Mastercard has teamed up with TerraPay to enable contactless payments for digital wallets across its global acceptance network. Under the partnership, TerraPay will connect wallet providers, including mobile money operators, fintechs and banks, to Mastercard’s acceptance infrastructure. This will allow users to make near-field communication (NFC) payments at more than 150 million Mastercard acceptance locations worldwide. Wallet providers will also gain access to advanced infrastructure and technology jointly delivered by both companies. TerraPay said the integration will support faster go-to-market while simplifying the launch process through Xend, its global payment interoperability platform. Ambar Sur “At TerraPay, our mission is to make every wallet roam — to work anywhere, just like your card does. For years, we’ve connected banks, wallets, and money transfer organizations across 150+ countries. Our collaboration with Mastercard takes that mission a step further. Together, we’re bringing true payment interoperability to wallets globally, enabling them to pay at millions of acceptance points and empowering people everywhere to move and pay safely, instantly, and without borders,” said Ambar Sur, Founder & CEO, TerraPay. Prakriti Singh “At Mastercard, we are enabling innovation and global reach for digital wallets, which serve as important drivers of financial inclusion. Collaborations with key ecosystem players like Terrapay play a key role in scaling the positive impact via their multiple wallet partners and simplifying the implementation process,” said Prakriti Singh, Executive Vice President, Core Payments, Mastercard, EEMEA. Mastercard said in its 2024 annual report that about 70 percent of in-person transactions on its network are now contactless. The company said contactless payments are up to ten times faster than other face-to-face payment methods and that contactless-enabled accounts tend to spend more on average.     The post Mastercard, TerraPay to Expand Digital Wallet Acceptance Globally appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

A decade ago, a lot of day-to-day spending in Asia-Pacific still meant cash and paper slips. Today, most of that value is moving over real-time systems that sit quietly in the background. The real question for 2026 is whether those rails are simply fast, or whether they actually leave people safer, better protected and more in control. In India, for instance, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) handled a record 20.7 billion transactions in October 2025, worth around ₹27.28 lakh crore. In Thailand, PromptPay has become the standard route for real-time transfers, and the Ministry of Finance has signed off on the first three virtual banks, which are expected to go live by mid-2026. In the Philippines, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reports that digital retail payments have crossed the halfway mark by volume, reaching around 57.4% of monthly retail transactions, powered by account-to-account rails and the QR Ph standard. Singapore’s PayNow and FAST now underpin much of day-to-day retail and corporate payments, as the Monetary Authority of Singapore presses ahead with a new national payments company and a Shared Responsibility Framework for scam losses. Further south, Australia’s Consumer Data Right (CDR) is moving beyond banking and energy into non-bank lenders, with fresh data-sharing duties due from mid-2026. Hong Kong is deepening use of its Faster Payment System and piloting e-HKD in retail and tokenised-deposit trials. The headline is simple: in much of Asia-Pacific, instant digital payments have quietly become the default. The argument for 2026 is that the story now moves away from rails and towards results. When infrastructure is assumed, accountability isn’t Much of the regulatory effort in the past decade has gone into creating new payment schemes and licensing regimes. The emphasis now is moving towards whether those choices deliver what was promised. Singapore offers one early test. Its new scam regulations and Shared Responsibility Framework forces banks, telcos and platforms to answer more detailed questions about detection times, loss allocation and the treatment of victims. In the Philippines and Thailand, digital and virtual bank licences were initially framed around competition and innovation; the next test asks whether these new players are actually handling hardship better, supporting small businesses through inconsistent cashflows, and bringing new groups into the formal system for the long term. Australia’s widening of the CDR into non-bank lenders tells a similar story. What matters now is not how much data can be collected, but whether it improves underwriting, lowers the cost of credit and catches problems earlier – or simply speeds approvals until the next downturn. Across the region, real-time rails and modern infrastructure are now largely assumed. The harder questions are about how products behave on top of those systems, and who is accountable when things go wrong. Inclusion is about staying in, not just getting in Source: gmm2000 via Freepik Asia-Pacific has been rightly praised for the way wallets, QR codes and fast-payment schemes have opened the door to millions of people who once relied on cash, providing a foothold in the digital economy for the previously excluded. In 2026, that early success will be tested in tougher conditions. Inflation, income volatility and climate-related disruption will expose whether ‘inclusion’ is a one-off onboarding metric or a durable outcome. The uncomfortable truth is that being able to open an account quickly means little if customers are nudged into products that fail them when income drops or expenses spike. This is where the smallest products matter most. Overdrafts, microcredit lines and BNPL-style instalments will be judged not only on slick onboarding journeys, but on how they behave when payments are missed, when limits are breached, or when a customer suddenly loses work. Do limits tighten abruptly, or is there a graduated response? Is support proactive and easy to reach, or buried behind hotlines and forms? New digital and virtual banks will feel that scrutiny first. Their early success has often been measured in app downloads and new-to-bank customers. In 2026, the more meaningful question is whether they are helping people and small businesses stay on their feet through swings in incomes and costs. Control, not novelty, will decide the wallet and card battle Source: Freepik Even in markets where account-to-account rails are strong, cards and wallets still carry a large share of everyday spend. For many first-time users, a wallet linked to a prepaid or debit card remains the practical bridge between local balances and global acceptance. The real competition in 2026 will not be over who offers the ‘coolest’ wallet design or metal card. It will be over who gives users the most usable control. That means configurable limits that can be changed in seconds, travel and merchant controls that genuinely protect consumers, and timely prompts when behaviour looks unusual. In a world where scams and disputed transactions are front-page news, the product that stands out will be the one that lets a customer tighten or loosen how they pay – in-app, on their own terms – rather than waiting in a call-centre queue. Issuers that treat controls as core to the experience, leveraging tokenisation to bring personalisation to payment experiences, will build the kind of trust that glossy branding cannot buy. Cross-border will be judged against the domestic benchmark Source: Mikki Orso via Freepik International payment flows are finally starting to benefit from the same innovation that transformed domestic rails. UPI links, QR corridors in ASEAN, Hong Kong’s FPS connections and Nexus-style pilots are all attempts to make moving money between markets feel less like sending it into a black box. Yet expectations have changed. Once consumers and businesses are used to domestic transfers clearing in seconds with clear confirmations, a remittance that disappears for hours or hides FX until the final screen feels increasingly out of line. In 2026, users will care less about which scheme or corridor sits underneath and more about whether the experience reflects the standard set for domestic transactions. Providers that treat a cross-border payment as just another flow through their main journey – same interfaces, clear amounts in both currencies, transparent fees, simple recourse when something goes wrong – will quietly pull ahead. Those that still treat it as an exception will stand out, but for the wrong reasons. AI will have to show its working LLMs and machine learning algorithms already sit behind fraud checks, onboarding flows and credit decisions across APAC. The models are not new. What is new is the pressure to explain them. Every blocked or delayed payment is now a potential customer-service incident and, in some markets, a potential regulatory issue. ‘The system flagged it’ is no longer an acceptable answer. Customers will expect a reason they can understand on-screen. Risk teams and supervisors will expect the ability to replay why a decision was made and to see that similar customers are treated consistently over time. This is where investment will subtly pivot in 2026. Money will still be spent on model performance, but more will go into the audit trails, override paths and messaging that make those models usable and defensible in the real world. In other words, the intelligence around the AI will matter as much as the AI itself. Asia-Pacific has already shown it can build fast, inclusive payment infrastructure. The harder work now is turning that foundation into products and protections that give people more control, more clarity and more confidence, at home and across borders. In 2026, the firms that stand out will be the ones that treat real-time rails as the starting line, not the finish, and compete instead on how well they use those rails to improve lives in the moments that matter.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by Frolopiaton Palm via Freepik The post Where Digital Payments in Asia-Pacific Are Heading in 2026 appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

With a large unbanked population, increasing mobile Internet connectivity, and fast-growing economies, Asia-Pacific (APAC) has emerged into one of the world’s most dynamic fintech markets. Digital wallets have become the leading payment method, accounting for approximately 75% of the e-commerce transaction value and 50% of the point-of-sale (POS) transaction value. Local platforms such as Alipay in China, PhonePe in India, and DANA in Indonesia have achieved mass adoption. Governments have supported this progress by modernizing payment infrastructure through real-time payment systems and introducing more conducive regulations for digital banking. This has spurred the rise of leading digital banking brands like WeBank in China, KakaoBank in South Korea, and Rakuten Bank in Japan, which reported 420 million, 24 million, and 16 million in 2024, respectively. This burgeoning landscape has made APAC a premier destination for fintech events, attracting global industry leaders to explore opportunities and tackle emerging challenges. Among the many conferences scheduled for the months to come, the following 14 are standing as the most significant gatherings in the first quarter of 2026. These event are expected to bring together top decision-makers, regulators, and innovators to shape the future of the sector and collaborate.   Top 14 Fintech Events to Attend in APAC in Q1 2026 Digital Asset Innovators Summit Asia 2026 January 22-23, 2026 Hong Kong The Digital Asset Innovators Summit (DAIS) is Asia’s premier platform dedicated to the future of digital asset. Positioned at the intersection of traditional finance and the crypto-native world, this annual event brings together leading financial institutions, innovative infrastructure and technology providers, and influential policymakers to exchange insights, explore strategies, and confront emerging challenges. The 2026 edition will take place in Hong Kong on January 22 and 23, 2026, and is set to welcome more than 500 participants and 200 companies. It will offer focused discussions, strategic insights, and curated networking designed for decision-makers shaping Asia’s digital asset landscape. Key topics covered will include stablecoins, tokenization, payments, and institutional adoption. Asian Financial Forum 2026 January 26-27, 2026 Hong Kong The Asian Financial Forum (AFF) is one of Hong Kong’s largest gatherings of global financial leaders. Each year, the event provides access to investors, innovators, and industry experts. The 2026 AFF edition will take place on January 26 and 27, 2026, bringing together more than 3,600 participants. The event will feature more than 130 speakers, and 140 exhibitors, startups, and service providers. The Deal-making program will serve as a core component of the event. It will act as a platform that facilitates one-to-one meetings between investors and project owners, generating connections across sectors such as fintech, deeptech, infrastructure, healthcare, consumer markets, and agriculture. In 2026, AFF will also expand its offering by providing an additional two-day online meeting extension for in-person participants, reinforcing its role as a central hub for capital formation, cross-border partnerships, and emerging market opportunities. Digital Assets Week 2026 February 04-05, 2026 Hong Kong, Shenzhen Digital Assets Week is a conference dedicated to connecting financial institutions, infrastructure providers and regulatory bodies in an effort to make advancements in digitization, tokenization, and the institutionalization of digital assets. The event’s core purpose is to support the institutional adoption of digital assets by bringing together the organizations that shape policy, build infrastructure, and deploy capital in this space. Digital Assets Week 2026 aims to attract a carefully selected, invitation-only audience representing the full ecosystem. Participants will include traditional listing professionals such as advisors, brokers, lawyers, and accountants, alongside platform and service providers including exchanges, tokenization platforms, and institutional blockchain technology firms. It will also attract investors, ranging from venture capital (VC) to hedge funds, alongside banks, exchanges, and crypto exchanges. Confirmed speakers in 2026 include: Eddie Lau, CEO of Arta Global Markets; Michael Barrell, Founder and CEO of Juliet Media and Digital Assets Week; Freddy Wong, Head of Product for Asia Pacific at Invesco; Henry Zhang, CEO and Founder of DigiFT; Dmitry Lapidus, Investor at CoinFund; Aleck Lee, CFO of First Digital Trust; Michael Tse, Vice President of Product Management for Trust and Securities Services at Deutsche Bank; Emmanuelle Pecenicic, Head of Digital Propositions and Partnerships for Asia Pacific and Japan at Fidelity International; and Katie He, Head of Product and Strategy at China Asset Management (Hong Kong). AIFOD Bangkok Summit 2026 February 04-06, 2026 United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok, Thailand The AI For Developing Countries Forum (AIFOD) is a pioneering global initiative designed to bridge the artificial intelligence (AI) accessibility gap between developed and developing nations. Founded in 2023, it unites tech innovators, academics, and humanitarian workers to democratize AI technologies worldwide. The 2026 AIFOD Bangkok Summit will take place from February 04 to 06, 2026, and convene representatives from more than 150 nations at the United Nations Conference Centre to collaborate on building local AI capabilities and enabling countries to take part as active creators in the digital economy. This summit will focus on responsible deployment, cross-sector partnerships, and practical pathways for embedding AI into national development strategies. UK-Southeast Asia Tech Week 2026 February 09-13, 2026 Manila, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore The UK-Southeast Asia Tech Week is the UK’s flagship annual event on science, innovation and technology in Southeast Asia. The 2026 edition will run from February 09 to 13, and will take a delegation of cutting-edge UK AI and data companies to meet with stakeholders and potential partners in Manila, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. The event aims to attract two main groups. On the UK side, it is designed for AI and data companies that are already exporting or preparing to export to the region, particularly those targeting fintech, manufacturing, and healthcare sectors, as well as companies operating within the data-centre supply chain. From Southeast Asia, the program welcomes organizations looking to procure or partner with UK AI firms, as well as those considering investment into the UK’s globally recognized AI landscape. UK-Southeast Asia Tech Week 2026 will build on the success of the 2025 edition, which facilitated tailored business engagements and led to multiple successful commercial partnerships for UK companies. Bharat Fintech Summit 2026 February 10-11, 2026 JW Marriott Sahar, Mumbai, India The Bharat Fintech Summit 2026 will take place on February 10 and 11, 2026, at the JW Marriott Sahar in Mumbai, India. The two-day event is designed as a high-level industry gathering focused on the rapid evolution of India’s banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) sector, with a particular emphasis on digital transformation, regulatory change, and emerging technologies. The 2026 agenda will be organized around several major tracks: Masterclass, Payments, Insurance, Agentic AI, and Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) and Compliance. The Masterclass sessions will examine foundational infrastructures such as the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) stack, offering deep explanations of transaction lifecycles, settlement timelines, and the roles played by various ecosystem participants. They will also explore the progression of India’s payment acceptance ecosystem, spanning everything from traditional POS devices to SoftPOS, soundboxes, and QR-based solutions. Payments-focused discussions will look at how payment aggregators are expanding into omnichannel models, the evolution of UPI from its early versions to UPI 3.0, and the modernization of cross-border payments through technologies such as SWIFT GPI, RippleNet, and regional UPI linkages. The program will also analyze the fast-growing business-to-business (B2B) payments market, the increasing importance of cybersecurity and data protection under the DPDPA, and the emergence of programmable payments through smart contracts and central bank digital currency (CBDC) wallets. Additional sessions will study consumer behavior across an expanding range of payment modalities and explore the global movement toward interoperable digital public infrastructure. The Insurance track will highlight the convergence of healthtech and insurtech, the development of new protection models for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and gig workers, and the growing application of AI in underwriting, claims management, and customer engagement. The Agentic AI track will explore the rise of autonomous financial agents capable of handling underwriting, collections, fraud monitoring, compliance, and operational workflows. Discussions will cover governance frameworks for self-learning financial systems, the future role of human oversight, and the broader shift toward adaptive, intelligence-driven banking. Finally, the DPDPA and Compliance track will focus on how the industry is adapting to India’s DPDP Act. It will address privacy-first product design, deployment of consent managers, privacy-enhancing technologies such as zero-knowledge proofs, and the challenge of balancing strict data-governance rules with seamless customer experience. Confirmed speakers in 2026 include: Nitesh Ranjan, Executive Director, Union Bank of India; Rajeev Ahuja, Executive Director, RBL Bank; George John, Executive Director, ESAF Small Finance Bank; Sanjay Hinduja, Managing Director and CEO, Shapoorji Pallonji Finance; Anshul Swami, MD and CEO, Shivalik Small Finance Bank; Ashish Mehrotra, MD and CEO, Northern Arc Capital; Thomas Muthoot John, Executive Director, Muthoot Microfin; Ketan Gaikwad, MD and CEO, Receivables Exchange of India Limited (RXIL); Arun Kumar Nayyar, MD and CEO, NeoGrowth Credit; V.R. Govindarajan, Co-founder and Executive Chairman, Perfios Software Solutions; Divyesh Dalal, India Head – GTS and SME, IL and FIG, DBS Bank; and Debnil Chakravarty, Chief Executive Officer, IKF Finance Limited. Consensus 2026 February 10-12, 2026 Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong Consensus by CoinDesk is the world’s longest running and most influential gathering for the crypto, blockchain, and AI industries, welcoming over 500 speakers, 1,000 companies and 25,000 attendees in 2025. The flagship event will be returning to Hong Kong from February 10 to 12, 2026, bringing together the brightest minds, industry leaders and cutting-edge companies to shape the future of technology. It will occupy the largest floor of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, delivering an expanded experience with signature programming, startup and developer competitions, and networking opportunities. The event will host to five stages, a series of summits focused on topics such as institutional investing, bitcoin, AI and robotics, as well as Asia’s leading role in blockchain. Mainstage speakers will feature notable industry leaders such as Solana Foundation President Lily Liu, Binance CEO Richard Teng, TRON Founder Justin Sun, Head of YZI Labs Ella Zhang, and Bitmain’s President of Mining Gao. In addition to a projected 300+ side events, Consensus will host official opening and closing parties in Hong Kong Central, lead guided excursions to Shenzhen’s innovative ecosystem, and grant attendees premium access to the Happy Valley Racecourse for ‘The Consensus Cup’ horse race. Japan Fintech Week 2026 February 24 – March 06, 2026 Tokyo, Japan The Japan Fintech Week 2026, taking place from February 24 to March 06, will bring together the global finance and technology community to Tokyo, with the GFTN Forum, held from February 24 to 27, 2026, at its core. Building on the momentum of Japan Fintech Week 2025, which drew more than 20,000 participants from over 70 countries and featured 82 related events, the 2026 edition aims to further strengthen Japan’s position as a global fintech hub. The Japan Financial Services Agency (JFSA) will again host the initiative, continuing its mission to showcase Japan’s fintech capabilities and expand international business collaboration. The week will present a diverse schedule of fintech-related sessions, spanning financial innovation, regulatory developments, public-policy dialogue, and emerging technology applications. Events across Japan Fintech Week 2026 will include keynote speeches, panel discussions, startup pitches, roundtables, networking forums, and exhibition showcases. Participants from both domestic and international fintech ecosystems will have a shared platform to explore new ventures, exchange insights, and build cross-border partnerships. At the heart of Japan Fintech Week 2026, the GFTN Forum will convene policymakers, financial-services executives, investors, and founders to accelerate innovation across Japan, Asia, and global markets. The 2026 edition will emphasize the development of new financial corridors supporting technology, entrepreneurship, and capital flows, with substantial attention devoted to agentic AI, quantum computing, and digital assets in the context of shifting global economic dynamics. Blockchain Festival Asia 2026 March 27, 2026 Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore Blockchain Festival Asia is a large-scale regional event covering blockchain, cryptocurrencies, exchanges, decentralized finance (DeFi), GameFi, payments, and investment trends. The 2026 edition will take place at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, on March 27, 2026, gathering industry experts, startups, developers, investors, and enterprise leaders to discuss emerging technologies and market developments. The festival will feature panel discussions, keynotes, product showcases, workshops, and an extensive expo, supported by dedicated networking spaces and side events. It will emphasize business development, community engagement, and the advancement of the regional crypto and digital-finance ecosystem. FintechNZ Hui Taumata 2026 March 11-12, 2026 Takina Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wellington, New Zealand FintechNZ Hui Taumata 2026, taking place on March 11 and 12, will unite New Zealand’s fintech leaders, policymakers, investors, and innovators to shape the future of finance. This year’s theme, “Forging Ahead: Shaping the Future of Finance”, will highlight the country’s progress toward an open finance and open data economy. FintechNZ Hui Taumata 2026 will start with a new half‑day Touchdown experience ahead of the main conference, featuring summit‑style roundtables with government, ministries, members and partners, alongside visits to Wellington‑founded fintech innovators such as Creative HQ, a fintech accelerator, and other leading firms. On March 12, the main conference will bring together the entire fintech ecosystem for an action‑oriented program of keynotes, panels, masterclasses, and networking. Topics covered will include open finance, regulation, financial inclusion, and scaling. Participants will get to network with peers, government officials, and investors, learn and collaborate with industry peers, and participate in masterclasses covering fintech growth, AI, crypto, and more. FutureCFO Philippines Conference 2026 March 12, 2026 New World Makati, Manila, the Philippines The FutureCFO Philippines Conference 2026 will take place on March 12 at New World Makati in Manila, the Philippines, bringing together senior finance leaders at a moment of economic uncertainty, rapid technological development, and shifting regulatory pressures. Themed “Forging Future Advantage”, the event will emphasize how CFOs can navigate economic uncertainty, optimize performance, and build resilient organizations. It will explore how finance leaders can manage the transition to AI-driven processes, close digital-skills gaps in their teams, strengthen governance structures, and integrate new regulations, including upcoming e-invoicing requirements, into financial strategy. Critical topics to be covered include: Growth and profit optimization; The future of digital assets and cross-border payments; AI-driven finance transformation; Governance, risk and compliance management; and Talent management and reskilling in a hybrid world. Through this conference, industry leaders will reveal strategies that will define the future of finance and leadership amid continuing economic uncertainties and complex regulatory landscapes. The program will include keynote presentations, panel discussions, fireside conversations, and networking sessions. Key sessions will include climate-resilient finance, real-time treasury, CBDCs, AI agents, environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting, and foreign exchange (FX) strategies. AM Tech Day APAC 2026 March 17, 2026 ILUMINA, Sydney, Australia For the first time, the prestigious Paris-based AM Tech Day will expand to the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region with AM Tech Day APAC 2026. This inaugural edition will take place on March 17, 2026 in Sydney, Australia, bringing together the brightest minds and leading innovators across investment operations, front, middle, and back-office teams to explore the latest advancements in fintech This exclusive gathering will explore the dynamic influence of technological innovations within asset management, drawing an eclectic audience comprising asset managers, asset owners (superannuation), wealth managers and fintech visionaries. It will provide an exclusive platform for industry stakeholders to engage in meaningful discussions, gain hands-on experience with new technologies, and discover strategies that will define the future of investment management. The program will feature more than 50 speakers, 8 plenary sessions, 15 workshops, and 15 software presentations. It will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, live demonstrations, and in-depth workshops led by consulting firms, industry pioneers and technology disruptors discussing actual real world case studies, solving for problems affecting the buyside. Delegates will gain valuable insights into areas such as AI-driven trading strategies, automation in post-trade operations, advanced portfolio analytics, and trading and regtech. Fintech India Expo 2026 March 23-25, 2026 Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, India The Fintech India Expo 2026, taking place from March 23 to 25, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, will bring together the fintech ecosystem in India and beyond. Centered on the theme “Empowering the Future of Finance,” the event aims to function as a meeting point for global fintech innovators, regulators, policymakers, and enterprise leaders who are shaping the next era of digital finance. It will highlight the latest breakthroughs across software-as-a-service (SaaS), communications-platform-as-a-service (CPaaS), blockchain, AI, digital currencies, personalized banking technologies, and emerging cybersecurity frameworks, while exploring their implications for scalability, regulation, and consumer trust. Across three days, attendees will experience a mix of visionary keynote sessions, interactive panel conversations, product showcases, and curated networking designed to spark partnerships and cross-border collaboration. Startups and established firms will get to demonstrate innovations, connect with investors and enterprise buyers, and explore opportunities for market expansion. Beyond Tomorrow 2026 March 25, 2026 The International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney), Sydney, Australia Beyond Tomorrow 2026 (BT26), taking place on March 25, 2026, at the International Convention Centre Sydney will bring together Australia’s payments and identity ecosystem to explore transformative developments shaping the nation’s financial and digital infrastructure. The event will focus on practical, outcome-driven applications, as well as future-focused innovations that promise to redefine the customer experience, improve security, and foster inclusion across the Australian economy. Participants will get to hear about progress across the industry through practical applications already driving outcomes for Australia, gain insight into broader industry trends, customer behavior, and the systemic changes required to build a stronger, more resilient payments and identity landscape, and connect with peers, experts, and innovators from across the payments and identity ecosystem. Throughout the day, attendees will get to hear from a diverse range of leading voices and perspectives of end-users. The event will conclude with with a networking drinks reception designed to foster professional relationships and collaboration.   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on images by -Artist and Who is Danny via Freepik The post Top 14 Fintech Events to Attend in APAC in Q1 2026 appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Standard Chartered and Coinbase are expanding their partnership to explore new digital asset services for institutional clients. The two companies said the collaboration will explore the development of trading, prime services, custody, staking and lending solutions for institutions. They said the partnership aims to develop a comprehensive digital asset solution for institutional clients globally. The collaboration will combine Standard Chartered’s cross-border banking and digital asset innovation capabilities, supported by a rigorous risk management framework, with Coinbase’s institutional digital asset platform. The goal is to provide institutions with a seamless and secure way to trade and manage digital assets. The expanded partnership builds on the companies’ existing relationship in Singapore, where Standard Chartered provides banking connectivity that enables real-time Singapore dollar transfers for Coinbase customers. Margaret Harwood-Jones Margaret Harwood-Jones, Global Head, Financing & Securities Services, Standard Chartered said, “Our growing relationship with Coinbase further strengthens our ability to develop secure and compliant digital asset solutions for institutional investors. By combining Standard Chartered’s cross-border trading and custody expertise with Coinbase ’s advanced digital-asset capabilities and global market reach, we aim to explore how the two organisations can support secure, transparent and interoperable solutions that meet the highest standards of security and compliance.” Brett Tejpaul Brett Tejpaul, Co-CEO, Coinbase Institutional said, “By leveraging Standard Chartered’s global banking expertise and Coinbase’s leadership in the digital asset space, we are creating a secure and seamless framework for institutions to access and manage digital assets with confidence. Together, we are driving the evolution of the financial ecosystem and enabling institutions to unlock new opportunities in this rapidly growing market.”     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by user23413193 via Freepik The post StanChart and Coinbase Expand Institutional Digital Asset Partnership appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Ant International, HSBC, and Swift have completed a Proof of Concept (POC) demonstrating the cross-border transfer of tokenised deposits using ISO 20022 standards. The initiative connects Swift’s global messaging network with HSBC’s Tokenised Deposit Service and Ant International’s blockchain infrastructure. The POC represents a step forward in testing how tokenisation can support liquidity management, programmable finance, and round-the-clock settlement. As part of the trial, Ant International and HSBC linked Ant International’s proprietary blockchain system with Swift’s network. This enabled real-time treasury movements between HSBC Singapore and HSBC Hong Kong via the Tokenised Deposit Service. A common protocol was developed jointly with Swift and HSBC. It streamlines connectivity by reducing the need for separate bilateral arrangements between Ant International and individual banks. The integration combines the transparency and programmability of tokenised money with established payments infrastructure. Using Swift’s network adds an additional layer of security and compliance to Ant International’s blockchain-based approach. Supported by ISO 20022, the system extends HSBC’s anti-money laundering processes, fraud controls, and existing infrastructure into its tokenised deposit offering. According to the parties, this may help digital money providers adopt ISO 20022 and the Swift framework more easily, facilitating interoperability between tokenised and traditional fiat money. Shirish Wadivkar, Global Head of Payments and Cash Management at Swift, said: Shirish Wadivkar “We are excited to demonstrate how ISO 20022 data formats, when combined with new technologies like blockchain, bring significant value to the entire community. This integration not only speeds up payment processing but also enhances AML and sanctions screening.” Lewis Sun, Global Head of Domestic Payments and Emerging Payments, HSBC said, Lewis Sun “By enabling tokenised deposits to move securely and efficiently across borders, we are giving our corporate clients more choice in how they manage liquidity globally; with the familiarity of traditional banking and the benefits of next-generation digital infrastructure.” The organisations plan to continue exploring pilots and commercial use cases.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by freepik and fullvector via Freepik The post Ant International, HSBC and Swift Complete POC for Cross-Border Tokenised Deposits appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

A New York judge has sentenced a former crypto entrepreneur to 15 years in prison after he caused two digital currencies to collapse, wiping out an estimated US$40bn, and described the case as an “epic” fraud. Do Kwon, a South Korean national, co-founded the Singapore-based Terraform Labs, the company behind the TerraUSD and Luna digital coins. He admitted misleading investors about TerraUSD, a so-called stablecoin designed to maintain parity with the US dollar. According to the BBC, Kwon was among several crypto executives charged in the US after digital tokens plunged in 2022, triggering the collapse of multiple firms. US District Judge Paul A Engelmayer said the Stanford graduate had repeatedly lied to investors who trusted him with their funds. Paul A Engelmayer “This was a fraud on an epic, generational scale,” he told the Manhattan court. “ In the history of federal prosecutions, there are few frauds that have caused as much harm as you have.” Kwon, who pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy to defraud and wire fraud, expressed remorse during the hearing. Do Kwon “I have spent almost every waking moment of the last few years thinking of what I could have done different and what I can do now to make things right,” he said. Prosecutors said that when TerraUSD slipped below its US$1 peg in May 2021, Kwon falsely assured investors that an algorithm had restored its value. In reality, court documents state that he arranged for a trading firm to secretly purchase millions of dollars’ worth of the coin to artificially inflate its price.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by reewungjunerr via Freepik The post Crypto Founder Jailed 15 Years for US$40B Terra-Luna Fraud appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Instarem, a digital payments platform under Nium, now lets SMEs apply for non dilutive funding directly inside its business platform after integrating Choco Up’s growth financing service. The feature has been live since 1 September 2025 in Singapore and Australia. It launches as Southeast Asia’s cross border commerce expands, with IDC projecting intra regional trade to reach US$14.6 billion by 2028, about 2.8 times the 2023 level. Eligible Instarem Business users can apply for up to US$1 million in revenue linked financing. Underwriting draws on business performance data, and Choco Up typically disburses approved funds within two business days to a client’s Instarem account or operating bank account. The financing is collateral free and requires only a personal guarantee, supported by basic KYB documents and recent transaction history. Choco Up has backed more than 1,000 SMEs across Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia, contributing to about US$2.5 billion in gross merchandise value. Instarem processes more than US$6 billion a year and completes payments up to 12 times faster than traditional banks. Percy Hung “Fast, flexible, non-dilutive financing lets owners stay in control of how and when they scale. Many digital-first businesses do not fit traditional credit boxes, yet their growth moves in real time. Embedding financing within Instarem means businesses can act at the point of need, from inventory and marketing to supplier terms, without giving up equity. We chose Instarem because it is where cross-border SMEs already operate daily: payments, foreign exchange, and now funding, in one place.” said Percy Hung, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Choco Up. Michael Minassian “By partnering with Choco Up, we add a practical growth lever to our payments and FX stack so businesses can collect, convert, and capitalise inside a single platform. It is about reducing friction and helping regional champions scale internationally with confidence.” said Michael Minassian, Global Head of SME Business at Instarem. Instarem and Choco Up plan to deepen their API integration to automate data sharing and speed decision making. They are also evaluating invoice and trade financing products to support broader working capital needs and aim to expand the service to Hong Kong in the first quarter of 2026. SMEs can apply through the Instarem Business portal.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by mkmult via Freepik   The post Instarem Now Offers Up to US$1 Million in Choco Up SME Financing appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Trust Bank has rolled out its 2025 Year-End Rewind, a feature in the Trust App that gives customers a personalised look at how they lived, saved and spent this year. The recap works like a financial highlight reel and assigns users one of 16 animal characters based on their spending style. A customer who used their Trust card for savings and travel may be tagged as a Smart Nomad, shown as an otter. Customers with strong savings and FairPrice Group spending patterns may instead appear as Deal Hunters, represented by a lion. The characters open into insights on overseas spending, interest earned, FairPrice Group spending and other spend categories. Trust said the feature was shaped by the rise of year-end summaries on platforms like Spotify and Strava, and by the tendency for routine banking perks to lose visibility over time. The bank added that the recap is one way to help its more than 1 million customers reflect on their financial patterns. Naveen Sethia, Head of Design and Customer Experience at Trust, said, “Year-End Rewind is all about celebrating each customer and making finance fun. We wanted something personal, delightful, and reflective of the unique ways our customers have lived, saved, and spent with Trust.”     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on images by thanyakij-12 and sebdeck via Freepik The post Trust Bank Launches Spotify-Style Year-End Rewind with Personalised Animal Avatars appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

A DBS Bank employee helped an elderly woman avoid losing more than S$200,000 in a suspected scam, according to The Straits Times. The incident occurred on 24 December 2024, when a woman in her 70s arrived at the bank’s Century Square branch asking to withdraw S$190,000 in cash. Staff noticed she appeared highly unsettled and became defensive when questioned about the large withdrawal. She kept her phone to her ear throughout the exchange and avoided eye contact, which heightened concerns that someone was directing her on what to say. Assistant service manager Fionice Teoh, who was 38 weeks pregnant and nearing maternity leave, continued to ask questions despite being shouted at for almost two hours. She felt that her role extended beyond processing transactions and that she needed to safeguard vulnerable customers who might be under pressure. After repeated attempts to calm the woman, Teoh persuaded her to return the next day, allowing time for the bank’s anti-scam team and the police to step in. That evening, an officer from the Anti-Scam Centre visited the woman’s home and discovered she had already taken out S$12,000 from another branch. She had been preparing to hand the money to scammers posing as bank staff and law enforcement officers who claimed her accounts were linked to a money laundering investigation. They had also warned that her family could face consequences if she stopped cooperating. It took the officer close to an hour to convince her she was being deceived. The intervention prevented her from losing more than S$200,000 of her savings. A few days later, she returned quietly to the branch with a small bag of chocolates to express her gratitude. Teoh said many victims feel ashamed about falling for scams, so the gesture was meaningful to the team. Scams continue to cause significant losses in Singapore. Since 2020, victims have lost around S$4 billion. In 2024 alone, there were 1,504 cases of government official impersonation scams, with losses exceeding S$151 million. Recent legal changes allow courts to impose caning for serious scam-related offences, with penalties of up to 24 strokes. DBS said it is strengthening its defence measures while ensuring services remain smooth for customers. The public is encouraged to use tools such as the ScamShield app, install antivirus software and verify unexpected messages or calls directly with organisations. Scam victims should notify the police and their financial institutions immediately. Support is available through the 24/7 ScamShield hotline at 1799.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore/Malaysia, based on image by DBS   The post Pregnant DBS Staff Foils S$200,000 Scam Against Elderly Customer appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

As 2025 draws to a close, one thing is clear: the world of financial services is compounding. Every shift in financial technology, regulation, and consumer behaviour accelerates the next, creating a landscape where progress feels constant yet uneven. Asia Pacific illustrates this vividly. In the Philippines, the payments race intensified with Manny Pacquiao’s fully integrated Manny Pay app launch and Google Pay’s arrival. Malaysia, on the other hand, advanced ASEAN’s first 24/7 Real-Time Gross Settlement system while preparing for open finance. Hong Kong unveiled its Fintech 2030 strategy as two digital banks reached profitability, while Singapore now has better oversight for its national payment schemes through SPaN amid the Tokenize Xchange fallout. These moments signal a broader truth: finance is entering a new era defined by intelligence, embedded finance, and trust-centric design. These are not isolated regional shifts, but part of a global restructuring of the industry. The question is rather on how fast and in which direction these shifts will compound in 2026. To that end, the Mambu Predictions Report 2026 brings together perspectives from leaders across its ecosystem. Its insights chart the structural forces shaping fintech trends in 2026, from agentic AI to cybersecurity and regtech. The Era of Agentic and GenAI Solutions It comes as no surprise that agentic and generative AI are actively reshaping how banks decide, manage risk, and engage with their customers. While the potential is undeniable, questions constantly circle back on trust, ethics and control as the traditional boundaries between man and machine diminish. Tiffany Carpenter, Senior Industry Advisor for Financial Services at Microsoft, notes, Tiffany Carpenter “Generative AI co-pilots will become standard for advisors and operations, while compliance frameworks like the EU AI Act will drive transparent, explainable AI adoption.” Adrian Congiu, Vice President of Product Development at Mambu, agrees. He envisions a future where the “relationship banker” works in tandem with agentic AI, explaining, Adrian Congiu “These autonomous systems can automate time-consuming tasks and surface key insights. This shift allows human talent to focus on what matters most: personalised service and meaningful relationships.” Anandha Ponnampalam, Technology Director of OSB Group, takes this further. He suggests banking platforms will soon evolve like “living organisms,” continuously adapting via AI-driven optimisation. He believes that financial institutions will increasingly assemble capabilities from composable, cloud-native components. Anandha Ponnampalam “Large language models, agentic coding assistants and self-healing test frameworks will reduce build times from months to weeks.” Ponnampalam notes that the real winners will move fast but stay disciplined, using AI to accelerate delivery while hard-coding compliance, resilience, and ethical checks throughout the build. Trust Will Always Be the Most Valuable Currency Financial institutions now operate in a landscape where technology frequently outpaces regulation, meaning resilience and security must evolve in lockstep with innovation. When compliance and security are woven together by design, they mutually strengthen one another to create systems that are transparent, secure, and ethically grounded. Ivneet Kaur, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Mambu, shares, Ivneet Kaur “Looking ahead to 2026, as innovation accelerates and regulation struggles to keep pace, the real leaders will be those who combine speed and creativity with resilience, compliance, and security.” Rachel Freeman, Chief Growth Officer at Tyme Group, identifies a crucial shift for the coming years, predicting that regulation will become the primary differentiator in financial innovation. She adds, Rachel Freeman “Whether in fiat or digital assets, those that combine regulatory credibility with balance-sheet strength will rise to prominence.” Jan Georg Lehmann, Chief Commercial Officer at Knowit, expands on this outlook. Jan Georg Lehmann “The increasing sophistication of AI-powered attacks and growing regulatory scrutiny of digital evidence will redefine cybersecurity strategies in 2026 and beyond.” He emphasises that operational resilience is now a top priority, driving rapid investment in biometric verification, continuous threat detection, and zero-trust architectures. Banking as a Connected Ecosystem As institutions transition from legacy systems to cloud-native platforms designed for agility and scale, a new model of value creation is taking shape. Technology is becoming the strategic core of modern banking. Paula Neira, Director of Market Sales at Mambu, notes that staying ahead now requires financial institutions to think and operate like technology companies. That means adopting AI capabilities, leveraging API-driven technologies and building on open, composable platforms that foster collaboration and innovation. Paula Neira “Composable architecture allows financial institutions to refresh products, integrate new capabilities, and launch services in weeks rather than years.” Charith Mendis, Head of Worldwide Banking Industry at Amazon Web Services (AWS), expands on this, highlighting how ecosystems and agentic capabilities are converging to redefine customer experience. Charith Mendis “The convergence of ecosystems with agentic capabilities creates intent-based banking experiences for customers that will transition from ‘show me how’ to ‘do it for me’.” Yet, meaningful transformation requires both technological acceleration and institutional resilience. Rob Howse, Chief Operating Officer at Leeds Building Society, points out that many incumbents continue to feel the strain of legacy technologies that limit growth and are not able to meet customer expectations. Rob Howse “Meanwhile, neo-banks have been able to build the technology foundations to out-compete incumbents, but are struggling to build the balance sheets and risk management controls to be sustainable.” Ultimately, Howse believes success will belong to the institutions that can pair modern technology with deep banking strength. Those who commit to this journey, he concludes, will be the dominant players of the future. The Future of Finance, Defined As we look toward 2026, the convergence of agentic AI, resilient infrastructure, and open ecosystems signals that the industry is moving past the hype. The experiments of 2025 are now crystallising into the essential operating models of the future, where technology acts as the invisible enabler of better human outcomes. Across the insights shared, one theme stands out: sustainable growth will belong to those who can innovate quickly while safeguarding the trust that is the bedrock of financial services. This era of “purposeful progress” demands a fundamental rethink of value creation. Whether through composable architectures that break down silos or AI-driven intelligence that deepens relationships, the goal remains the same: to build a financial system that is agile, secure, and deeply responsive. Featured image edited by Fintech News Singapore based on image by freepik on Freepik  The post Fintech Trends 2026 Reveal Why AI and Tech Adopters Will Win in Financial Services appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

A Malaysian man has been sentenced to five and a half years in jail for helping an overseas syndicate spread Android malware that enabled scammers to take control of victims’ phones. Channel News Asia reported that the malware allowed unauthorised access to banking and other applications, resulting in losses of about S$3.2 million. How the Malware Tutorials Fueled the Scams Cheoh Hai Beng, 49, became involved after reconnecting with a Taiwanese acquaintance he first met in a South Korean prison. The acquaintance, Lee Rong Teng, invited him to the Dominican Republic in 2022 and later introduced him to Spymax, a remote access Trojan disguised as harmless Android applications. Once installed, the software allowed operators to view the phone’s contents, monitor activity and initiate outgoing bank transfers without the user’s knowledge. Between February and May 2023, Cheoh recorded at least 20 tutorial videos showing how to install and operate the malware. The clips demonstrated how to extract passwords, access cryptocurrency and banking applications, read SMS messages and track device locations. These videos were later distributed to syndicate members and potential partners. The group used the tutorials to conduct scams in Singapore from June 2023 to June 2024. Victims were tricked into downloading compromised apps, after which their phones were remotely accessed. A total of 129 people lost more than S$3.19 million through unauthorised transactions. Banks in Singapore responded to rising threats by introducing a 24-hour cooling period for first-time fund transfers to reduce the likelihood of rapid fraudulent withdrawals. Cheoh left the Dominican Republic in April 2023 and was arrested in Penang in June 2024 following a joint operation by Malaysian police and Singapore’s Technology Crime Investigation Bureau. He was later brought to Singapore to face charges. He pleaded guilty to participating in a criminal syndicate and conspiring to use malware to gain unauthorised access to mobile phones. He was also fined S$3,608, which represented the money he received for filming the videos.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on images by nikol85 and AI-generated image via Freepik The post Malaysian Man Jailed for Filming Malware Tutorials Behind S$3.2M Scam appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

IBM and Confluent have signed a definitive agreement for IBM to acquire all issued and outstanding Confluent common shares for US$31 per share. This values the company at US$11 billion. Confluent provides an open-source enterprise data-streaming platform designed to connect, process and govern real-time data. This capability is increasingly essential for deploying AI systems. IDC estimates that more than one billion new logical applications will emerge by 2028, reshaping technology architectures across industries. These applications, along with AI agents, require trusted, real-time data to operate effectively. IBM and Confluent aim to integrate applications, analytics, data systems and AI agents to strengthen intelligence and resilience in hybrid-cloud environments. Arvind Krishna “IBM and Confluent together will enable enterprises to deploy generative and agentic AI better and faster by providing trusted communication and data flow between environments, applications and APIs,” said Arvind Krishna, IBM Chairman, President and CEO. Jay Kreps, Confluent’s CEO and co-founder, said: Jay Kreps “We are excited by the potential to join IBM and to accelerate our strategy with IBM’s go-to-market expertise, global scale and extensive portfolio. I look forward to the future we will build together as Confluent becomes part of IBM.” Confluent’s platform prepares data for AI by keeping it clean and connected across disparate systems, reducing silos common in agentic AI workloads. The company’s total addressable market has grown from US$50 billion to US$100 billion in four years. Its capabilities, combined with IBM’s AI infrastructure software and automation tools, are positioned to capture this expanding opportunity. IBM views Confluent as a strategic fit aligned with its hybrid-cloud and AI roadmap. It complements IBM’s existing offerings in data and automation. The company expects product synergies across AI, automation, data and consulting, along with operational efficiencies gained through scale. IBM anticipates the deal will contribute to adjusted EBITDA in the first full year and to free cash flow in the second year after closing.   Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by ilygraphic via Freepik The post IBM to Acquire Confluent for US$11 Billion appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

HSBC’s drive to become a leaner institution began with dismantling co-management roles that CEO Georges Elhedery said had muddied accountability, an early step in a wider restructuring effort he described to Bloomberg Television. Elhedery, who took charge 15 months ago, has nearly cut the lender’s operating committee in half as part of a restructuring intended to streamline decision making and give executives clearer ownership of their businesses. He said the bank had operated with layers of dual or multiple reporting lines that limited transparency around performance, although a majority of revenue is now overseen under single leadership. The CEO, a former co-head of global banking and markets, is continuing a multi-year turnaround that has involved thousands of job cuts, the closure of several operations and the consolidation of others. He said the overhaul will take time and will require steady discipline as the bank works toward a simpler structure. A major pillar of his strategy is the rapid introduction of artificial intelligence across the organisation. HSBC has already provided AI tools to roughly 170,000 staff, integrating them into areas such as document drafting, wealth management, fraud detection and customer verification. Elhedery said employees will be assessed on how actively they adopt these tools, which he views as essential to remain competitive in the workforce of the future. The bank is currently running more than 100 AI use cases, about half of which are already live. Elhedery said workers are not expected to be replaced by technology but warned that those who fail to build skills around AI risk becoming less relevant over time. Elhedery also spoke about his leadership philosophy, including his decision to take a six-month sabbatical several years ago to accelerate his study of Mandarin. He said the experience helped him better understand Chinese communication and negotiation styles and encouraged others at the bank to take time for personal or professional development. He added that the restructuring requires a tough stance on legacy complexity within the organisation. Speaking earlier at a banking conference in London, he described the need for a ruthless approach to rebuilding HSBC. In the interview, he said his engineering background has shaped the way he identifies inefficiencies, noting that complexity often accumulates when organisations lose focus. He said restoring that focus is necessary for HSBC to operate more effectively.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by ilygraphic via Freepik The post HSBC CEO Elhedery Slashes Co-Head Roles, Cites Lack of Accountability appeared first on Fintech Singapore.