Fireblocks, an enterprise platform, announced an expanded collaboration with Thales, a cybersecurity provider of Luna Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), on 10 February 2026 to deliver institutional-grade digital asset security architecture for financial institutions. The collaboration integrates Fireblocks’ digital asset platform with Thales’ Luna HSMs, enabling institutions to extend their existing certified hardware infrastructure into digital asset operations without having to re-architect security models. Adam Levine, SVP, Head of Corporate Development and Partnerships at Fireblocks, shared, Adam Levine “By expanding our partnership with Thales, we’re enabling the deployment of digital asset services using customer-owned, certified hardware they already trust – without compromising on control, compliance, or operational integrity.” Todd Moore, Vice President, Data Security Product at Thales, added, Todd Moore “Combined with Fireblocks, we help institutions reduce key-exposure risk, strengthen governance, and move digital value with confidence across high-value digital ecosystems at scale.” The architecture supports a range of institutional use cases, including custody, trading, tokenization, and on-chain settlement, while integrating with existing security, governance, and audit processes. This control is operationalised through Fireblocks KeyLink, which ensures private keys or key shares are generated, stored, and operated entirely within customer-owned Luna HSMs. All cryptographic operations are performed inside institution-controlled infrastructure. Fireblocks cannot unilaterally sign transactions or move assets. Instead, the platform provides policy enforcement, orchestration, and enterprise-grade governance across hot, warm, and cold operating models. Featured image edited by Fintech News Singapore based on image by Frolopiaton Palm on Freepik The post Fireblocks and Thales Expand Partnership to Deliver Bank-Grade Digital Asset Security appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Asia-Pacific’s fintech market is the most dynamic and fragmented in the world. While legacy banks struggle to keep up with shifting regulations and local payment rails, one European powerhouse is making a massive bet on the region. Gabriel, Stefanak, Business Development Head, Decta, breaks down why the current “fragmented” vendor stack is a ticking time bomb for financial institutions and how DECTA’s “Full-Stack” model, owning everything from issuing to acquiring, is their ultimate moat for entering APAC. The post Why This European Payments Challenger is Betting Big on APAC ft. Gabriel Stefanak, Decta appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

The Asia Fintech Alliance (AFA) has announced the results of its latest leadership election. The election was conducted in accordance with the AFA Bylaws adopted by all members in 2025. All elected members of the Executive Committee received affirmative written consent from more than two-thirds of AFA member associations. These members represent at least ten Asian economies. AFA members re-elected Jaclyn Tsai (Taiwan) as Chairwoman for a second term and confirmed Dongpyo Hong (Korea) and Wilson Beh (Malaysia) as Vice Chairpersons, continuing their roles since November 2025. They also elected Takafumi Ochiai (Japan) as Treasurer, a newly established position to strengthen AFA’s financial oversight, and re-elected Winston Hsiao (Taiwan) as Secretary. Under the renewed leadership, the two Vice Chairpersons will jointly oversee eight Working Groups. These include Bylaws, Anti-Fraud, Academy, Affiliate Members, Women in Fintech, Website, and Webinars. The groups will manage policy, industry development, inclusion, and knowledge exchange initiatives. Jaclyn Tsai “I am deeply honoured by the trust our members have placed in this leadership team,” said Jaclyn Tsai. “AFA is not just a platform, it is a network of trust. The more trust we build across borders, the more collective power we have to shape Asia’s fintech future.” Wilson Beh added: “AFA’s strength lies in its diversity, across markets, regulatory environments, and stages of development. This allows us to co-create solutions that truly work for Asia.” AFA currently comprises 15 member associations. These represent Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Mongolia, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. With its renewed mandate, the Alliance will continue to promote cross-border trust, regulatory dialogue, and industry collaboration. It aims to turn diversity into collective strength and governance into regional impact.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by vefimov via Freepik The post Jaclyn Tsai Re-elected Chairwoman as Asia Fintech Alliance Updates Leadership appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Entrust, a global provider of identity-centric security solutions, has announced a collaboration with Google to advance identity verification (IDV) and AI-driven security. The combined solution aims to support organisations in addressing rising fraud threats while improving onboarding efficiency through reporting and actionable insights. Heavily regulated sectors such as financial services and insurance find these measures particularly relevant. Injection attacks during onboarding have risen 40% year-on-year, with the growing sophistication of deepfakes increasing the risk of identity fraud. Businesses require multi-layered fraud prevention to safeguard customers and operations. Under the partnership, Entrust’s IDV solutions will integrate with Google Cloud’s infrastructure and security services, including threat intelligence, incident-response systems, and Gemini AI models. The collaboration will give organisations enhanced visibility into fraud trends and identity verification performance through real-time analytics. David Engelbrecht “Our partnership with Entrust reflects Google’s commitment to helping businesses innovate securely and at scale,” said David Engelbrecht, Head of Go-to-Market, Google Cloud. “By combining Entrust identity verification solutions and their deep fraud intelligence with Google Cloud’s AI and infrastructure, we’re enabling organisations to deliver frictionless, trusted experiences for their customers.” Tony Ball “Partnering with Google allows us to push the boundaries of what is possible in identity-centric security solutions and help the world’s largest organisations stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated fraud while creating seamless digital experiences for their customers,” said Tony Ball, President of Payments & Identity and incoming CEO at Entrust. “With more than 1 billion identity verifications worldwide, Entrust has unparalleled insight into identity fraud and how to combat it.” Further information and resources will be made available during the 2026 rollout.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by Tanu via Freepik The post Entrust Partners with Google to Improve Fraud Detection and ID Verification appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

XPENG has appointed Antom as the first global payment partner for its electric vehicle (EV) charging platform to support international growth. Ant International’s Antom provides a unified infrastructure designed to simplify the complex payment landscape encountered during global expansion. The partnership debuted in Hong Kong on 9 February 2026. Initial implementation allows drivers to use the XPENG app to manage the end-to-end “Search, Locate, Charge, Pay” process. Users in the region can currently settle payments via AlipayHK at over 1,600 public chargers. Credit card options are expected to be available for these customers shortly. Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia are expected to see the expansion of this collaboration later in 2026. Future rollouts will support local e-wallets such as Touch ‘n Go and TrueMoney to enhance user convenience. Gary Liu, General Manager of Antom, noted: Gary Liu “Payment becomes a strategic capability for automakers’ charging platforms to deliver better user service, improve efficiency and achieve sustainable growth”. Overseas deliveries for the carmaker reached 45,008 units in 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 96.0%. Lawrence Li, General Manager of XPENG Overseas Charging, explained that the collaboration leverages complementary ecosystems to foster wider cross-industry alliances and deliver a more comprehensive experience for global users. The collaboration aims to build a more scalable global charging infrastructure through such integrations supports the electric vehicle sector as it moves into a more interconnected era. Featured image by Frolopiaton Palm via Freepik. This article first appeared on Fintech News Hong Kong. The post XPENG and Antom Partner to Digitise EV Charging Payments in Hong Kong appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Gemini is centralising its global operations in Singapore and the US, even as the cryptocurrency exchange implements a 25% reduction in its total workforce. While the job cuts will affect employees in the Singapore office, the city-state remains a primary hub for the company as it scales back its international footprint elsewhere. This strategic focus on Singapore follows significant regulatory and leadership developments for the firm in the region. In early 2024, Gemini appointed former Grab leader Saad Ahmed as Head of APAC to “spearhead” its regional expansion. More recently, the exchange received In-Principle Approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore for a Major Payment Institution license, allowing it to provide digital payment token services. According to Finextra, the current restructuring will result in the loss of approximately 200 jobs across Singapore, the US, and Europe. The overhaul involves the total closure of Gemini’s operations in the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Australia, a decision driven by the ongoing downturn in global digital asset markets. For customers in the affected European and Australian regions, accounts will transition to a withdrawal-only mode starting 5 March 2026, with full operational closures scheduled for 6 April 2026. In a blog post announcing the restructuring, Gemini founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss stated: “We expect this will help reduce our total expenses in line with our headcount reduction and meaningfully accelerate our path to profitability even in the backdrop of the current crypto market.” Moving forward, Gemini intends to focus heavily on prediction markets, a segment the founders believe “will be as big or bigger than today’s capital markets.” Following a mid-December launch, the new product has reportedly attracted more than 10,000 users and over US$24 million in trading volume. The founders described the service as a “truth machine” that will become central to the exchange’s future product offering.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by siegostuan via Freepik The post Singapore Becomes Primary Hub as Gemini Lays Off 25% of Global Workforce appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

DBS has announced it will provide a special one-time bonus of S$1,000 to its junior-ranked employees. The initiative will benefit more than 23,000 staff members across the bank’s global operations, including approximately 6,800 employees in Singapore. This year’s allocation of S$18 million for junior staff follows a trend of performance-related payouts at the bank. In 2025, following a record-breaking financial year in 2024 where net profit rose 11% to S$11.4 billion, DBS had set aside a larger pool of S$32 million for a similar S$1,000 bonus that extended to all employees except senior management. The current S$18 million initiative is also significantly higher than a previous supplement provided in 2024, which amounted to S$5 million for junior-ranked staff. DBS Chief Executive Officer Tan Su Shan stated, Tan Su Shan “In spite of a difficult environment, DBS delivered a resilient set of results and we wanted to specially recognise the contributions of our junior staff.” In its latest financial reporting for the fourth quarter of 2025, DBS recorded a 10% year-on-year decline in net profit to S$2.26 billion. For the full year, net profit fell by 3% to S$10.93 billion, largely due to interest rate headwinds and a higher tax burden following the implementation of the 15% global minimum tax. While Tan anticipates that 2026 earnings may sit slightly below 2025 levels due to further rate cuts and currency fluctuations, the bank remains focused on its digital transformation and wealth management growth. The one-off bonus serves as a bridge, acknowledging staff contributions even as the “record-breaking” pace of previous years transitions into a more “resilient” and stabilised performance.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by Borin via Freepik The post DBS to Pay S$18 Million in Junior Staff Bonuses Despite Slight Annual Profit Dip appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Zycus has been recognised as a Leader in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant for Source-to-Pay (S2P) Suites. The acknowledgement follows the company’s recent focus on Agentic AI and the development of its comprehensive S2P suite. The company has invested in its Merlin Intake platform to simplify user experiences. Additionally, it developed Merlin Agentic AI to support autonomous negotiation for tail-spend management. These developments align with the organisation’s Intake to Outcomes (I2O) framework, which seeks to streamline how work enters procurement while maintaining governance. Founder and CEO Aatish Dedhia stated that the recognition reflects a commitment to innovation and responsible AI. Aatish Dedhia “Merlin Agentic AI is designed to move beyond task automation towards end-to-end outcome-based autonomous workflows,” Dedhia noted, adding that it helps teams operate with greater intelligence and confidence. Long-term partners have also shared their perspectives on the milestone. Khairul Azman, Group Chief Procurement Officer at DRB-HICOM Berhad, noted that his organisation has worked with the technology for over five years, describing it as the new standard. Similarly, procurement leads from Belden and Tate & Lyle highlighted their eight-year partnerships, citing reliable delivery and execution. The unified platform used by Zycus combines native Intake and Agentic AI within a single architecture. By focusing on autonomous negotiation and outcome-based execution, the system aims to unlock savings and guide procurement requests more efficiently than traditional workflows. Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore based on images by thanyakij-12 via Freepik and Zycus. The post Zycus Named a Leader in 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Source to Pay appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Embedded credit startup Seedflex is preparing to raise a Series A round of US$6 to US$8 million later this year, as its Malaysia operations turn profitable and the company looks to scale beyond its core market. Founder and CEO Ritwik Ghosh told DealStreetAsia that Seedflex became profitable in Malaysia in the third quarter of 2025, roughly 18 months after launch, and has remained so since. The company provides cashflow-based credit to MSMEs through payment and commerce partners. Ghosh said the upcoming Series A is driven by growth opportunities rather than financial pressure. Ritwik Ghosh “This is not about the runway or survival. It’s about whether we can accelerate growth in Malaysia and in other markets,” he said. Seedflex last raised US$3.2 million in a seed extension round in May 2025, co-led by Z Venture Capital (ZVC) and Iterative, with participation from 500 Global and strategic angel investors. According to Ghosh, existing backers have shown strong interest in following on, including one investor that increased its stake after the seed extension. The fundraising plans come amid what Ghosh described as a clearer investment environment for fintechs compared with late 2024. He said investors are now favouring “proven platforms, scale, positive unit economics, [and a] clear path to profitability”. Seedflex has disbursed about RM100 million in Malaysia to date and is currently originating around RM20 million per month, with average tenures of 1.5 to two months. The firm serves over 10,000 MSMEs, double the number six months ago, and reports a non-performing loan ratio of 1-1.5%, supported by automated repayments deducted from future sales. The company employs 25 full-time staff and expects to reach group-level profitability by the end of the second quarter of 2026. In Indonesia, where it received regulatory approval last year, Seedflex is taking a pilot-first, partner-led approach, while exploring entry into a third market as a pure technology and risk platform.     Featured image credit: Fintech News Singapore The post Seedflex Eyes US$6-8M Series A as Malaysia Operations Turn Profitable appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

DBS’ years-long investment in AI and machine learning drove record deposit inflows, wealth growth and fee income in 2025, Chief Executive Tan Su Shan said. Speaking at the bank’s results briefing on February 9, Tan said AI-powered tools such as contextual nudges and automated customer engagement were key to attracting new-to-bank customers and driving volume growth. The Business Times reported that DBS has increasingly embedded AI across its operations to improve customer acquisition and productivity. Tan Su Shan “This I can attribute to the hard work we’ve done over the years in using AI, using machine learning and contextual nudges to gather new-to-bank customers, to be customer-centric, to have our nudges automated and to use AI smartly,” Tan said. As AI becomes more deeply integrated into daily workflows, Tan said it will be harder to isolate its precise economic value. However, its main benefit lies in freeing up staff for growth-focused work. “We might still try to capture the economic value… based on what we’ve been doing in the past, which is A/B testing, but I suspect there will be a lot more in terms of capacity building,” she said. Tan noted that AI has compressed work that once took months or years into weeks, particularly in addressing technical debt. The time saved can then be redeployed towards business expansion. More than 60% of DBS staff are now actively using the bank’s in-house generative AI tool, DBS GPT. While the tool was “not so good” when it first rolled out last July, DBS has since improved it and now uses it for tasks ranging from translation to policy queries. DBS said in January that the economic value generated from its AI initiatives rose to S$1 billion in 2025, up from S$750 million in 2024, based on comparisons between AI-enabled customers and control groups.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by tapati2528 via Freepik The post DBS Credits Years of AI Investment for Record Deposits and Fee Income in 2025 appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Four of Singapore’s primary telco operators: M1, Starhub, Singtel and Simba were targeted in a cyberattack carried out by UNC3886, described as a “China-nexus espionage group”, according to CNA. On 9 February 2026, the Minister for Digital Development and Information, Josephine Teo, confirmed that while the attackers breached a few critical systems in one occurrence, the attack was contained before it could disrupt services. There is currently no evidence of sensitive customer data being stolen. Operation Cyber Guardian Mobilised 100+ Specialists The discovery of the breach triggered Operation Cyber Guardian, the largest coordinated cybersecurity operation in Singapore’s history. The response involved 100+ specialists from six government agencies, including the Centre for Strategic Infocomm Technologies (CSIT), the Singapore Armed Forces Digital and Intelligence Service, the Internal Security Department and GovTech. Josephine Teo “We have been working on this and practising our plans for several years, but this is the first time that we have implemented the plan in an actual operation.” The response began after the telcos reported suspicious activities from their networks to the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). The coordinated response managed to subdue the attackers’ activities, Minister Teo shared during an event thanking the defenders. What is UNC3886? UNC3886 is described as a China-linked cyber-espionage group, first identified in 2022 by Mandiant, a cybersecurity firm. According to the Straits Times, UNC is the short-term for “uncategorised” or “unclassified”. It was first disclosed in July 2025, when the Coordinating Minister for National Security K Shanmugam shared that Singapore was dealing with a threat actor that was attacking its critical infrastructure. UNC3886 poses a critical danger to Singapore as it functions as an advanced persistent threat actor. It deployed various techniques. In one event, UNC3996 used a zero-day exploit that is known to make use of previously unknown software vulnerabilities that has no available security patch. In another occurrence, it deployed rootkits, which are stealthy software that hides its presence and also conceals other malware like key-loggers and viruses. In doing so, it also enables admin-level accesses while disabling security features like anti-virus software. It has also employed technical data exfiltration. In this method, the group “managed to exfiltrate network-related tech data to help map out its operational objectives”. Minister Teo divulged that the implications of the attack extended beyond telcos. She warned that the country must be prepared in the event other essential services like banking, transport and water systems are targeted. Telcos Work With Government on Defence In a joint statement, all four telcos emphasised their “defence-in-depth” strategy, noting that the are collaborating closely with the government to safeguard their networks and enable prompt remediation where vulnerabilities were identified. Despite the successful containment of the UNC3886 cyberattack in Singapore, authorities cautioned that the threat landscape is evolving rapidly, with Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) activity in Singapore rising by four folds between 2021 and 2024. Feature image edited by Fintech News Singapore based on image by mohammadhridoy_11 on Freepik The post UNC3886 Cyberattack in Singapore Triggers Largest Ever National Cybersecurity Response appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Nexus Global Payments (NGP) has appointed a joint venture between Payments Network Malaysia (PayNet) and Network for Electronic Transfers Singapore (NETS) as the Nexus Technical Operator (NTO), following a competitive procurement process involving international bidders. The joint venture was selected for its technical capability, operational resilience, cost efficiency, and alignment with Nexus’ goal of global payments interoperability. The NTO will work with Amazon Web Services and Endava to deliver the technical design and development of the Nexus platform. AWS provides cloud infrastructure and AI capabilities, while Endava leads end-to-end design and engineering. The NTO will be responsible for building, operating, and maintaining the Nexus infrastructure, ensuring compliance with global standards, robust cybersecurity, and operational resilience. It will also coordinate the onboarding of entities managing domestic instant payment schemes that connect to Nexus. Andrew McCormack, CEO of NGP, said: Andrew McCormack “Our partnership with PayNet and NETS is a major milestone towards our vision for an interoperable global payments network. Nexus is shaping a future where cross‑border payments are instant, accessible, and seamlessly connected.” Praveen Rajan, CEO of PayNet, added: Praveen Rajan “Being selected as the Nexus Technical Operator reflects trust in Malaysia’s capabilities. Through DuitNow and regional interoperability efforts, we are ready to scale this impact globally.” PayNet operates Malaysia’s domestic payment infrastructure, including DuitNow Transfer and DuitNow QR. NETS provides payment solutions in Singapore and regional connectivity. The joint venture combines their expertise to support Nexus’ goal of connecting domestic real-time payment systems. It also aims to reduce intermediaries and enable near-instant cross-border transactions. Technical development begins in early 2026, with a target go-live in 2027.     Featured image credit: Nexus Global Payments (NGP) The post Nexus Global Payments Appoints PayNet and NETS to Operate Real-Time Global Platform appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system is set to enter the Malaysian market, as the two countries continue to strengthen their longstanding economic ties, said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Narendra Modi “The Malaysia-India Digital Council is paving new pathways for our digital collaboration. I am happy to share with you that India’s UPI will come to Malaysia soon,” The intention for UPI to enter Malaysia was first expressed in August 2024. Modi said while addressing the Indian diaspora at a reception in Kuala Lumpur on February 7, according to The Star. He noted that nearly half of the world’s real-time digital transactions occur in India using the UPI platform. Modi added that Indian companies have consistently shown interest in working with Malaysia. Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the two countries are deepening cooperation in sectors that will define the century. “The Malaysia-India Digital Council reflects this shared ambition. The linkage between India’s unified payment system, UPI, and Malaysia’s PayNet system will make cross-border payment simpler for businesses, students and clients,” Anwar said. Modi’s last official visit to Malaysia was in November 2015, though he made a brief stopover on May 31, 2018. During this visit, he was accompanied by India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar and senior government officials.   Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by user5742774 via Freepik This article first appeared on Fintech News Malaysia The post Modi Announces India’s UPI to Launch in Malaysia, Linking with PayNet for Payments appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

DBS Group reported a 10% fall in net profit for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2025, to S$2.26 billion, from S$2.52 billion a year earlier. Excluding S$100 million set aside for corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitments, net profit would have been S$2.36 billion. Rate headwinds, higher tax expenses and the absence of non-recurring gains recorded a year ago outweighed stronger fee income and treasury customer sales. The results missed the S$2.59 billion consensus forecast in a Bloomberg survey of six analysts, The Business Times reported. The bank declared an ordinary dividend of S$0.66 per share and a capital return dividend of S$0.15 per share. This brings the total quarterly payout to S$0.81 per share, up from S$0.60 a year earlier. DBS said it plans to continue paying the S$0.15 per share capital return dividend on a quarterly basis for financial years 2026 and 2027, barring unforeseen circumstances. For the commercial book, total income fell 3% to S$5.18 billion. Net interest income declined 6% to S$3.59 billion due to a lower net interest margin, while net fee and commission income rose 14% to S$1.1 billion, led by wealth management. Investment banking and loan-related fees were also higher. Lower other income, which had included non-recurring gains a year earlier, offset a 13% rise in treasury customer sales, causing other non-interest income to fall 11% to S$486 million. Markets trading income slipped 3% to S$154 million. Group net interest margin stood at 1.93% for the quarter, down from 2.15% a year earlier. The non-performing loans ratio improved to 1% from 1.1%. This was despite what the bank described as a “prudent downgrade of a previously watch-listed real estate exposure”. Specific allowances rose to 36 basis points (bps) of loans, from 20 bps a year earlier. This took full-year specific allowances to 19 bps, up from 13 bps, partially offset by a release of general allowances. Chief executive Tan Su Shan said the bank is comfortable with its exposures and has “sufficient” general provision reserves. Tan Su Shan “While rate pressures and geopolitical tensions are expected to persist, the quality of our franchise and strong balance sheet provide a solid foundation for the year ahead,” she said. For the full year, net profit fell 3% to S$10.93 billion. This reflected higher tax expenses following the implementation of the 15% global minimum tax. Excluding the S$100 million in CSR commitments, full-year net profit would have been S$11.03 billion. This was below the S$11.27 billion consensus estimate from a Bloomberg survey of 15 analysts. Looking ahead to 2026, Tan expects net profit to be slightly below 2025 levels, with total income around 2025 levels. Group net interest income is likely to be marginally lower. This is due to further rate cuts and a strong Singapore dollar, partly offset by deposit growth. The commercial book is expected to deliver high single-digit growth in non-interest income. Wealth management is expected to drive mid-teens growth.     Featured image credit: DBS The post DBS Q4 Net Profit Falls 10% to S$2.26B, Dividends Rise to S$0.81 Per Share appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

EBANX has appointed Eduardo de Abreu as its new Chief Product Officer (CPO) to lead its global product roadmap from Singapore. Abreu, who previously served as the Vice President of Product in Brazil, will relocate to the city-state to strengthen the company’s presence in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. Abreu joined EBANX in 2015 and has held leadership roles across various departments, including Operations, Treasury, and Sales Engineering. He was also a key figure in the company’s recent expansions into Africa, India, and the Philippines. In his new capacity, he will also serve as the CEO of EBANX Singapore, focusing on regulatory engagement and merchant relationships within the region. The decision to move product leadership to Singapore follows a 20% growth in merchant Total Payment Volume (TPV) within the APAC region last year. The company currently serves over 100 APAC merchants, connecting global brands with consumers across Asia, Latin America, and Africa. João Del Valle “Eduardo’s trajectory at EBANX reflects his deep understanding of global payments, execution excellence, and total commitment to our merchants,” said João Del Valle, CEO and Co-founder of EBANX. As the payments industry evolves, the role will focus on adapting to the specific technological needs of emerging markets. Abreu stated that his primary mission is to remain connected to merchant needs while keeping pace with new technologies. Del Valle added that positioning leadership in Singapore brings the firm closer to the world’s fastest-growing consumer markets and one of the most innovative payment ecosystems. This relocation underscores EBANX’s continued investment in the APAC market as it seeks to provide better technology to its global merchant base. Featured image by EBANX. The post Eduardo de Abreu Assumes Dual Leadership as EBANX CPO and Singapore CEO appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

At first glance, gaming and payments do not always feel like natural companions. One is driven by storytelling, competition and immersion. The other is supposed to be invisible, something users only notice when it fails. Yet at Singapore Fintech Festival, the conversation between Juan Pablo Ortega, CEO and Co-Founder of Yuno, and Livia Ang, Global Business Development Director at NetEase Games, made one thing clear. Few industries expose the strengths and weaknesses of payment infrastructure as quickly, or as brutally, as gaming. For global game publishers, payments are no longer a back-office function. They sit directly on the front line of user experience, revenue performance and international expansion. When a transaction fails, a player does not calmly retry later. They complain, abandon the purchase, or walk away altogether. In a market where digital friction is rarely tolerated, payments can quietly decide whether growth accelerates or stalls. Gamers, as Juan Pablo observed during the discussion, tend to hold far higher expectations than the average consumer, leaving little room for error when it comes to checkout experiences. Gaming Raising the Bar for Payments Gaming audiences are not only global, they are deeply accustomed to seamless digital experiences. Whether it is matchmaking, content downloads or in-game purchases, everything is expected to work instantly. Payments are no exception. From NetEase Games’ perspective, the challenge is not about enabling payments in general, but enabling the right payments, in the right way, across dozens of markets. “We serve our gamers globally, across many geographies, and in each country or region that we are in, there are so much diverse payment method preferences,” Livia explained. “When you are unable to provide that, it causes a lot of friction [which will affect the overall gaming experience].” @fintechnewsnetwork 1.8 Billion Gamers. 1 Major Problem Payments are just not built for today’s modern gamers, here’s how Yuno and Netease Games is trying to fix it. #fintech #AI #gaming #BNPL #payments ♬ original sound – Fintech News Network – Fintech News Network That friction has a direct commercial impact. In gaming, purchases are often impulsive, with players buying a new skin, character upgrade or seasonal pass in the moment. If the checkout fails or feels clunky, that moment passes, and the revenue opportunity often disappears with it. This is why payments in gaming tend to surface problems that other industries can afford to tolerate for longer. A failed airline booking is frustrating, but users may try again later. A failed in-game purchase rarely gets a second chance. Global Expansion and the Myth of a Single Payment Solution As gaming companies expand internationally, the complexity of payments scales far faster than most teams expect. The fragmentation of payment methods is not unique to Southeast Asia or Latin America. It is global. Juan Pablo Ortega “Each consumer in each different geography has their own expectation and their own preferred method,” Juan Pablo said. “This is [not] only [happening] in Asia or Latin America. This is [happening] worldwide.” Even within Europe, payment preferences vary significantly. Wallets dominate in some markets, bank transfers in others, and cards are not always the default. Yet many global companies still approach payments with a card-first mindset, assuming that credit and debit cards will cover most use cases. “Because you accept credit cards and debit cards, you’re basically under coding [under-serving] and you’re only going to a part of the operation.” For gaming companies, this gap is especially visible because their audiences skew younger, more mobile-first and more comfortable with alternative payment methods. In some markets, players may not have access to traditional banking at all. “Our gamers are everywhere in the world, and they are very diverse,” Livia said. “There are unbanked gamers among them as well.” Despite their financial status, these users still want to play, and they still want to spend. But they do so through different rails, whether that is wallets, cash-based top-ups, gift cards or buy now, pay later options. The Operational Reality Behind the Scenes Supporting this level of diversity is easier said than done. Regulatory constraints, local licensing requirements and technical differences mean that no single payment provider can realistically offer full global coverage. Livia Ang “There isn’t a single provider who can provide you with every single method in the world,” Livia said. As a result, large merchants often end up working with multiple providers across regions, adding complexity on the commercial side and creating a growing integration burden on the technical side. For game publishers, that core business is content, community and live operations. Payments are critical, but they are not where companies want to spend disproportionate engineering resources. This is where orchestration and abstraction layers have become increasingly important, even if they are rarely discussed outside fintech circles, not just for access to more payment methods, but for managing them without constant reintegration. From Yuno’s perspective, this is less about adding logos and more about simplifying experience. Juan Pablo pointed out that their focus has shifted beyond the number of integrations to what happens inside the checkout flow. “We have been focusing more than [just] growing the number of integrations. We [try to] improve the experience,” he said, pointing to ongoing efforts to streamline checkout journeys so users can complete payments with fewer steps and less friction. Conversion Rate Beats Cost Savings One of the most revealing moments in the conversation came when the discussion turned to direct-to-consumer gaming models. Sparked by high-profile platform disputes and rising commission costs, many publishers are exploring ways to sell directly to players. On paper, the economics look attractive. Avoiding platform fees can mean significant savings. In practice, the equation is far more delicate. “[If] you’re saving 30% but your conversion rate drops 40%, [then], you’re actually not doing anything,” Juan Pablo said. This cuts to the heart of the D2C debate. App stores, for all their costs, offer highly optimised checkout experiences. Payments are trusted, familiar and frictionless. Replicating that experience independently is far harder than many publishers anticipate. Checkout abandonment remains a major risk. Studies consistently show that more than half of users will abandon a transaction if the process feels complicated or unfamiliar, a risk that is amplified in gaming, where purchases are often emotional and impulse-driven. For D2C strategies to work, payment experiences must not just match app stores. In many cases, they need to be better. That means supporting local payment methods, optimising mobile flows and building trust quickly with users. Inclusion, Not Just Optimisation Beyond conversion and cost, the shift toward direct engagement also highlights a quieter issue: access. Not all gamers can pay through app stores or traditional in-app mechanisms. “There are unbanked gamers that cannot [simply] top up,” Livia noted. “They have to go to a convenience store, get a gift card, and try ways and means in order to continue playing the game.” Direct channels give publishers more flexibility to serve these users, but only if payments are designed with inclusion in mind. This is not about charity or corporate messaging. It is about recognising that a global audience does not fit into a single financial profile. In emerging markets especially, alternative payment methods are not edge cases. They are often the primary way users transact, making participation, not expansion, the real goal. BNPL and Evolving Player Expectations Buy now, pay later has also started to find its place within gaming payments, particularly in markets where instalment-based spending is already familiar. “We do have that enabled in some of the markets, and they’ve proved to be very popular with the gamers,” Livia said. BNPL in gaming remains a nuanced topic. While it can increase accessibility and basket size, it also raises questions around responsible spending, especially for younger audiences. Most publishers are approaching it cautiously, enabling it selectively rather than universally. What is clear is that players increasingly expect payment flexibility to mirror what they experience in other digital services. Gaming does not exist in isolation. It competes for attention and spending alongside streaming, e-commerce and social platforms, all of which are raising the bar for checkout experience. Payments as Invisible Infrastructure By the end of the conversation, one theme kept resurfacing. Payments work best when players barely notice them. “They focus on the gaming and payment,” Livia said. “It’s seamless and working in the background.” For global game publishers, achieving that invisibility is becoming harder, not easier. Fragmentation, regulation and evolving consumer expectations continue to add layers of complexity. Yet the stakes are rising alongside the size of the gaming market, which now counts close to two billion players worldwide. As gaming continues to expand across borders, payments are quietly shifting from a technical necessity to a strategic capability. They influence who can play, how easily players can spend, and whether new business models can succeed. Most players will never think about payment orchestration, conversion rates or authentication protocols. They will simply expect things to work. For companies operating at global scale, meeting that expectation has become one of the most important challenges in the business. In gaming, payments may be invisible to players, but they are increasingly impossible for publishers to ignore. Juan Pablo and Livia expand more on all of this in our full conversation, which you can watch right down below. The post Gaming’s Growth Story Is Increasingly Written in Payments appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Grab Finance has deployed the FICO Platform across six countries as it expands credit eligibility across its ecosystem. The financial services arm of Grab has implemented more than 22 credit decision workflows covering drivers, merchants and consumers. The rollout has increased credit offer eligibility rates by nearly 50 percent and supports lending across its ecosystem of more than 46 million consumers as well as millions of merchants and drivers. Grab Finance said the platform assesses borrowers using behavioural data generated within the Grab app, including ride activity, merchant revenues and payment history. These signals support automated pre-approved credit offers while operating within local regulatory requirements and data protection rules. Nikhil Behl “What Grab Finance has accomplished here is remarkable. They’ve essentially turned everyday digital behavior into a credit passport for millions of people who were previously invisible to traditional banking. When a taxi driver in Jakarta can get credit based on their ride patterns, or a food merchant in Bangkok can access working capital through their delivery history, that’s not just innovation, it’s economic transformation at scale.” said Nikhil Behl, President, Software at FICO. “Grab saw a strategic opportunity to make financing in Southeast Asia more accessible by leveraging our superapp ecosystem and behavioral data. Using FICO Platform, we can deliver contextual, real-time credit offers across multiple verticals within the Grab super app. This enables us to expand financial inclusion by providing credit access for underserved users who are economically active but often overlooked by traditional lenders.” said Andre Tan, Regional Head, Lending Risk Platforms at Grab Finance. Southeast Asia has a large underbanked population, with many individuals and small businesses unable to access credit due to limited bureau records. Grab Finance said it developed alternative risk models to address this gap using in-app activity as a basis for credit assessment. The first phase of the rollout was completed in under eight months and covered six markets where Grab operates. The deployment automated key credit eligibility processes while accommodating differences in regulatory and data governance requirements across jurisdictions. Grab provides financial services across Southeast Asia, including digital banking through GXS Bank in Singapore and GXBank in Malaysia.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by Freepik The post Grab Taps FICO to Widen Loan Access Across Southeast Asia appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

South African digital lender TymeBank has officially rebranded as GoTyme Bank, aligning its local operations with the branding used across the wider Tyme Group. The transition includes the launch of a new GoTyme Bank mobile app, which went live on 22 January and is being rolled out in phases. The bank said the migration is designed to prioritise system stability, security and customer experience. Existing customers are not required to open new accounts. Account details, balances and transaction histories have already been migrated, and customers can access their accounts by downloading the new app and logging in with their current credentials. Cheslyn Jacobs “GoTyme Bank reflects who we are today and where we’re going next as part of a global banking group with a strong South African foundation. This is not a change to our fundamentals. It’s the same bank, built on the same licence and principles, now expressed through a brand and platform that better reflects our scale, technology, and ambition.” said Cheslyn Jacobs, Chief Executive Officer of GoTyme Bank South Africa. The digital banking group operates across markets including the Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam and Singapore, serving around 20 million customers globally. The new app features an updated interface alongside performance and security enhancements. Additional features are expected to be introduced progressively as part of the phased rollout. Launched in February 2019, GoTyme Bank has grown to serve more than 12 million customers in South Africa. The bank said there are no changes to customer products, balances, ownership structure or regulatory oversight following the rebrand.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by smth.design via Freepik The post South Africa’s TymeBank Rebrands as GoTyme Bank appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

TRM Labs raised US$70 million in Series C funding, valuing the company at US$1 billion as demand grows for blockchain analytics used in financial crime detection. The round was led by Blockchain Capital, with participation from returning investors including Goldman Sachs, Bessemer Venture Partners, Citi Ventures, DRW Venture Capital, Y Combinator, Thoma Bravo, Alumni Ventures, Brevan Howard Digital, and CMT Digital. Galaxy Ventures joined as a new strategic investor. TRM said the funding follows average annual revenue growth of more than 150 percent over the past five years. Its tools are used by law enforcement and national security agencies in more than 50 countries, as well as financial institutions and cryptocurrency firms such as Circle, Coinbase, Cross River Bank, PayPal, Robinhood, Stripe, and Visa. As more financial activity shifts onto blockchain networks, TRM’s platform is used to trace transactions and identify illicit activity linked to fraud, ransomware, terrorism financing, scam operations, and programmatic money laundering. The company said criminal groups are increasingly using automation and artificial intelligence to scale these activities. The funding will be used to expand TRM’s workforce, including AI researchers, data scientists, engineers, and investigative specialists, and to further develop AI-enabled compliance and investigation tools. Esteban Castaño “At TRM, we’re building AI for problems that have real consequences for public safety, financial integrity, and national security. This funding allows our world-class team — and the people who will join us next — to innovate alongside institutions on the front lines of the most consequential threats, and expand the potential of AI to meaningfully improve how our critical systems are protected.” said Esteban Castaño, co-founder and CEO of TRM Labs. TRM is headquartered in San Francisco and operates as a distributed-first company, with teams based in New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, London, and Singapore.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by mangpor2004 via Freepik The post TRM Labs Earns Unicorn Badge With US$70 Million Series C Funding appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Mention Euronet, and you’re likely to picture its iconic blue and yellow ATMs. They’re a global staple, found anywhere, from transport hubs to high-traffic retail locations. But in the high-stakes world of modern finance, these machines are the tip of a much larger spear. ATMs actually account for less than a fifth of Euronet’s revenues. The bulk of the business runs in the background, powering the infrastructure that moves money at scale. Euronet provides the connective tissue of modern finance. It powers modern payments and money movement, from national payment switches and point of sale services to cross-border transfers, currency exchange, and branded payment solutions. In 2025, Euronet processed 16 billion transactions and moved more than US$200 billion through its network, operating across 200 countries. And as payments have become increasingly fluid across borders, this kind of infrastructure has become a necessity. To explore how Euronet’s infrastructure is evolving across the Asia Pacific, Fintech News Network’s Chief Editor, Vincent Fong, spoke with Himanshu Pujara, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Euronet. The discussion examined how the company is modernising payments, expanding into issuing and unsecured lending, and positioning itself for the next phase of financial inclusion in the region. Why Euronet Spent US$248M on Its CoreCard Acquisition Deal “The acquisition of the CoreCard platform is aligned with the firm’s ambition of becoming a global leader in integrated issuing and processing solutions.” According to Himanshu, its CoreCard acquisition serves as a prime opportunity to disrupt the legacy lending and credit card tech used by traditional banks and fintechs. By integrating CoreCard, Euronet gains a strong referential footprint in the lucrative US market, backed by high-profile clients like Goldman Sachs and Apple. For context, CoreCard is a “modern card issuer processor with end-to-end solutions across credit, prepaid, and debit that are digital-first and API-centric”. It has been the engine under the hood for the Apple Card, as it provides the software architecture that makes the card itself function. @fintechnewsnetwork Euronet is leveraging CoreCard for its tech behind the Apple Card. The aim? To allow banks to offer instant, unsecured credit lines via QR codes. #fintech #Euronet #Applecard #payment #digitalbanking ♬ original sound – Fintech News Network – Fintech News Network Himanshu dives in, sharing that this technological edge is relevant closer to home in the Asia Pacific region, where many emerging Southeast Asian markets still grapple with no credit card penetration. Moreover, as regional GDPs grow and a “new-to-credit” demographic emerges, the platform enables banks and financial institutions to move beyond traditional credit cards and into a broader range of unsecured lending models. The hurdle in these markets is often the “clunky” user experience, which hinders adoption from the consumer as it tends to be dictated by older back-end stacks. The CoreCard acquisition addresses this by replacing legacy technology with a modern architectural core, removing the friction and allowing a truly digital-first experience. “This modernisation also opens the door for fintechs to play a more significant role in the lending ecosystem.  While many currently participate by providing lending stacks to banks, there is a growing opportunity for these players to become direct issuers as regional regulations evolve.” Whether these fintechs continue to partner with established banks or eventually transition into independent issuers, the platform provides the agility needed to deliver a superior, seamless experience that meets the demands of the modern consumer. Euronet’s Dandelion Powers 4 Billion Bank Accounts Before Euronet ever turned Dandelion into a product, Euronet was already internally, or as Himanshu put it, Euronet was “eating its own dog food”. Yet over time, the team realised that they had effectively built a global payments highway where money could move quickly, reliably, and directly into bank accounts across borders. The only kicker was that Euronet was the only one using it. The obvious question followed. If this worked so well internally, why not open it up to others? Source: Dandelion The idea came to launch cross-border payments as a service proposition with clean APIs, offered to banks and licensed financial institutions to solve their consumer and business payment needs. The goal? To send money into a bank account on a real-time basis. @fintechnewsnetwork Most people never see it, but Euronet is the infrastructure that’s powering national payment switches to traditional and digital banks. #fintech #Euronet #payment #digitalbanking ♬ original sound – Fintech News Network – Fintech News Network Today, Dandelion connects to around four billion bank accounts globally. To extend its reach even further, especially in emerging markets, it also connects directly to digital wallets. Himanshu closes in, saying, “We believe we are the largest cross-border payments network in the world that is able to land monies both into a bank account and a wallet. “ The Hard Truth About Modernising National Payment Rails Beyond issuing and lending, Euronet is also positioning itself as a long-term partner to national payment infrastructures seeking to modernise their core systems and expand financial inclusion. Himanshu points out that across emerging markets, from Southeast Asia to Africa and Latin America, the challenge is all about enabling central payment systems to launch new use cases, reach underserved populations, and do so at a cost structure that makes mass adoption viable. “The real goal of a lot of these central infrastructures is the ability to launch newer use cases, to bring their populations into the formal banking economy. If you run on legacy tech with very expensive databases, hardware, and mainframe systems, it’s not possible to lower your costs and drive adoption into the remotest corners of the country.” While that sounds like a tall order, in markets like Malaysia and Indonesia, this approach is already taking shape. Central to this is Ren, Euronet’s modern end-to-end payments platform that’s built to address the structural limitations of aging national infrastructure. Rather than forcing central switches and financial institutions to adapt to rigid, vendor locked systems, Ren enables a move toward a cloud-native, modular environment designed for growth and agility. Source: Ren This transition allows national payment systems to rapidly deploy real time payment rails and expand cross-border connectivity efficiently, without the prohibitive overhead that has traditionally slowed national-scale upgrades. In Indonesia, Euronet works closely with PT Jalin Pembayaran Nusantara (Jalin) to support the national switching infrastructure with Ren. Partnerships like these extend to markets like Mozambique, too, where a five-year collaboration has evolved from basic interbank ATM switching to launching sophisticated local use cases. Himanshu elaborates, “We’ve launched very innovative use cases that are relevant for that particular economy, and that’s possible because of the flexibility of the platform and just the fact that it’s not really dependent on these proprietary systems, and it’s fully open-source.” Aside from these developments, Euronet has acquired PayNet’s ATM network, making it the largest non-bank ATM operator in Malaysia. Payments Infrastructures Cannot Ignore Stablecoins Anymore Looking ahead, the company is exploring how stablecoins could fit into the next phase of the Euronet digital payment infrastructure. Himanshu shares that the company is currently running internal proof of concepts and pilots, as it evaluates where stablecoins can add value. One of the most immediate opportunities lies in cross-border payments. Given stablecoins’ growing role in this space, Euronet is assessing whether they can be integrated into its existing cross-border services through a multi-rail approach. With a large global ATM network and an extensive base of physical agents supporting cash payouts and remittances, Euronet sees potential to enable physical on-ramps and off-ramps for stablecoins, bridging digital assets with real-world access. Euronet has recently announced a partnership with Fireblocks, with several initiatives underway. While still in the experimental phase, Himanshu notes that the company is excited by the potential. “With the emergence of acquiring and mobile wallets and instant payment schemes and now stablecoins, and then potentially the convergence between stablecoin and AI, I think it’s going to get more and more interesting.” For a deeper look at how Euronet is shaping payments infrastructure, issuing, and cross-border money movement at scale, watch the full conversation with Vincent Fong and Himanshu Pujara below. Featured image by Fintech News Singapore The post Why Euronet Spent US$248M on the Technology Powering the Apple Card appeared first on Fintech Singapore.