and digital wallets the key to winning market share. This payment fragmentation is challenging for global businesses, but bridging local payment infrastructure with global merchant…
Turning AI investment into business value is emerging as the next challenge for companies deploying the technology, according to Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How. Speaking at NVIDIA AI Day Singapore, Tan highlighted commercialisation as companies look for clearer returns from AI spending. “The next constraint on AI growth may not be what AI can do. It may be about how quickly organisations can turn what AI can do into economic value,” Tan said. He argued that businesses need to move beyond standalone tools and rethink workflows around how people and AI can work together. Tan pointed to Sea,…
Grab and OpenAI are expanding their AI partnership with a regional training programme for 30,000 driver, delivery and merchant partners across Southeast Asia. The GO Forward with AI programme will run under GrabAcademy over the next two years. It has launched in Singapore and will expand to Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines later this year. Training will focus on practical uses of AI for work and business. Driver and delivery partners will learn how to develop business ideas and create simple marketing plans, while merchants will use AI to analyse sales data and support areas such as demand forecasting and…
Grab executives Anthony Tan and Alexander Hungate have bought more than US$30 million in company shares. Tan, Grab’s CEO, bought 10.35 million Class A ordinary shares on 21 September at a weighted average price of US$2.8866 per share, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The purchase was worth about US$29.9 million. The shares were acquired through multiple transactions at prices ranging from US$2.83 to US$2.91. Following the transaction, Tan directly owned about 10.78 million Grab shares. Grab President and COO Alexander Hungate separately bought 299,571 shares on the same day at a weighted average price…
Meta removed more than 3.64 million Facebook and Instagram shell pages in July after information from Singapore police helped uncover infrastructure prepared for scam campaigns. The Straits Times reported on the enforcement following a Meta briefing on 22 September about its wider anti-scam work with the Singapore Police Force. Between January and June, information shared by the police led Meta to take action against more than 113,000 entities and pages linked to fraud and scams. Most of the related content involved investment scams. Meta said its investigations ultimately identified more than five times the number of assets initially flagged by…
Klook and Visa have teamed up across Southeast Asia on travel experiences, cardholder offers and creator programmes. The companies signed a MoU covering Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Both will work together on creator programmes, cardholder offers, in-destination marketing and Visa Destinations, Visa’s travel platform. Klook will also join Visa Destinations as a partner, with its offers made available through the platform. The companies will establish a shared framework for travel creators across Southeast Asia. Klook works with more than 30,000 creators across 88 markets through its Kreator Programme. Affiliate links from Visa creators will be hosted…
In Asia-Pacific (APAC), digital cross-border money movement is on the rise, with digital channels now underpinning most international money movement across the region. A 2026 research by Visa, which surveyed in Q1 2026 more than 45,000 remittance senders and receivers across 20 markets globally, including Singapore, the Philippines, India, Japan, Mainland China, and Australia, found that digital channels are the most used method for international transfers. Across the region, India leads, with digital channels accounting for 86% of remittances, followed by Singapore at 82%, and the Philippines at 72%. This top three ranking remains consistent with last year’s survey results…
J.P. Morgan Payments has tapped Thunes to expand Xpedite Remit across more than 100 cross-border payment corridors. The partnership combines J.P. Morgan Payments’ access to local real-time payment rails with Thunes’ Direct Global Network. Clients will be able to send payouts to bank accounts and mobile wallets through a single connection, with support for foreign exchange conversion. Thunes’ network reaches 12 billion bank accounts and mobile wallets globally. “Our clients want simpler, faster ways to move money across borders and to reach people through the payment methods they prefer. That’s why we are continuing to enhance our cross-border capabilities and…
Luno has acquired GTXN as it expands its cross-border payments capabilities between developed and emerging markets. Financial details were not disclosed. The deal brings GTXN’s collection and payout infrastructure into Luno’s operations, allowing businesses to move funds through one provider rather than relying on several banks and intermediaries. Transactions will run over infrastructure within the group and settle against Luno’s liquidity. Luno expects this to reduce processing steps and settlement times. Cross-border payments often rely on correspondent banking networks, where intermediary banks can add fees, foreign exchange conversions and compliance checks. Following the acquisition, GTXN will serve as Luno’s cross-border…
Binance has invested US$100 million in Circle as the two companies renew their USDC partnership under a new five-year agreement. Under the agreement, Binance will expand the promotion of USDC across its global platform, with a focus on emerging markets. Circle will provide the infrastructure needed to support the holding and use of the stablecoin on Binance. As part of the deal, Binance purchased US$100 million worth of Circle Class A common stock through a private placement. The shares were acquired at a price reflecting a 5% discount to Circle’s market price before the transaction closed. “Circle has earned its…
Southeast Asia’s first ceramic credit card uses the same zirconia as luxury watches, and there is no application form. The card chooses you. Andrew Jong, Managing Director of Personal Financial Services at Hong Leong Bank, and Atul Singh, Global Head of Distribution at Giesecke+Devrient (G+D), join Vincent Fong to talk through HLB opus, the invitation-only card Hong Leong launched on Visa’s new Infinite Privilege tier.
AI is gaining ground in Singapore’s lending journey, with 83% of consumers trusting it to compare loans across providers. The finding comes from Experian’s AI in Risk: The Rise of Agentic Commerce report, based on research conducted by Forrester Consulting. The Singapore study surveyed 482 credit-active, digitally literate consumers as part of a wider study of 6,247 respondents across 13 markets. Nearly half of Singapore respondents, or 49%, were also comfortable with an AI agent applying for a loan or credit card on their behalf. Consumers see practical value in AI agents Comfort falls as tasks move from research to…
LexisNexis Risk Solutions has launched an AI fraud detection tool that automatically adapts to changing fraud patterns. Emailage Adaptive continuously learns from an organisation’s transaction data, confirmed fraud cases and industry trends without requiring manual model calibration. The system analyses signals including email addresses, IP addresses, phone numbers and physical addresses to generate fraud risk scores. It can be used for account opening, account management and payments. In testing cited by LexisNexis Risk Solutions, the technology identified around 90% of fraud among the highest-risk transactions while reducing false positives by more than 80%. Dell Technologies is among the companies using…
Asia has emerged as a prominent innovation hub, driven by the region’s diverse markets playing unique roles and leveraging their specific expertise to accelerate various stages of the startup lifecycle. A new research by startup market intelligence and analytics company CB Insights looks at the Asian tech landscape, examining 11 markets and interviewing over 30 senior investors and founders to map how this ecosystem works. The report emphasizes a network of countries, each specializing in different stages of the startup lifecycle. This open, multi-country innovation model is designed to promote resilience and enable rapid innovation on a large scale. According…
Syfe has surpassed S$20 billion in assets under management (AUM) as it expands its digital wealth business across Asia-Pacific. The milestone follows a year in which the Singapore-headquartered company reached group profitability and raised S$100 million in Series C funding. Syfe also acquired ASX-listed Selfwealth, which now operates as Selfwealth by Syfe. The platform now has more than 400,000 users across the region. “Crossing S$20 billion is a good milestone, but the most important signal is that customers keep choosing to invest more with us over time. That growth comes from new customers joining, but just as much from existing…