In the first half of 2025, I took a glance at KPMG’s Pulse of Fintech, which at that time read like the sector was taking a breather. What I meant by that is that investment across Asia Pacific had slowed sharply, valuations were adjusting, and investors were pulling back after years of aggressive deployment. Six months later, the tone has shifted, although only ever so slightly. Just like the H1 report, the Pulse of Fintech H2 2025 update does not point to a broad-based recovery, nor does it suggest the return of easy money. What it does show is a market that is beginning to stabilise, with capital still flowing but under a much tighter scrutiny. The change is subtle but meaningful. Compared with the earlier read in H1, where the narrative centred on contraction, the second half of the year reflects something a bit more measured. Yes, the pullback has not reversed completely, but the pace of decline appears to be easing as investors become more selective about where they place their bets. So is this the beginning of a genuine reset, or simply a more disciplined funding cycle taking shape? Funding Still Remains Soft, but the Floor May be Forming On the surface, the numbers still look subdued as reported by KPMG. Asia Pacific attracted just US$9.3 billion in fintech investment in 2025 across 763 deals, down from US$11.7 billion the year before. In the second half alone, the region recorded US$4.6 billion across 362 deals. Those figures confirm that the funding winter has not fully thawed from last year’s. Taken from the KPMG Pulse of Fintech H2 2025 page 56. Compared with the Americas and EMEA, the Asia Pacific continues to lag in absolute investment volumes. However, the more telling signal is the funding in H2 showed signs of levelling compared with earlier declines The steep downward trajectory that defined earlier cycles appears to be flattening. That matters as markets rarely snap back overnight as they tend to always find a floor first. Selectivity is Replacing Broad-Based Caution If the past year was about investors stepping back, the latest data suggests they are now stepping forward. But are treading carefully, ever so slightly. KPMG reported that macroeconomic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions and profitability concerns have continue to weigh on decision-making for most of these investors. Many fintechs across the region are still rightsizing operations and extending their runway, where none of that has changed materially. What has changed however is investor behaviour. Capital is no longer retreating indiscriminately as instead, it is now concentrating. The report repeatedly points to a market that is becoming more disciplined. Investors are prioritising scalable business models, clearer paths to profitability and technologies that can deliver measurable efficiency gains. The era of funding growth at all costs is giving way to something more sober. In many ways, this mirrors the natural maturation of the sector. After a decade of rapid expansion, Asia Pacific fintech is being forced to prove its fundamentals. AI Moves From Experiment to Investment Magnet And nowhere is this shift clearer than in artificial intelligence. AI has been a jargon slang in fintech circles for several years, but in 2025, it began to translate into real capital flows. Globally, AI-focused fintech investment climbed to US$16.8 billion, and Asia Pacific is increasingly part of that story. What investors are backing, however, is telling. The focus is less on flashy consumer applications and more on embedded financial infrastructure. Financial institutions across the region are exploring generative AI, large language models and emerging agentic AI capabilities, particularly in areas such as compliance, fraud detection, risk management and operational automation. The emphasis is pragmatic. Banks and insurers are looking for tools that reduce cost, improve accuracy and streamline complex workflows. AI is being evaluated less as a novelty and more as core plumbing. For fintech startups, this raises the bar. According to the report, firms hoping to attract capital will need to demonstrate genuinely differentiated intellectual property and real business impact. Simply layering AI onto an existing product is unlikely to be enough. Infrastructure Plays Begin to Dominate Investor Interest Closely linked to the AI story is a broader reorientation towards infrastructure and efficiency. Across payments, regtech and core banking technology, investors are showing a growing preference for platforms that support the underlying financial system rather than purely consumer-facing propositions. The payments sector itself illustrates this shift. Total global payments investment remained relatively flat at US$19.2 billion in 2025, but deal volume fell to a nine-year low. Taken from the KPMG Pulse of Fintech H2 2025 page 17. Fewer companies are getting funded, but those that do tend to be larger, more established players. Within payments, B2B infrastructure has been drawing increasing investor attention in the second half of the year. Demand is rising for modular platforms that can support cross-border transactions, integrated compliance and multi-rail orchestration. This is a notable change from the previous cycle, when much of the excitement centred on digital wallets and super apps. Those models are not disappearing, particularly in emerging markets, but they are no longer commanding the same premium attention from investors. Where the Biggest Deals Are Landing The shift towards more disciplined capital deployment is also visible in the region’s largest transactions. Data from KPMG’s latest report shows that the top fintech fundraisings in H2 2025 were concentrated in more established platforms and infrastructure-oriented players rather than early-stage consumer disruptors. India’s PhonePe led the pack with a US$600 million late-stage round, underscoring continued investor confidence in scaled payments ecosystems. Other notable transactions included Hong Kong-based AlloyX (US$350 million), cross-border payments player Airwallex in Singapore (US$330 million), and Japan’s back office platform Upsider (US$313.7 million). Risk and compliance-focused firms such as PremiaLab also featured prominently, with a total of US$220 million. Payments specialists remained well represented, with South Korea’s Toss (US$200 million) and Indonesia’s Honest (US$140 million) both securing significant late-stage backing. Rounding out the list were consumer finance provider Snapmint (US$125 million), wealthtech player Raise Fintech Ventures (US$120 million), and the Metropolitan Stock Exchange (US$144.4 million), all coming from India. Taken from the KPMG Pulse of Fintech H2 2025 page 60. Digital Assets Quietly Rebuild Credibility Another development worth watching is the steady rehabilitation of the digital assets sector. After two difficult years marked by market volatility and regulatory uncertainty, global investment in digital assets nearly doubled to US$19.1 billion in 2025. While the Asia Pacific share remains modest compared with the United States and Europe, the region continues to play an active role in evolving regulatory approaches. Several Asian jurisdictions have been actively refining their stance on crypto and stablecoins. Hong Kong, for instance, has been advancing its stablecoin licensing regime, while other markets across the region continue to explore tokenisation frameworks and central bank digital currency initiatives. At the same time, policy divergence remains pronounced. China continues to maintain a strict ban on most crypto-related activities, highlighting the fragmented nature of the regional landscape. What stands out in the H2 report is the growing participation of traditional financial institutions. Corporates are exploring stablecoins for treasury management, cross-border payments and money market fund tokenisation. The conversation is shifting away from speculative trading towards regulated financial infrastructure. That evolution may prove critical for the sector’s long-term credibility. Taken from the KPMG Pulse of Fintech H2 2025 page 26. What to Watch in 2026 The outlook for the coming year is cautiously constructive. The report points to several forces that could shape the next phase of fintech development across Asia Pacific. Artificial intelligence is expected to remain a major draw for investment, particularly where solutions can demonstrate measurable business impact rather than incremental automation. Consolidation among smaller fintech firms is also likely to continue as companies pursue scale and more sustainable unit economics. At the same time, progress in digital asset regulation could determine how quickly institutional participation deepens across the region. Compared with the first half of 2025, the direction of travel now looks more defined. Earlier in the year, the story was largely about contraction and correction. By the second half, the emphasis has shifted towards discipline, with capital still flowing but into a much narrower set of business models and technologies. Whether this marks the start of a healthier fintech cycle or simply a more selective funding environment remains an open question. What is becoming clear is that the era of easy capital has fundamentally reshaped investor expectations. If the past decade rewarded the fastest disruptors, the next phase may favour something totally different. Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore based on an image by Who is Danny via Freepik. The post KPMG Finds That AI Is Still the Talk of the Town in Asia Pacific Fintech Funding appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

ONERWAY’s Singapore entity has obtained a Major Payment Institution licence, expanding its regulated footprint in the city-state. The licence was granted to Overcross, the Singapore-incorporated operator of the ONERWAY payment platform, by the Monetary Authority of Singapore with effect from 1 March 2026. Under the approval, Overcross is authorised to provide regulated payment services in Singapore. These include merchant acquisition, domestic money transfer and cross-border money transfer services. The company is regulated under the Payment Services Act 2019. Overcross must comply with regulatory requirements including anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism controls, safeguarding of customer funds and technology risk management standards. ONERWAY provides multi-currency payment solutions to e-commerce and enterprise clients, supporting over 110 global payment methods from offices in London, the United States, Europe and Asia.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by Max4e via Freepik The post ONERWAY Secures Payment Licence from MAS appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Contour has named Rahul Bhargava Interim COO as it enters its next growth phase after being acquired by XDC Ventures. In his interim role, Bhargava will lead operational scale-up, deepen engagement with global network members and expand participation across the platform. He will also oversee integration of XDC’s trade, digital asset and settlement capabilities, including structured trials of regulated digital settlement models alongside fiat payment rails. The trade finance platform said the appointment supports its plans to extend its Letters of Credit digitisation services and strengthen links between trade workflows and settlement infrastructure. Integration with XDC Network will support reconciliation and broader settlement capabilities. Bhargava has held roles across banks, regulators, multilateral institutions and payment infrastructures, with experience in cross-border financial systems and interoperability standards including ISO 20022. Contour said his background will support operational scale-up and regulatory alignment as the platform advances. Rahul Bhargava Rahul Bhargava said, “By vertically scaling up Contour’s proven Trade digitisation services portfolio and horizontally extending to combine XDC Network capabilities we aim to deliver a future-ready, scalable platform helping streamline trade to settlement. A Stablecoin Lab will also be available to trial USDC based settlement models.” Ritesh Kakkad Ritesh Kakkad, Co-Founder of XDC Network and XDC Ventures, said, “Rahul’s expertise in bridging legacy financial infrastructure with emerging digital rails directly supports our vision of building a powerful institutional gateway for tokenised trade finance. With Contour, we are focused on delivering scalable, compliant solutions that connect trade digitisation with efficient settlement optionality.”     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by Borin via Freepik The post Contour Appoints Rahul Bhargava as Interim COO appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Across the global banking and financial services industry, artificial intelligence (AI) implementation has shifted from experimentation to aggressive adoption. In 2025, nearly all of the 1,500+ managers and executives in the banking and financial services sector polled for a study commissioned by Finastra indicated either using, exploring or research AI options, underscoring the near ubiquity of AI in the space. The study, conducted last year and covering 11 markets, revealed the widespread adoption of AI in finance, finding that only 2% of the organizations surveyed were not using AI at all. This result is a dramatic indicator of near-universal adoption of AI in the global financial industry, and reveals that what was once a frontier technology, faced with undeniable skepticism, is now embedded across the banking value chain, reshaping trust, efficiency and customer experience. Which of the following best describes your organization’s adoption and implementation of AI? Source: Financial Services State of the Nation Survey 2026, Finastra Despite the global uptake, findings show that some markets are leading the charge. In particular, Vietnam is seeing the highest level of active AI deployment at 74%. In contrast, Japan is lagging behind its global counterparts at just 39%. According to Finastra, Japan’s low performance may be in part explained by the fact that digitally advanced economies are more cautious about technological change and favor incremental innovation over rapid deployment. These economies may also be hindered by their legacy systems which are slowing down modernization efforts and upgrades. Different priorities The research also found that although AI is a key focus for financial institutions worldwide, the motivations behind adoption differ across markets. In Vietnam, banks and financial institutions are embracing AI to increase speed, with 49% of respondents in the country indicating using AI to accelerate processing in payments and lending services. This is possibly to respond to booming demand and the need to keep pace with rapid financial inclusion. In Japan, institutions are leaning more into workforce productivity at 49%, reflecting demographic pressures and a cultural preference for incremental, employee-centric innovation. Singapore, meanwhile, emphasizes compliance and regulatory processes at 43%, with firms leveraging AI to navigate the city state’s increasingly complex oversight while maintaining resilience. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), banks are deploying AI to improve accuracy and reduce error (53%) but also to lower operational costs (44%). This reflects a clear focus on efficiency and reliability. Finally, in Saudi Arabia, AI is perceived as a lever for competitive advantage at 41%, reflecting an ambition to leapfrog peers in digital transformation. Organizations’ primary objectives for implementing AI, Source: Financial Services State of the Nation Survey 2026, Finastra Payment as a primary focus for AI transformation: Singapore Leads Across key business lines, banks and financial institutions have identified payments as their primary area of focus for AI transformation, leveraging the technology to deliver personalized, trustworthy, and customer-centric experiences. Over the past 12 months, 38% of organizations have deployed or enhanced AI use cases in their payment technology. This highlights the significance of AI in areas including fraud detection, anomaly detection, and personalized transaction flows. AI use cases were their top focus for payment technology improvement and deployment over the past year, surpassing real-time payments, alternative payment methods, and operational resilience. This underscores the sector’s emphasis on immediacy and customer convenience. Certain markets, particularly across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, have progressed significantly further than others. Notably, Singapore leads in experimentation and deployment of AI use cases in payment technology, with a 73% adoption rate, followed by Vietnam at 57%. AI use cases in payments will remain a top priority in payment technology for the next 12 months, with 40% of respondents globally planning improvements and deployments in this area. Payment technologies improvement and deployment, Source: Financial Services State of the Nation Survey 2026, Finastra Lending: focus on AI assistants and fraud Another key business line of AI adoption in the global financial industry is lending. In this field, the technology is used to enhance risk assessment and expedite automated credit decisions. Like for payments, AI-related use cases were the top priority in lending improvement in 2024 and 2025. 36% of the organizations polled in 2025 indicated having adopted AI assistants and chatbots for training and troubleshooting over the past year, with the US, Germany, and the UK leading in adoption, at 45%, 42%, and 41%, respectively. AI assistants and chatbots will remain a key area of focus for lending technology improvement and deployment within the next 12 months, at 34%. Following AI assistants, fraud, along with know-your-customer (KYC) and know-your-business (KYB) enhancements, were the second most significant areas of focus for improvement and deployment in lending. Over the past 12 months, 35% of respondents deployed fraud, and KYC/KYB enhancements to strengthen identity verification and financial crime prevention. This trend was most prevalent in Vietnam at 47%, while Japan lagged behind at just 11%. Over the next 12 months, 29% of global respondents will continue to focus on fraud, and KYC/KYB enhancements, underscoring a shift towards faster, more transparent, and seamless lending journeys. Lending technologies improvement and deployment, Source: Financial Services State of the Nation Survey 2026, Finastra Though the adoption of AI has increased around the world, some regions are leading others. A July 2025 study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) polled over 4,500 employees and found that workers in APAC are embracing generative AI (genAI) tools faster than their global peers. In APAC, 70% of frontline employees use genAI regularly compared to just 51% globally. Overall, 78% of APAC respondents use AI at least weekly, versus 72% worldwide. Adoption of AI also varies sharply across countries. In India, an overwhelming 92% of employees use AI, while Japan lags at just 51%.   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by freepik via Freepik The post AI Reaches Mainstream Adoption in Finance: Singapore Leads in Payment Use Cases appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Syfe has partnered with J.P. Morgan Asset Management to launch a new actively managed ETF portfolio for investors in Singapore. The portfolio, named Equity Alpha, will be available on Syfe’s platform from this week. Syfe said this marks the first time a digital wealth platform in Singapore is offering J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s institutional active ETF strategy in a managed format. Active ETFs accounted for about 25 percent of global ETF inflows in 2025, up from 16 percent in 2023. Equity Alpha targets annual excess returns of 0.5 percent to 1.0 percent over its benchmark. J.P. Morgan Asset Management has reported long-term outperformance of the MSCI World Index over a 20-year period for similar strategies. Ritesh Ganeriwal Ritesh Ganeriwal, MD, Head of Investment and Advisory at Syfe, said, “By partnering with J.P. Morgan Asset Management, we are bridging the gap between institutional sophistication and retail accessibility. The Equity Alpha portfolio brings a repeatable, research-led process to individual investors that was historically available only to the world’s largest institutions. The new portfolio serves as an expansion of Syfe’s growth suite, offering a different driver of returns that complements the factor-based Core Equity 100.” The portfolio builds on a global equity benchmark and takes multiple small active positions across sectors and countries, with modest country tilts. J.P. Morgan Asset Management provides research insights. Syfe remains the discretionary manager and oversees portfolio implementation. It said the strategy uses actively managed ETFs as building blocks, resulting in underlying costs of about 0.20 percent per year, compared with 1 percent to 2 percent for many traditional active funds. Yuejue Jin Yuejue Jin, Co-Head of Multi-Asset Solutions Asia at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, added, “With this partnership with Syfe, our active investment expertise and industry-leading active ETF strategies are now accessible to a wider community of investors in Singapore. We are proud to support local investors in achieving their long-term goals with portfolios designed for diversification, resilience, and consistent results.” The launch follows an earlier announcement this month that the two firms are also working together on an Income+ Max portfolio for investors in Hong Kong.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by smartmalik6384 via Freepik The post Syfe Brings J.P. Morgan’s Active ETF Strategy to Singapore Investors appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Triple-A is expanding its cross-border remittance network through a partnership with Mastercard. The company has integrated Mastercard Move into its remittance-as-a-service platform to support faster international payouts for banks, fintech firms and telecom operators. The move enables European financial institutions to launch global remittance services with near real-time settlement and improved liquidity management. Banks in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America can also use Triple-A’s infrastructure to facilitate remittance flows from Europe to key home markets. Triple-A, a licensed global payment institution, said the collaboration marks another step in its continued expansion in Europe. Mastercard Move provides cross-border money movement solutions that connect banks and payment providers across multiple markets. Eric Barbier Eric Barbier, Founder & CEO of Triple-A, said, “This collaboration with Mastercard is a natural extension of our mission to simplify global payments. Together, we’re unlocking new levels of interoperability and trust in the cross-border space, offering banks, fintech and telecom service providers with fast and efficient payment solutions to key remittance corridors.” Tulsi Narayan Tulsi Narayan, EVP, Commercial & New Payment Flows Europe, at Mastercard said, “This collaboration expands access to Mastercard Move’s cross-border payment solutions, enabling European banks, fintechs, and telecom providers to launch global remittance services while helping Middle East and Africa banks connect with diaspora communities. Together, we’re making it easier for people to support loved ones back home, securely, quickly, and with confidence.”     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by isaac1112 via Freepik The post Triple-A Taps Mastercard for Europe-Focused Remittance Growth appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Stripe has shown early interest in acquiring PayPal or parts of its business, Bloomberg reported citing people familiar with the matter. The talks are at an exploratory stage and may not result in a deal. Both companies declined to comment. PayPal shares rose about 6.7 percent to US$47.01 in New York trading on Tuesday, giving it a market value of roughly US$43.3 billion. Stripe was valued at US$159 billion in a recent employee and shareholder tender offer. PayPal, an early online payments pioneer, has faced slower growth amid rising competition from digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. Its latest quarterly results missed analyst expectations and showed continued moderation in payment volumes. The company is also undergoing a leadership transition, with Enrique Lores set to assume the role of President and CEO on 1 March, succeeding Alex Chriss.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by farknot via Freepik   The post Stripe Explores Possible PayPal Acquisition appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Checkout.com processed over US$300 billion in payments in 2025 and swung back to full-year EBITDA profitability. Total payment volume rose 64 percent year on year, while net revenue grew more than 30 percent for the second straight year. Adjusted EBITDA margin exceeded 10 percent. The company now serves more than 1,000 enterprise merchants, including Uber, eBay, Spotify, Temu, Pinterest, HelloFresh, ASOS and Vinted. Sixty-three merchants process more than US$1 billion annually on its platform, up from 39 a year earlier. Guillaume Pousaz Guillaume Pousaz, CEO and Founder of Checkout.com, said, “Our return to profitability and the record-breaking performance of our enterprise clients validate the long-term architectural bet we made from day one: that a single, unified infrastructure would ultimately outmatch patched-together legacy systems.” Checkout.com reported 99.999 percent uptime in 2025. It handled US$5.2 billion in volume over Black Friday and Cyber Monday across nearly 100 million transactions, with 95 percent completed in under one second. The company said it is building infrastructure for agentic commerce and is live with Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol, while supporting Visa Intelligent Commerce and Mastercard’s Agentpay framework. AI tools reduced due diligence time by 83 percent and now automate all rejected transaction distribution. The company generates about 2.7 million lines of AI-assisted code each month. Headcount rose 15 percent to about 2,000 employees, with new hubs in San Francisco, Atlanta and São Paulo. Checkout.com also secured approval for a Merchant Acquirer Limited Purpose Bank license in Georgia.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by ismode via Freepik The post Checkout.com Swings Back to Profitability as Payment Volume Tops US$300B appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Mambu has expanded its Payments Hub platform into Southeast Asia, making it available in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore for the first time. The rollout follows adoption of the hub by banks and fintech firms operating across multiple payment schemes and jurisdictions, as the company strengthens its payments offering in the region. The cloud-native, API-first platform enables financial institutions to manage multiple payment rails through a single system. It supports processing, liquidity management and reconciliations across markets while maintaining compliance. Mambu said institutions can connect to new schemes and onboard banking partners more quickly, in some cases up to six times faster, while reducing manual processes. David Becker David Becker, Managing Director and Head of APAC Sales at Mambu, said, “Mambu’s Payments Hub provides a modern, cloud-native platform that enables the orchestration of multiple payment rails, real-time payment processing, and the build and scaling of new payment solutions more quickly and efficiently and all on a single system.” Edouard Mandon Edouard Mandon, VP Payments at Mambu, said, “Payments are becoming more global and more local, more interconnected and more fragmented, and now move in real-time. This complexity makes scaling payments across multiple markets challenging. To solve this, we have expanded our payments hub to give institutions access to local schemes while maintaining a consistent integration and operational experience.” The platform is already used by Western Union, BCB Group, Flowe and Spendesk to support payment flows at scale and regional expansion.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by thanyakij-12 via Freepik The post Mambu Expands Payments Hub Footprint to Southeast Asia appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

McKinsey estimates the stablecoin market will hit $2 trillion by 2028. But according to Sam Lin, COO of dtcpay, even that massive number might be an underestimate. In this video, we dive into why the “train cannot be stopped.” From Visa embracing stablecoins to transactions that are faster and cheaper than SWIFT, the infrastructure of money is changing fundamentally behind the scenes. Key Topics: Why the $2 Trillion forecast might be conservative Stablecoins vs. SWIFT: Speed and Cost Why Visa is entering the game The next 5-10 years of digital finance The post Why The $2 Trillion Stablecoin Prediction Is Too Low appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Chinese New Year marks more than the start of a new lunar cycle. For many Singapore SMEs, it represents a reset and a chance to reflect on festive trading performance and set the tone for the months ahead. Now that the celebrations have concluded and we enter the Year of the Fire Horse, the focus shifts from managing peak demand to planning for sustainable growth. The horse symbolises energy, drive and forward momentum.  The Fire Horse will no doubt bring with it some disruption and ambiguity for customers, businesses and supply chains. For business owners, that means moving decisively, with a clear strategy and the right financial support in place. Reflecting on the festive period lifeforstock vie Freepik Chinese New Year is traditionally a busy trading period across Singapore, bringing increased consumer spending and operational activity. Whether your business experienced strong sales or a steadier start, now is the ideal time to assess your business performance. Were there opportunities you could not fully pursue due to limited working capital? Are receivables still outstanding while supplier invoices are now due? Do you need to replenish stock or invest in marketing to maintain momentum? Joseph Lim Joseph Lim, Bizcap’s Managing Partner for Asia, said this period offers a natural checkpoint. He said, “Chinese New Year gives businesses a moment to evaluate what worked, what didn’t, and how they want to approach the rest of the year.” Rather than treating the festive season as a standalone spike, he encourages SMEs to view it as a launchpad for broader growth plans, both in Singapore and regionally across Asia.   Why cash flow planning matters now The weeks after Chinese New Year can bring tighter cash flow. Customer payments may be delayed following holiday closures, while payroll, rent and supplier commitments continue. At the same time, many SMEs are preparing new initiatives or looking ahead to the next peak trading period. Without proactive planning, early-year momentum can slow. Lim said,  “Cash flow should support your strategy, not dictate it. When SMEs secure working capital early, they are better positioned to act on opportunities rather than react to pressure.” This mindset shift from reactive borrowing to strategic financing is increasingly important in a competitive environment. Funding growth without slowing down Traditional bank financing can suit long-term investments, but approval timelines and strict criteria do not always align with the pace of SMEs. When opportunities arise, speed matters. Non-bank lenders have become an important part of Singapore’s SME financing landscape for this reason. With Bizcap, small business financing is designed to provide efficient access to capital through a streamlined application process and timely decisions. A fast “yes” or “no” is better than a long “maybe”. Flexibility is equally critical. Every SME operates on its own cash flow cycle, shaped by customer payment terms and seasonal demand. A working capital loan or line of credit should complement that cycle, not complicate it. Alternative lending solutions are structured with real-world operations in mind, offering funding amounts and repayment terms that align with business needs. Lim said that fast, practical support can make a tangible difference at the start of the year. He said,  “Access to funding at the right time allows business owners to move forward with confidence and set a strong pace for the months ahead,” Turning momentum into long-term growth As the Year of the Fire Horse gathers pace, many Singapore SMEs are focusing on sustainable expansion. Access to the right SME financing partner can support investments in new product lines, digital capabilities, staffing or equipment upgrades. It can also provide the confidence to secure supplier discounts or pursue new contracts that require upfront capital. Lim said,  “A working capital loan should solve problems quickly so businesses can keep moving forward. When funding gaps are left too long, they can compound and create bigger challenges.” By reinforcing cash flow early, SMEs create room to plan strategically rather than make rushed decisions under financial strain. Moving forward with confidence The Year of the Fire Horse represents strength and forward movement; qualities that resonate strongly with Singapore’s SME community. The post-festive period offers a timely opportunity to refine strategy, strengthen your financial foundation and commit to clear growth objectives. With the right funding partner, a business loan or line of credit  can support expansion without placing unnecessary pressure on day-to-day operations. Exploring flexible funding options, through providers like Bizcap, may help transform early-year momentum into sustained success. The year has only just begun. With clarity, preparation and the right financial backing, your business can set a confident pace for the months ahead. Bizcap offers small business loan options here for companies reviewing their cash flow needs this year. Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by tahantanha10 via Freepik The post Why Post-Festive Business Funding Planning Matters for Singapore SMEs appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

DBS is set to overhaul the fee structure for its virtual account custodian services in April, according to Tech in Asia. The bank will move to a per-account pricing model that could significantly raise costs for larger fintech platforms. The shift reportedly replaces a flat annual fee, typically capped at around S$10,000, with charges tied to the number of individual customer accounts, industry sources said. Sources cited a monthly fee of S$1 (US$0.79) per customer account under the new structure. DBS did not publicly confirm a specific pricing figure in its statement, saying only that fees reflect the cost of additional risk controls and may vary from client to client. For major payment institutions required to safeguard client funds in segregated accounts under Singapore’s Payment Services Act, the change could turn what was previously a four-digit yearly expense into a six-figure one for platforms with large user bases. The update centres on virtual accounts, which fintech firms use to assign unique identifiers when processing high volumes of incoming payments. Previously, many of these accounts were generated dynamically by the firms themselves. DBS is now migrating selected clients to static accounts issued and managed by the bank, embedding additional screening and fraud controls. A DBS spokesperson told Fintech News Singapore that the move reflects the growing complexity of round-the-clock domestic and cross-border payment flows and the heightened risk of scams. “DBS is taking several proactive steps to strengthen controls for enhanced consumer protection. We take a risk-based approach, which includes migrating some fintech platforms from dynamic to static virtual accounts that embed additional controls and screening of end-customers and corporates. As we seek to balance risk and pricing, any pricing changes reflect the costs of additional risk controls and processes and may vary from client to client. We are committed to closely engaging clients and partners to support their migration.” Tech in Asia reported that some affected firms have begun trimming services or offboarding users as they assess the financial impact of the new structure.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by DBS The post DBS Fee Overhaul May Lift Custodian Costs for High-Volume Payment Firms appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Standard Chartered has teamed up with Seviora Capital to launch a multi-manager hedge fund vehicle under its VCC platform. The Signature Select Seviora Titans Absolute Return fund is a sub-fund within the bank’s variable capital company structure. It will invest in hedge fund managers selected by Seviora Capital, part of the Temasek-owned Seviora Group in Singapore. The strategy allocates across multiple managers and sub-strategies to avoid concentration risk. It also gives clients access to capacity-constrained hedge funds at lower minimum investment levels than direct allocations. The launch comes as investors face volatile markets and reduced diversification between equities and bonds. Multi-strategy and relative value hedge funds are often used in such conditions to manage drawdowns and seek steadier absolute returns. The fund will initially be offered to Accredited or Professional Investors in Standard Chartered’s Private Banking segment in Singapore, Hong Kong and Jersey, with wider distribution planned in phases. Sumeet Bhambri Sumeet Bhambri, Global Head, Advisory and Managed Investments, Wealth Solutions, Standard Chartered said, “This solution adds to the diversity of our VCC suite of funds, which offers products across all asset classes. As a leading international wealth manager, we are committed to continue innovating and partnering with the industry’s best players to enhance our wealth solutions and support our clients in their wealth journey.” Leow Li-Vern Leow Li-Vern, Managing Director, Investments, Seviora Capital said, “The ability of the STAR strategy to allocate to a portfolio of hedge funds with low correlation to public markets, can improve diversification of clients’ portfolios, which is vital in today’s volatile macro and market environment. This, in turn, can result in overall improvement of risk-adjusted returns. And we are pleased that Standard Chartered clients will be able to benefit from this.” Standard Chartered set up its VCC platform in June 2024. The latest launch marks its seventh sub-fund under the structure and its second fund introduction in 2026..     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by Trend2023 via Freepik The post StanChart Taps Seviora for New Hedge Fund Vehicle appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

The Asia-Pacific payment landscape is a paradox of opportunity and complexity. It is arguably the most dynamic financial frontier in the world. Yet, it remains a daunting patchwork of fragmented regulations, hyper-local payment habits, and entrenched local champions fiercely defending their home turf. For any new entrant, the barriers to entry are high. While many fintechs attempt to enter the region by solving a single piece of the puzzle, DECTA, a UK-based powerhouse, touches down with a different philosophy. Positioning itself as a “full-stack” payment infrastructure provider, DECTA offers issuing, acquiring, and processing, all housed under one roof. Gabriel Stefanak, DECTA’s Head of Business Development, sat down with Fintech News Network’s Chief Editor, Vincent Fong to discuss why Asia Pacific is where it’s doubling down now, especially in high-growth markets like Singapore and Malaysia. Gabriel reveals how DECTA plans to navigate the fragmentation and fill the gaps left by legacy providers. He shares on both markets, “Singapore and Malaysia are good places to start, because of the number of financially regulated entities, which are kind of the main client for us.” Owning the Entire Payments Stack Removes the Weakest Link In a market as complex and fragmented as Asia-Pacific, the greatest risk for a financial institution is “solution collapse”. This happens when a multi-vendor chain breaks because one link fails as individual systems do not integrate or communicate effectively, causing a single point of failure to cascade across the entire stack. DECTA’s solution to this is what it calls “Bespoke-as-Standard.” an approach designed to balance local market flexibility with enterprise-grade reliability. According to Gabriel, this philosophy rests on two core pillars: full-stack ownership and consultative deployment. First comes high availability through full stack control. By owning the issuing, acquiring and processing layers, DECTA removes much of the fragility that comes from stitching together multiple vendors. Instead of relying on loosely connected third parties, clients operate on a single integrated infrastructure, significantly improving uptime and operational resilience. This structure also gives DECTA a clear advantage as a single point of accountability. If any component encounters an issue, responsibility does not shift between vendors. The entire chain is owned, managed, and supported by one provider, reducing downtime, finger-pointing, and escalation delays. @fintechnewsnetwork Can this European payments challenger crack APAC? 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. #fintech #payments #banking #finance ♬ original sound – Fintech News Network – Fintech News Network As Gabriel explains, many financial institutions today need more than issuing solutions. Banks and electronic money institutions increasingly seek a complete ecosystem, from card issuing to merchant acceptance, acquiring processing, and payments infrastructure. DECTA supports this through a full suite of white-label capabilities, including payment gateways, enabling clients to scale across use cases without introducing additional vendors. The second pillar is what truly defines “Bespoke as Standard”: consultation before configuration. Gabriel emphasises that DECTA does not kick off with a product pitch. Gabriel Stefanak “One of the biggest strengths of DECTA is our team. A good company comes with good products and good people behind it. We have a great team of professionals who are experienced in the market for more than 20 years.” Rather than pushing predefined solutions, DECTA starts by understanding where the client wants to go, identifying core pain points and challenges. Gabriel closes, saying, “A non-functional solution is not an actual business activity for us.” Fintech Fast Track Lowers the Cost of Entry for New Issuers Alongside its core infrastructure offering, DECTA has introduced the FinTech Fast Track Program, an incentive-driven initiative designed to lower the barriers to entry for new issuers and acquirers, particularly startups and non-financial companies expanding into issuing as an extension of an existing business line. The program is built to solve a familiar problem in fintech: strong ideas slowed down by cost, complexity, and lack of execution experience. Source: DECTA DECTA provides up to €100,000 in implementation incentives, allowing participants to redirect capital toward critical growth areas such as marketing, product development, or internal resourcing. For early-stage players, this can change the economics of launching an issuing or acquiring proposition. But Gabriel is clear that the financial incentive is only part of the value. What differentiates Fintech Fast Track is direct access to DECTA’s institutional experience. With a team that brings more than two decades of hands-on market knowledge, DECTA works closely with participants to ensure they are connected to the right ecosystem partners and vendors from day one. This is particularly critical on the issuing side, where a missing component or misaligned partner can delay launches or compromise scalability. Through the program, DECTA helps ensure all operational, technical, and regulatory components are in place before implementation begins, reducing costly rework later. For past participants, the impact has been tangible. Companies have been able to launch faster and scale more confidently, benefiting from incentives, clear expectations, structured guidance, and early risk mitigation. What Success Looks Like for DECTA Looking ahead, Gabriel frames success not just in terms of volume, but reputation. Within the next year, DECTA hopes to see financial institutions publicly validating its role as a challenger processor, one that is willing to disrupt legacy models and raise the bar for what modern processing partnerships should look like. To hear directly from Gabriel Stefanak on why DECTA believes full-stack ownership and Bespoke as Standard are critical for succeeding in APAC payments, watch the full conversation below. Featured image by Fintech News Singapore The post Can DECTA’s Full-Stack Approach Break Through APAC’s Payments Complexity? appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Anaplan has launched a Singapore-based AWS data center to support local compliance needs and regional growth. The new facility expands the company’s global infrastructure and is aimed at customers in Southeast Asia that require in-country data hosting. Anaplan said the move will improve processing speeds and strengthen security controls, particularly for organisations in the public sector and financial services. The company will host its AI-driven planning and analysis platform on Amazon Web Services infrastructure in Singapore, allowing customers to meet local regulatory requirements while using its planning platform. Amit Bagga Amit Bagga, Managing Director for APAC at Anaplan, said, “We are delighted to bring the Anaplan platform, including our new suite of role-based AI agents, to Singapore and the broader Southeast Asia region. Data sovereignty is a stringent requirement for our clients, and our new location ensures that their data remains within Singapore, adhering to local regulations. Plus, with Anaplan Intelligence, businesses can harness the power of AI to optimize and unify their finance, workforce, sales, and supply chain planning processes, gain deeper insights and make strategic decisions with confidence.” Carol Potts Carol Potts, General Manager for North America ISV Sales at Amazon Web Services, said, “The launch of Anaplan on AWS in Singapore represents a strategic milestone and reinforces our shared commitment to customers across Asia-Pacific.” The Singapore data center forms part of Anaplan’s US$500 million innovation roadmap to expand its global footprint. The company has also established data center locations in India, Indonesia and Australia as it builds out its presence across Asia Pacific.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore/, based on image by mkmult via Freepik The post Anaplan Expands APAC Infrastructure With Singapore AWS Data Center appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Peak XV Partners has raised US$1.3 billion across three new funds targeting India and the broader Asia Pacific region. The capital spans its India Seed Fund, India Venture Fund and an APAC-focused fund, according to a LinkedIn post by the firm. Peak XV added that it still holds substantial uninvested capital in its existing Growth Fund, allowing it to back companies from early to later stages. The funds are the firm’s first under the Peak XV brand following its 2023 split from Sequoia Capital. It said many of its limited partners are global endowments and foundations. Peak XV pointed to growing momentum in artificial intelligence across India and APAC, alongside continued depth in sectors such as fintech and consumer technology. The firm said it sees long-term opportunities driven by expanding markets, technical talent and increasing global ambition among founders. The firm invests across seed, venture and growth stages and has backed technology companies in the region for more than two decades.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by Peak XV Partners via LinkedIn The post Peak XV Closes US$1.3 Billion for India, APAC Investments appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

DBS and Granite Asia have kicked off a three-year partnership with the closing of a US$110 million AI-focused IPO fund targeting Asia’s next wave of tech listings. The fund, distributed exclusively to DBS wealth clients, invests in the initial public offerings of AI-driven companies in Asia. Granite Asia said the vehicle drew investors from Southeast Asia, South Asia and Europe. It provides exposure at the point of listing and supports the region’s expanding AI sector. The fund is the first in a planned series of investment products under the partnership. Granite Asia will structure additional funds for DBS clients and offer co-investment opportunities. One upcoming product will focus on private capital aimed at accelerating technology-enabled transformation in Asian businesses through non-dilutive funding, while giving wealth clients access to asset classes typically reserved for institutional investors. DBS will provide financing and advisory services to Granite Asia’s funds and portfolio companies, including subscription financing, corporate loans, mergers and acquisitions advisory, bond issuances and IPO preparation support. Granite Asia said it has guided five portfolio companies to public listings and filed 10 additional IPO applications in the past six months. Tan Su Shan Tan Su Shan, CEO of DBS, said, “This partnership, the first of its kind for DBS with an asset manager, reflects our heritage as a development bank and our commitment to power Asia’s next generation of global category leaders. It is a clear expression of our One Bank approach, where we bring together our wealth, institutional banking and global financial markets teams to serve clients seamlessly across their lifecycle. By combining DBS’ capabilities with Granite Asia’s deep founder relationships and track record in backing innovative Asian champions, we can offer differentiated investment opportunities to our clients and create new pathways for ambitious founders to expand internationally.” Jenny Lee Jenny Lee, Senior Managing Partner of Granite Asia, said, “Granite Asia brings a unique investment lens focused on technology and transformation, while DBS contributes unrivalled banking strength, capital markets expertise and regional networks. Together, we aim to support founders and companies as they scale across borders and mature into enduring global leaders.”   The post DBS and Granite Asia Launch US$110 Million AI IPO Fund appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Luxembourg has launched NextFin Asia, a new fund that will invest directly in Southeast Asian fintechs focused on financial inclusion. The fund will support the third edition of the Catapult: Inclusion SE Asia programme run by the Luxembourg House of Financial Technology. It is being launched in partnership with the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade and ADB Ventures, the venture arm of the Asian Development Bank. The move shifts the programme from a pure acceleration model to one that combines capital and institutional support. For the first time, participating startups will receive direct investment through the NextFin Asia Fund alongside strategic guidance to help scale across ASEAN. The 2026 edition will launch in Luxembourg in June and continue at the Singapore Fintech Festival in November. Since its inception, the Catapult programme has supported 115 fintech startups from emerging markets in Africa and Asia, helping expand access to financial services for underserved communities. Alex Panican “The NextFin Asia Fund is the result of the trust from Luxembourg’s Government and ADB’s towards the Catapult SE Asia program. And it definitely reflects the amazing quality of the entrepreneurs and partners taking part in it. I am confident that NextFin Asia will become the key catalyst for inclusive finance and innovation in Asia. And we are very excited at the LHoFT to take part in such an endeavor,” said Alex Panican, Deputy CEO of the Luxembourg House of Financial Technology (LHoFT).     The post Luxembourg Expands ASEAN Fintech Push With New Inclusion-Focused Fund appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

DBS will introduce a 12-hour cooling period for selected high-risk banking activities from 7 March, as part of its latest measures to curb scams. The Straits Times reported that customers were notified via e-mail that digital banking users will no longer be able to instantly add a new transfer recipient, raise daily transfer limits for local or overseas transactions, or update contact details. Instead, these changes will only take effect after a 12-hour delay. The bank said the safeguard is intended to give customers time to detect and stop unauthorised activity. If a new payee is added or transfer limits are raised, transactions under the revised settings will only proceed once the cooling period has lapsed. Alerts will be sent to customers’ registered contact details during this window, allowing them to review and report suspicious requests. DBS has introduced several anti-scam measures over the past year. Customers must activate a toggle within the banking app before adding cards to mobile wallets, with the setting automatically switching off after 10 minutes. In June 2025, the bank rolled out real-time fraud surveillance for accounts with at least S$50,000, blocking or placing a 24-hour hold on transactions exceeding half of the account balance. Scam losses remain substantial. Police data released in August 2025 showed nearly S$500 million lost in the first half of the year, with close to 20,000 cases reported. Phishing scams were the most common, accounting for 3,779 cases and S$30.4 million in losses, more than double the S$13 million recorded in the same period in 2024. Many cases involved unauthorised card transactions after victims disclosed their card details and authentication codes to scammers. Banks are already required under the Shared Responsibility Framework, introduced in 2024, to enforce a 12-hour cooling period for digital token activation. The framework also mandates real-time alerts for higher-risk activities, including changes to account details, increased limits and new payees, as well as logins to e-wallets on new devices.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore/Malaysia, based on image by DBS The post DBS to Impose 12-Hour Cooling Period for High-Risk Account Changes from 7 March appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Sumsub has launched Summy, a large language model-based AI Copilot embedded across its platform to support compliance officers, risk managers and fraud investigators. The tool allows users to query case data in plain language and generate audit-ready outputs grounded in Sumsub data within existing workflows. It builds on Summy’s earlier role as an AI assistant introduced last year in the company’s Case Management solution and now extends across broader compliance and fraud processes. The release comes as fraud grows more sophisticated. Sumsub’s Identity Fraud Report 2025–2026 found that multi-step, resource-intensive AI-driven schemes rose 180 percent year on year globally in 2025. Meanwhile, regulations such as the EU Artificial Intelligence Act and Singapore’s Protection from Scams Act are raising expectations for transparency, documentation and timely decision-making. Andrew Novoselsky “Unlike autonomous AI systems that make opaque decisions, Summy is designed as a supporting AI agent for compliance teams, not a substitute for them. All decisions remain under human control, without sacrificing reliability, traceability, or accountability. With Summy and our recently launched AI Agent Verification, we are investing in an AI ecosystem where agents are explainable, tied to real accountability, and built to help businesses stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated fraud.” said Andrew Novoselsky, Chief Product Officer at Sumsub. Sumsub said Summy operates within thresholds set by compliance teams, aligning outputs with internal policies rather than replacing human judgement. The company added that the Copilot can cut manual analysis and improve case handling productivity by up to three times, on average. Summy can retrieve product information including setup flows and troubleshooting guidance, generate visual analytics from platform data, provide structured regulatory input and summarise complex cases into concise overviews highlighting key risk signals and suggested next steps.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by Sumsub The post Sumsub Rolls Out AI Copilot Across Compliance and Fraud Workflows appeared first on Fintech Singapore.