Indonesia Blockchain Week, held in Jakarta on December 10–11, is the country’s largest digital-finance gathering, bringing together many of the sector’s leading global participants. The conference featured representatives from OJK, alongside a good blend of local & global speakers and sponsors from Tether, Binance, OKX, Tron, D3 Labs, Tokocrypto, Simpan Invest, Saison Capital, Taisu Ventures, and UOB Venture. The event attracted nearly 10,000 participants, making it one of the largest digital-finance conferences in Southeast Asia. As Southeast Asia’s largest economy, Indonesia is rapidly establishing itself as a strategic hub for the global development of real-world assets (RWA). Its market is becoming a focal point where innovation, regulation, and international engagement intersect, creating a foundation for tokenised assets to scale globally. Regulatory Innovation: D-FMI Bridges Compliance and Openness For years, RWA adoption has been held back by the tension between global liquidity and local regulation. Tokenised assets are often confined to closed systems, limiting mass market participation and preventing true Web3 composability. In 2024, Indonesia took a step forward, Otoritas Jasa Keuangan (OJK), the country’s financial regulator, created a new department, ITSK (Inovasi Teknologi Sektor Keuangan), to oversee digital financial asset (DFA) development in Indonesia, where tokenised RWA is categorised under this framework as Backed DFA. “Indonesia has seen rapid growth in blockchain adoption and digital asset activities, where more consumers are entering the market, more institutions are exploring tokenisation, and more innovators are building solutions that will shape the future of finance,“ said Hasan Fawzi, Chief Executive of Financial Sector Technological Innovation, Digital Financial Asset, and Crypto Asset Supervision at OJK. In the same year, ITSK launched the OJK DFA regulatory sandbox under POJK 3/2024, allowing participants to operate RWA tokenisation related business legally in Indonesia. OJK’s acknowledgement of DFA, as a new asset class separated from the Capital market product, is a leap forward in driving global mass RWA tokenisation adoption. Allowing OJK to partner with sandbox participants in driving and drafting new regulations catered specially to this new asset class, empowering: Issuance of financial assets, and other real world products on-chain Public circulation and cross-chain transfers of compliant assets Legal participation by both retail & institutional users Listing of approved backed DFA on crypto platforms for secondary trading D3 Labs, through its flagship product Pruv Finance, is the first company approved under the Digital Financial Market Infrastructure (D-FMI) category of OJK DFA regulatory sandbox. Pruv Finance, launched by D3 Labs, is a platform for issuing tokenised real-world assets (RWAs) with access to global liquidity. Pruv is legally permitted to partner with global asset managers and leading blockchains to manage the full lifecycle of tokenised funds, from subscription and valuation to redemption and distribution across multiple blockchains. By collaborating with global asset-management partners and operating within OJK’s evolving Digital Financial Assets (DFA) framework, Pruv is among the early players helping Indonesia build compliant, interoperable infrastructure for tokenised assets. These foundational efforts support the country’s broader ambition to emerge as a regional hub for RWA tokenisation. A Mature and High-Potential Web3 Market Regulation alone isn’t enough, a mature and engaged market is also essential. Such a market not only provides timely feedback to regulators but also helps shape and encourage the evolution of regulatory frameworks. By 2025, Indonesia’s digital finance ecosystem is rapidly evolving. The country has over 20 million crypto users, mostly young and tech-savvy, with a crypto adoption rate exceeding 40%, actively engaging with innovative financial products. Total crypto trading volume has reached IDR 446 trillion (USD 26.8 billion), demonstrating the scale and liquidity of the digital asset market. Looking ahead, tokenisable assets from Indonesia are projected to reach $88 billion by 2030, spanning bonds, investment funds, infrastructure projects, and SME financing. Compared with other jurisdictions, Indonesia offers lower barriers for innovation, fostering cross-chain and cross-border product synergies. These factors create fertile ground for large-scale RWA issuance and adoption. Top Web3 Enterprises Expand into Indonesia The final, and most critical, piece of the RWA puzzle: a global liquidity distribution network. Indonesia’s supportive regulatory and market environment has attracted top Web3 enterprises, from leading exchanges, to global financial institutions and leading blockchains, all building the infrastructure to connect tokenised assets to liquidity worldwide. This emerging network positions Indonesia as a gateway, linking RWAs to global financial flows. Robinhood just announced that they will acquire Indonesian brokerage firm Buana Capital Sekuritas and licensed digital asset trader Pedagang Aset Kripto, marking the retail trading platform’s entry into one of Southeast Asia’s major crypto hubs. Binance acquired Tokocrypto, one of the largest fiat to crypto exchanges in Indonesia, to secure a full Indonesian digital asset trading license, creating a compliant base for long-term market growth and future RWA initiatives. OKX / OKX Wallet is exploring partnerships and integrations with local indonesia partners. Indonesia is becoming a key market within OKX’s global strategy. Bybit is strengthening local infrastructure through acquiring licensed local Indonesia crypto exchange, while offering Indonesian-language support, localised content, and partnerships with the Indonesia Blockchain Association on user protection. OSL Group acquired an Indonesian exchange via a USD 15 million investment, using Indonesia as a strategic entry point for Southeast Asia expansion. HashKey partnered with INDODAX to collaborate on liquidity, infrastructure, compliance, and RWA tokenisation, further establishing Indonesia as a significant player in the global Web3 ecosystem. Top-tier financial institutions are also staking their claim in Indonesia. BlackRock increased its holdings in PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BBRI), while AllianzG activelyI invests locally and partners with Standard Chartered Bank, making Indonesia a key focus in its Asia-Pacific strategy. Korea’s PineTree pilots tokenised bonds and cross-border digital funds, and SBI DMI is building regulated rails for compliant, institutional-grade digital assets. Leading Web3 Ecosystems such as Polygon, Avalanche, Sei, Manta, IOTA, and LayerZero are cultivating local developer communities by providing resources, mentorship, and tools, while Arbitrum, Solana, and Cardano are expanding Indonesian user bases and community networks to accelerate adoption of decentralised applications. Why Indonesia Matters RWAs unlock value by giving globally liquidity to assets with tangible worth. Making that a reality takes more than technology, it requires aligned policy, industry support, and a strong global  partner network. In Indonesia, all these elements are coming together. The country is quickly becoming a launchpad for global RWA adoption, where innovation, regulation, and market demand intersect. Indonesia is proving that a single, strategically positioned market can take experimental projects and turn them into fully integrated, institutional-grade financial products ready for the global stage.   Featured Image by D3 Labs The post Indonesia Is Emerging as Asia’s Next RWA Hub appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

SHOPLINE has received a Major Payment Institution licensce from Singapore’s central bank, allowing it to provide regulated payment services in Singapore. The license was granted to Instage Technology, a subsidiary of the commerce software provider, by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. It allows the company to offer account issuance, domestic and cross-border money transfer, merchant acquisition and e-money issuance services. The approval gives SHOPLINE a regulated base in Singapore to support payment services for more than 600,000 merchants worldwide. SHOPLINE said the license strengthens its ability to deliver secure and compliant payment services, supported by governance, compliance and operational systems, with further enhancements underway. The approval also supports deeper integration of payments within SHOPLINE’s commerce platform, including broader payment options, multi-currency support, more reliable checkout experiences and stronger safeguards around fund security. It also lays the groundwork for embedded financial services such as expense management, automated payment flows and bill management. “The MPI license marks an important milestone for SHOPLINE. It strengthens our ability to support merchants in growing their global presence and reaching customers across borders. With the license, we can partner with more global payment and financial institutions to build a suite of embedded financial solutions that help merchants manage and utilise their funds more effectively, empowering them to scale their businesses with greater confidence.” said Kimi Gong, Deputy GM of Payments, SHOPLINE. The Singapore license adds to SHOPLINE’s regulatory approvals in other markets, including a Money Service Operator license in Hong Kong, registration with Australia’s financial intelligence agency AUSTRAC and an energy listing with Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by Freepik   The post SHOPLINE Subsidiary Secures Payment License in Singapore appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

For millions of people, crypto has shifted from a speculative asset to a critical utility. It has become the rail for sending money home, a hedge against fragile local currencies, and a bypass for legacy financial systems that are slow, expensive, or out of reach. This shift in behaviour is showing up clearly in the data: global retail transactions surged by more than 125% in between January to September 2024 and during the same period in 2025, signalling that individuals, not just institutions, are driving the next phase of growth. TRM Labs’ 2025 Crypto Adoption and Stablecoin Usage report indicates Asia as the centre of gravity for this functional adoption. According to its Country Crypto Adoption Index 2025, seven Asian nations feature prominently in the rankings, with India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Republic of Korea, and Japan all in the global top 10. For these markets, the driver is clear: a grassroots demand for functional financial alternatives. Source: 2025 Crypto Adoption and Stablecoin Usage Report, TRM Labs Yet, the global landscape is defined by a powerful duality. While Asia drives the breadth of user adoption, the United States continues to dominate the depth of the market. US crypto activity surged by roughly 50% between January and July 2025, pushing past US$1 trillion and cementing its status as the world’s largest market by absolute transaction volume. That acceleration has unfolded alongside a clear shift in Washington. The Trump administration has moved quickly to deliver on its pledge to make the US “the crypto capital of the world,” translating campaign rhetoric into policy action. Congress has since passed the GENIUS Act, establishing the country’s first comprehensive framework for stablecoins while also advancing the CLARITY Act to set out a broader market structure for digital assets. Ari Redbord, Global Head of Policy and Government Affairs at TRM Labs, reinforces this structural divergence: Ari Redbord “Crypto adoption in 2025 is being shaped by two powerful forces — policy clarity and user-driven innovation. We’re seeing not only institutional participation accelerate in regulated markets like the US, but also grassroots adoption thrive in regions with economic volatility. The rise of stablecoins sits at the centre of both stories.” Asia’s Diverse Adoption Story The Country Crypto Adoption Index 2025 places Asia firmly at the heart of global crypto adoption, with India retaining the top position for the third consecutive year. Pakistan and the Philippines have surged into the global top five, while Indonesia, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, and Thailand all remain within the top 15. India’s continued leadership is fuelled by a “crypto-fluent” middle class and a massive demographic dividend. Beyond retail enthusiasm, the market is maturing rapidly: a thriving developer ecosystem and rising interest from institutional and high-net-worth investors are deepening liquidity and reinforcing the country’s accelerating adoption. Pakistan has jumped to the #3 spot globally, moving up one rank from 2024. This rise is driven by a decisive policy pivot. In March 2025, the government established the Pakistan Crypto Council to foster the local blockchain ecosystem and announced plans for a dedicated regulator, the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA), signalling a shift towards formal oversight. Source: Top 15 in Country Crypto Adoption Index 2025, TRM Labs Bangladesh presents a stark contrast, proving that economic necessity often supersedes the law. Despite ongoing warnings from the central bank since 2014 and the fact that, as of 21 October 2025, no platforms are licensed to operate legally, adoption thrives underground. Driven by strict capital controls and a scarcity of foreign exchange, its citizens seem to be turning to crypto as an essential alternative to the traditional financial system. Ultimately, this suggests that crypto has become an essential utility, capable of flourishing equally: where governments build regulatory bridges and where they attempt to build walls. Stablecoins Quickly Gain Traction in Crypto Adoption Stablecoins accounted for 30% of crypto transactions from January 2025 to July 2025, according to analysis from TRM Labs. The market remains overwhelmingly US dollar–centric, with more than 90% of fiat-backed stablecoins pegged to the US dollar. Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC together account for 93% of total stablecoin market capitalisation. Regulatory momentum has kept pace with this growth. In 2025, the US passed the GENIUS Act to establish a federal stablecoin framework, Hong Kong approved its Stablecoin Bill, and the European Union’s Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCA) came into force. As of August 2025, TRM Labs analysis shows stablecoins reaching their highest annual transaction volume on record. Transaction activity rose 83% between July 2024 and July 2025, with more than US$4 trillion in stablecoin volume recorded between January and July 2025 alone. Over the same period, leading stablecoins expanded their share of the overall crypto market by 52%, underscoring their rapidly growing role in how crypto is being used globally. The Compliance Paradox TRM Labs estimates that 99% of stablecoin activity remains licit. Yet in the first quarter of 2025, stablecoins accounted for 60% of all illicit crypto transaction volume. This concentration reflects exposure rather than misuse, as stablecoins are considered the most liquid and accessible on-chain medium. Source: 2025 Crypto Adoption and Stablecoin Usage Report, TRM Labs This imbalance reflects the same characteristics that have driven legitimate adoption: low transaction costs, speed, and wide availability on open blockchains such as TRON and Ethereum. Across both leading stablecoins and the wider crypto market, investment fraud was the largest contributor to illicit volume growth between 2024 and 2025. However, when stablecoins are excluded, sanctions-related activity emerges as the primary driver, increasing by more than US$1 billion in comparison to 2024. That pattern diverges sharply within the stablecoin segment itself. Sanctions-related volume involving leading stablecoins fell by US$5.2 billion over the same period, pointing to a possible behavioural shift among threat actors. As enforcement pressure and monitoring around stablecoins have intensified, some illicit actors appear to be moving towards alternative digital assets to evade sanctions. Within the stablecoin ecosystem, extortion and blackmail showed the fastest relative growth, with volumes rising 380% YoY between January and July 2025. The rise highlights how criminal activity adapts quickly to liquidity and reach, even as overall compliance improves. Regulation as an Accelerant The data from 2025 confirms that the crypto market is maturing in behaviour and structure. With legislation advancing globally, stablecoins are evolving from crypto-native tools into regulated financial rails. This shift underscores the defining trend of the 2025 Index: regulatory clarity is an accelerant, driving legitimate growth while narrowing the channels for abuse. Featured image edited by Fintech News Singapore based on image by thanyakij-12 on Freepik The post 7 Asian Countries in Global Top 10 for Crypto Adoption, Says TRM Labs appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Singapore-based trade finance platform Olea has raised US$30 million in a Series A funding round. The round was led by BBVA, with participation from XDC Network, theDOCK, other investors and existing shareholder SC Ventures. The company said the capital will support new capabilities, including artificial intelligence, Web 3.0 and embedded finance. Olea plans to scale its origination activities across key markets, supported by its network of institutional funding partners. The equity round follows a separate funding facility announced in November 2024. That facility was arranged by HSBC and Manulife | CQS Investment Management. Olea operates an institutional-grade trade finance platform and holds a Capital Markets Services licence from the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Since launching in 2022, it has facilitated more than US$3 billion in financing. The company works with over 30 institutional funders and serves more than 1,000 suppliers and buyers across more than 70 trade corridors. Amelia Ng Amelia Ng, CEO of Olea, said, “This funding marks an important milestone in Olea’s journey. The confidence shown by our new and existing investors is a powerful validation of the business we’ve built – institutional-grade, scalable, and ready for the next phase of growth. We are committed to building an efficient and accessible trade ecosystem that connects capital, commerce, and technology.” BBVA said the investment would support Olea’s expansion across Europe, the United States, Latin America and Asia, with collaboration planned on digital supply chain solutions and risk analytics. SC Ventures reaffirmed its backing and said it is exploring further work in digital assets and artificial intelligence. XDC Network cited tokenised and stablecoin-based trade flows, while theDOCK pointed to new partnerships in maritime logistics. Olea is headquartered in Singapore and was founded with investment from SC Ventures and Linklogis.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by masaideeabdulkoday70 via Freepik The post Olea Raises US$30 Million Funding Round Backed by BBVA, SC Ventures appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

StraitsX plans to launch its Singapore dollar-backed stablecoin XSGD and US dollar-backed stablecoin XUSD on the Solana public blockchain, with an initial rollout targeted for early 2026. The move expands the company’s multi-chain and cross-border settlement footprint and will make both stablecoins available on Solana for the first time. Tianwei Liu “Stablecoin adoption is increasingly driven by users and businesses who expect payments to be instant, low-cost, and available everywhere. Launching XSGD and XUSD together on Solana will be game-changing. It unites CEX support, AMM liquidity, lending pools, and everyday payments on a single high-performance chain. It also brings us closer to a world where digital money moves across networks as easily as information does today.” said Tianwei Liu, CEO and Co-Founder of StraitsX. The integration will enable SGD and USD settlement on Solana, which StraitsX said is increasingly being used for x402-based payments, an interoperability standard designed to support automated machine-to-machine and AI-agent micropayments. The launch is aimed at supporting cross-border payments, digital commerce and AI-native applications. XSGD is currently live on Ethereum, Polygon, Avalanche, Arbitrum, Zilliqa, Hedera and the XRP Ledger, while XUSD is available on Ethereum and BNB Smart Chain. Together, the two stablecoins have processed more than US$18 billion in on-chain transaction volume, according to the company. Lu Yin “Welcoming both XSGD and XUSD to Solana expands the network’s role as a top global payments chain and unlocks new opportunities for builders, institutions, and users, from instant cross-border settlements to DeFi applications like lending, borrowing, and yield generation. The addition of native SGD and USD liquidity further strengthens Solana’s role as a core infrastructure layer for AI-and machine-driven on-chain transactions.” said Lu Yin, Head of APAC at The Solana Foundation. StraitsX said the launch would bridge Singapore dollar and US dollar stablecoin ecosystems on a single chain. This would create a foundation for on-chain foreign exchange between XSGD and XUSD, as well as liquidity and lending markets for institutional and decentralised use cases. Both stablecoins support the x402 standard natively, and this functionality will be extended to Solana to enable automated agent-to-agent payments. StraitsX said major centralised exchanges are in the pipeline to support Solana-native XSGD and XUSD, alongside work with decentralised exchanges and Solana-based DeFi protocols to establish liquidity pools and lending markets. The company added that it will work with the Solana Foundation to support liquidity across the ecosystem while addressing money laundering and terrorism financing risks linked to the integration.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by smartmalik6384 via Freepik The post StraitsX to Launch SGD and USD Stablecoins on Solana in Early 2026 appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Singapore-based payments firm MetaComp has teamed up with Stable to expand the use of stablecoins in cross-border payments. MetaComp is licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore as a Major Payment Institution and Digital Payment Token service provider. It will integrate Stable’s blockchain network, StableChain, into its StableX Network. The partnership follows MetaComp’s launch of StableX at the Singapore Fintech Festival 2025 and its earlier collaboration with USDT0. Tin Pei Ling Tin Pei Ling, Co-President of MetaComp, said, “Stablecoins are progressing from speculative tools to becoming increasingly integral to the backbone of global financial infrastructure. With the launch of the StableX Network and this new collaboration with Stable, we are building a regulated, interoperable ecosystem that delivers instant, transparent, and fully compliant settlement for businesses worldwide.” StableChain is a Layer 1 blockchain built for stablecoin payments and uses USDT as its native gas token. The network supports sub-second settlement, smart contracts, and integration with LayerZero-based assets such as USDT0. These features enable programmable cross-border transactions. Through the integration, MetaComp’s StableX Network will support real-world stablecoin payments across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and South America. MetaComp said the partnership is intended to simplify cross-border fund flows while improving transparency and meeting regulatory requirements across jurisdictions. The collaboration also adds new asset conversion capabilities. Institutional users will be able to convert between USDT0 and XAUt0, a gold-backed token, on StableChain. Related wealth services will be offered through Alpha Ladder Finance, MetaComp’s affiliated company. Alpha Ladder Finance is licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore as a Capital Markets Services provider and Recognised Market Operator. Brian Mehler Brian Mehler, CEO of Stable, added, “MetaComp’s regulated infrastructure and institutional reach complement Stable’s high-performance blockchain network. By integrating with the MetaComp’s StableX platform, we are demonstrating how stablecoin-native systems can power programmable payments, efficient FX settlement, and compliant digital asset adoption at global scale.” MetaComp will also extend its VisionX monitoring system to work with Stable’s infrastructure. The integration will provide real-time transaction monitoring and traceability for stablecoin transfers. Both companies said they will co-develop on-chain compliance controls to support anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing standards. As part of the partnership, USDT0 and XAUt0 will be made available on MetaComp’s Client Asset Management Platform. Stable will also be added to MetaComp’s StableX routing engine, where USDT0 may be used as an intermediary asset to improve settlement efficiency in specific corridors.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by digitizesc via Freepik   The post MetaComp Teams Up With Stable to Expand Stablecoin Settlement appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Singapore-based fintech Aspire has secured a series of regulatory approvals across Australia, Europe and the United States. This lays the foundation for its next phase of growth in key global financial hubs. Over the past year, the company has obtained eight licenses and registrations, strengthening its regulatory footing as it scales internationally. In Australia, Aspire has been granted a full Australian Financial Services License (AFSL), strengthening its presence in the Asia Pacific region. The license allows the company to offer its financial products directly to Australian businesses, including multicurrency accounts, payments, cards and spend management, as companies increasingly seek modern and integrated finance platforms. In Europe, Aspire has received an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license, marking its formal entry into the European Union. It has also signed an investment commitment with the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and selected the Netherlands as its European base, enabling it to offer pan-European business accounts. In the United States, Aspire has registered as a Money Services Business (MSB) and as a Registered Investment Adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The approvals expand the range of services the company can offer to U.S. businesses and support its planned rollout in 2026. Leadership hires support regional expansion To support its regional expansion, Aspire has strengthened its leadership team with seasoned fintech executives, including former leaders from Wise and Revolut. Devanjan Sinha, previously with Wise, is leading the company’s Australia operations. Akash Kaul, formerly of Revolut, has joined as VP for global expansion and growth to oversee Europe. David Harris, also from Revolut, is leading Aspire’s U.S. launch, while Paul Brooking, formerly with Freetrade and Revolut, has been appointed chief financial officer to bolster the company’s global finance capabilities. Andrea Baronchelli “Our clients are digital-savvy, international, and have high expectations of service quality. We’re building Aspire to be their all-in-one global finance stack. These milestones strengthen the regulatory foundation we need to deliver unified, intelligent infrastructure for their cross-border financial needs, while bringing our Financial Operating System to thousands of businesses in these new markets.” said Andrea Baronchelli, Co-Founder and CEO of Aspire. The company entered Hong Kong earlier this year, where it has delivered more than threefold growth, and continues to expand its presence in Singapore, supported by its Capital Markets Services (CMS) license. The post Aspire Secures Licenses in Australia, Europe and the U.S. appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Singapore-based insurtech firm bolttech has partnered with telecoms company Orange Poland to launch a digital insurance comparison platform. The service is the first of its kind to be offered by a telecom operator in Poland. Built using bolttech’s insurance technology, the platform supports embedded insurance and allows customers to compare and purchase motor and home insurance policies online through a single service. Customers can also choose to receive support from a phone-based agent. The platform is designed to offer a simple, fast and transparent way for customers to compare coverage and complete purchases online. The partners plan to expand the platform by adding more insurance products and related services over time. Stephan Tan Stephan Tan, Chief Executive Officer, EMEA, bolttech, said, “We are proud to deepen our collaboration with Orange Polska with the launch of Insure with Orange. By combining Orange’s digital reach and strong customer relationships with bolttech’s expertise in building and managing insurtech platforms, we can offer customers a fast, intuitive way to compare high-quality insurance offers and buy protection that truly fits their needs.”     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by mangpor2004 via Freepik   The post bolttech Powers Insurance Comparison Platform for Orange Poland appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Visa has launched a stablecoins advisory service to help banks, fintechs, merchants and businesses of all sizes assess how stablecoins could fit into payments and settlement. The new practice sits under Visa Consulting & Analytics and is positioned as a value-added advisory offering covering market fit, strategy and implementation. Visa said the service is intended to help clients explore how stablecoin infrastructure could support innovation and growth. The launch comes as the stablecoin market capitalisation has surpassed US$250 billion. Visa reported that its stablecoin settlement volume has reached a US$3.5 billion annualised run rate as of 30 November. The advisory service includes stablecoin training and market trend programmes, including a new Visa University course, alongside strategy development, market entry planning, use case sizing, go-to-market planning and technology support for stablecoin integration. The services are designed to support adoption amid emerging regulatory standards. Carl Rutstein “Having a comprehensive stablecoins strategy is critical in today’s digital landscape. Clients come to Visa and VCA for guidance because they trust our ability to navigate change, both within payments and beyond. We are proud to help our clients stay agile and competitive as this space evolves at an unprecedented pace.” said Carl Rutstein, global head of Visa Consulting & Analytics, Visa. The advisory practice builds on Visa’s broader work in blockchain and stablecoin payments. The company was among the first major payments networks to pilot stablecoin settlement using USDC in 2023 and now supports more than 130 stablecoin-linked card issuing programmes across over 40 countries. Recent Visa Direct pilots allow qualified businesses in certain jurisdictions to pre-fund cross-border payments using stablecoins and send direct payouts to individuals’ stablecoin wallets. Early users of the advisory service include Navy Federal Credit Union, Pathward and VyStar Credit Union.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by mangpor2004 via Freepik The post Visa Launches Stablecoin Advisory Service for Strategy, Implementation appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Fintech continues to gain strong momentum year-on-year, driven by customer growth and demand. A 2024 global study by the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance and the World Economic Forum found that the average customer growth in the sector reached 37% from 2022 to 2023 across industry verticals and global regions. Revenue growth was also strong during the period at 40%, while profit growth climbed 39%, underscoring improved operational efficiency and sustainable growth. Customer demand is a key driver of this expansion. 90% of the 200+ fintech companies surveyed identified it as a leading factor supporting their growth, reflecting the sector’s deepening traction among consumers and businesses alike. The rapid growth of fintech has created a huge demand for professionals with specific fintech skills. In response, universities across ASEAN have introduced dedicated fintech master’s programs designed to equip students and professionals with expertise in blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), digital banking, and financial analytics, among key areas. These programs are now available across the region, with Singapore standing out as the leading hub for fintech higher education in Southeast Asia. The country offers some of the most prominent master’s degrees and postgraduate programs in the field, several of which are delivered in partnership with international institutions to provide students with global exposure and enhanced mobility.   Top Fintech Master’s Degrees and Postgraduate Programs in ASEAN   Master of Science in Financial Technology – Nanyang Technological University School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (Singapore) The Master of Science in Financial Technology (Fintech) is hosted by the Nanyang Technological University (NTU)’s School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. The curriculum is built on data science, artificial intelligence (AI), and information technology, and provides students with the fintech skills necessary to navigate the changing landscape of the finance industry. A strong emphasis is placed on the in-depth mastery of disruptive technologies in finance, including financial automation (e.g., robo-advisors), financial cryptography (e.g., blockchain technology), and digital financial services (e.g., financial inclusion). It’s an intensive one-year full-time or two-year part-time program by coursework, taught in three trimesters per academic year. The curriculum consists of two specializations: intelligent process automation (IPA) or digital financial services (DFS). The IPA specialization focuses on the technical aspects of fintech and is suited to candidates with strong quantitative or programming backgrounds. The DFS specialization addresses the managerial dimensions of fintech and is appropriate for applicants with degrees in quantitative fields, business, or relevant professional experience. The practicum course starts in trimester three and comprises either a research-based project or a self-sourced internship where students work on a professional consulting project mentored by experienced instructors to solve financial problems. The school assists students in securing internship opportunities. The courses are delivered in intensive periods of seven weeks, and all courses are conducted at the NTU main campus in the evenings of weekdays or Saturdays. Admission requires a good Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline. Tuition fees for the academic year 2025/2026 amount to S$63,220 (US$49,000), with a deposit of S$5,450 (US$4,200) deducted from the first billing. Fees exclude textbooks, course materials, travel, and accommodation. Singapore citizens may apply for the Singapore Digital (SG:D) Scholarship administered by the Infocomm Media Development Authority. Applications open in three batches from November 01, 2025 to February 28, 2026. Offers are released in mid-December 2025, late January 2026, and mid-March 2026 respectively. Master of IT in Business – Singapore Management University School of Computing and Information Systems (Singapore) The Master of IT in Business (MITB) at the Singapore Management University prepares professionals to lead in a tech-driven business environment. In an era defined by digital disruption, the program equips students with the technical and strategic capabilities required to navigate the evolving intersections of data, technology, and business. It offers five specialization tracks, namely AI, Cybersecurity, Data Science and Analytics, Digital Transformation, and Financial Technology and Analytics (FTA), each designed to develop domain-specific expertise. The FTA track offers modules that address the technological transformation of the financial services industry. Courses tackle digital banking and trends, data science in financial services, financial markets systems and technology, digital payments and innovations, risktech and regtech, quantum computing in financial services, fintech innovations and startups, and specialized Web3 modules on digital currencies, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), tokenized assets, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). These modules explore foundational industry concepts, emerging technologies, regulatory frameworks, and practical applications through a combination of lectures, labs, projects, and case studies. MITB class sessions are conducted in a highly interactive, seminar-styled manner, combining lectures with discussions, hands-on lab sessions, problem-solving practice classes and group work. Students also get to meet with industry experts who share their experiences and perspectives through regular seminars. During the program, students may undertake an internship that aligns with their chosen track, enabling them to gain industry experience and refine their professional skills. Through this internship, they learn to articulate career goals, strengthen communication and interpersonal abilities, and understand workplace expectations. Alternatively, students may complete a six-month capstone project that integrates their learning through a research-based or practice-oriented investigation of a real-world business challenge. The program may be completed in 12 to 24 months, with intakes in August and January. Tuition fees amount to S$54,500 (US$42,200). Applications for the August intake are open from January 01, to May 31, and for the January intake from June 01, to October 31. SMU is hosting a virtual MITB Information Session with the Programme Directors on 17 January 2026, from 10.00am to 12.00pm. Participants will receive an exclusive application waiver code. Register to attend the session here. Master of Science in Digital Financial Technology – National University of Singapore School of Computing (Singapore) The Master of Science in Digital Financial Technology, offered by the National University of Singapore (NUS) School of Computing, is designed primarily to help prepare graduates for challenging but rewarding careers as AI software developers, data scientists, fintech security specialists, financial quantitative analysts and other similar professions in financial institutions or fintech firms. This degree is a coursework-based master’s program, with core courses covering essential computing and finance. Its core curriculum covers essential areas such as AI, blockchain technologies, data analytics, and foundational principles of finance and computing. Students also complete elective modules that enable deeper specialization in fields including computing systems, cybersecurity, AI, data analytics, enterprise IT, risk management, and investment. Together, these core and elective components provide a strong interdisciplinary foundation that equips graduates with the advanced technical and financial expertise needed to excel in the evolving fintech sector. In addition, students undertake a Capstone Project over two semesters, choosing either a research project guided by NUS faculty or an industry-based fintech internship that provides practical, hands-on experience. Students may opt to substitute this project with approved electives if they prefer a course-based pathway. The normal duration of the program is 1.5 years for full-time students and 2.5 years for part-time students, with a maximum candidature of three years. The program typically spans three semesters for full-time enrollment and five semesters for part-time study. Admission is competitive and suited to applicants who have a strong interest in fintech. Candidates should hold a bachelor’s degree in computing or in a related discipline such as science, technology, engineering, mathematics, finance, economics, statistics, or business. Professional experience in fintech, AI, or data analytics is beneficial but not compulsory. Beginning with the August 2026 intake, tuition fees for new students are S$74,120 (US$57,400). Master of Science in Financial Technology – London School of Business and Finance (Singapore) The Master of Science in Financial Technology at the London School of Business and Finance (LSBF) Singapore Campus combines cutting-edge technology with financial expertise to equip students with the skills required to navigate the evolving financial landscape. The program covers key areas such as digital leadership, programming fundamentals, risk management, and financial strategy, preparing graduates to lead innovation in the financial sector. This program is a 12-month fast-track degree designed for career advancement. It is triple-accredited and ranked among the top 20% globally in the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2023. The program offers a dynamic curriculum that bridges finance and technology, empowering students to address contemporary challenges in the financial sector. Key modules, such as Innovations in Technology, Business Model Innovation and Fintech, and Risk Management for Financial Institutions, provide a deep understanding of financial technologies and their impact on business models and risk management. Graduates are expected to develop practical expertise in the fundamentals of programming, digital leadership transformation, and financial strategy while honing their research abilities through the extended research proposal and dissertation modules. The program ensures graduates are equipped with the technical, analytical, and leadership skills required for successful careers in financial technology and innovation. Upon completion, the degree is awarded by Manchester Metropolitan University. The tuition fees are S$18,203 (US$14,100) for local students and S$22,890 (US$17,700) for international students. Master of Science Fintech – Abertay University (Singapore) The Master of Science in Fintech is designed to equip current and future employees and managers within the financial sector with the skills and knowledge needed for a career at the forefront of the disruption to the industry. It provides graduates with the financial expertise and technological capability required to lead innovation across banking, wealth management, and financial services. The program aims to develop a contemporary understanding of the financial and technological challenges facing modern financial institutions and the opportunities created by emerging digital tools. The curriculum includes introduction to data science, fintech and disruption, advanced financial reporting and analysis, machine learning and AI, research methods, financial management, and a masters project. It cultivates the ability to plan strategically, manage risk, and apply relevant analytical skills in high-performance organizations. Students are also encouraged to strengthen long-term employability through continuous learning. Assessment is conducted through assignments, examinations, coursework, and presentations. The program is delivered through blended learning, and may be completed in either twelve months full-time or eighteen months part-time. Intakes commence in February 2026 and September 2026. For local applicants, tuition fees amount to S$16,350 (US$12,700). The Master of Science in Fintech is taught in Singapore at the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS). However, the degree itself is actually awarded by Abertay University in the UK. Master of Finance with a Specialism in Fintech – Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (Malaysia) The Master of Finance with a Specialism in Fintech is at the Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU) in Malaysia provides advanced training in financial decision-making, digital innovation, and the application of emerging technologies within the financial sector. The program is designed to prepare students to operate confidently in a global financial environment characterized by rapid technological change. It is suited to individuals with a background in finance or related fields who seek deeper expertise in quantitative analysis, fintech, and the design of data-driven financial solutions. The structure consists of ten coursework modules and a research project. Core modules include cybercrime and investigation, corporate finance, financial statement analysis, financial markets and institutions, fintech, big data analytics and technologies, AI, international finance, research methodology, and investment and portfolio management. For the final project, students undertake an academic or industry-oriented study related to fintech, supported by literature review, research design, data collection, analysis, and a written report that adheres to academic standards. Students have the option to participate in the APU-De Montfort University (DMU) Dual Degree Scheme, through which they receive degree certificates and transcripts from both APU in Malaysia and DMU in the UK. The program may be completed in slightly more than one year of full-time study, with intakes in December 2025, April 2026, and August 2026, or over two to three years on a part-time basis, with intakes in January, April, June, and August 2026. For Malaysian students, the total tuition fee is approximately MYR 34,800 (US$8,500). For international students, the total tuition fee is MYR  38,800 (US$9,440) for the full program. Master in Banking, Finance and Fintech – International Francophone Institute (Vietnam) The Master in Banking, Finance and Fintech is offered by EM Normandie School of Management (EMN) in France and taught at the International Francophone Institute (IFI) of the Vietnam National University in Hanoi. The program aims to equip students with advanced professional skills and a strong foundation in banking, finance, and fintech, preparing them for leadership roles in the digital finance era. The curriculum is structured around 14 knowledge blocks, totaling 75 credits over 15 to 18 months. Teaching combines on-site lectures, expert seminars, practical problem-solving exercises in collaboration with banks and businesses, mandatory internships, and a graduation thesis. The program adheres to European standards and is internationally recognized. Approximately 50% of the courses are taught by experienced professors from France and the UK, with opportunities for internships, student exchanges, and scholarships. The program represents the first fintech master’s program in Vietnam. Tuition is EUR 7,800 (US$9,200), payable in full or in two installments (65% and 35%). International students may receive a scholarship, including a 80% tuition fee discount and a 100% accommodation support in dormitories, excluding electricity and water charges. Master of Science in Financial Technology – Asian Institute of Management and Manchester Metropolitan University (Philippines) The Master of Science in Financial Technology is jointly delivered by the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) and Manchester Metropolitan University (ManMet). Developed by two globally recognized institutions, the program aims to provide an integrated view of how technology reshapes the financial sector and prepares students for leadership and innovation roles across the fintech industry. Graduates are expected to demonstrate analytical and logical thinking, effective communication, ethical and collaborative leadership, and the ability to manage interactions among functional business areas. They also gain a strong understanding of Asian and global business environments and demonstrate proficiency in quantitative reasoning. Graduates receive a dual award from both AIM and ManMet, giving them a competitive advantage in an increasingly dynamic global workforce. The program spans eight terms within 24 months with a pre-program orientation before the first term. Classes follow a hybrid format and begin every January. Filipino applicants must hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree from an autonomous institution. Those graduating from non-autonomous schools must present at least two years of work experience. International applicants must hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree or demonstrate at least two years of relevant work experience. English proficiency is also required. The application deadline for the January 2026 intake is December 31, 2025 for both resident and non-resident applicants. The program fee for the January 2025 intake is US$22,500. AIM offers study-now, pay-later programs for Filipino students, covering up to 80% of the remaining program balance (excluding registration fees, discounts, and scholarships).   Featured image by dapor2560 on Freepik The post Top Fintech Master’s Degrees and Postgraduate Programs in ASEAN appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Singapore and China have announced a new set of financial initiatives, including the appointment of DBS Bank as Singapore’s second renminbi clearing bank and the launch of an e-CNY pilot for Singapore travellers. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said DBS’ appointment would support further growth of Singapore’s offshore renminbi market. The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s Singapore branch has served as the city-state’s first RMB clearing bank since 2013. The move is expected to facilitate the use of the Chinese currency for trade, investment and other economic activities in line with regional needs. The e-CNY pilot will allow Singapore travellers to open and top up digital yuan wallets locally for merchant payments in China. The service will be rolled out in phases from the end of 2025 through the Singapore branches of ICBC and Bank of China, and is intended to complement other linkages to enhance payment convenience for travellers. Measures extend to listings, bonds and investment products The two sides expressed support for A-share companies listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen to pursue secondary listings on the Singapore Exchange. MAS and the China Securities Regulatory Commission said the secondary listing framework would be extended to enable access to international capital and additional funding channels for regional business expansion. Bank of China and DBS will also commence an over-the-counter bond market arrangement allowing designated banks in Singapore to offer institutional investors access to selected products on the China Interbank Bond Market. MAS said the initiative reinforces Singapore’s role as a gateway for Asian investment opportunities. The Singapore regulator also signed an updated memorandum of understanding with the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government under the China-Singapore Chongqing Connectivity Initiative to mark its 10th anniversary. The agreement covers cooperation in cross-border financing and investments, fintech innovation and green finance to facilitate financial services between China’s western region, Singapore and ASEAN. Chia Der Jiun Chia Der Jiun, Managing Director of MAS, said, “Over the years, the deepening financial connectivity between Singapore and China has supported the growth of cross border trade and investment linkages between our economies. We look forward to building on this momentum, through our new initiatives and the continued partnerships between our financial institutions in banking and capital markets.” The measures were announced by the Monetary Authority of Singapore at the 21st Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation meeting in Chongqing, co-chaired by Singapore Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong and China’s Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on images by leoaltman and leoaltman via Freepik The post Singapore Names DBS as Renminbi Clearing Bank, Launches e-CNY Pilot appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Thunes has promoted Chloé Mayenobe to Deputy CEO as it sharpens its leadership structure to support global expansion. Mayenobe was previously President and Chief Operating Officer. In her expanded role, she will partner with the board and CEO to define the company’s long-term strategy. She will also oversee execution across its enterprise roadmap, including network expansion, mergers and acquisitions, technology, product, marketing, sales operations and global operations. Mayenobe will continue to report to Thunes co-founder Peter De Caluwe, who is CEO and Deputy Chairman of the company. Thunes said the leadership structure is designed to leverage Mayenobe’s experience in scaling high-growth businesses and transforming market leaders, as the company accelerates its commercial trajectory globally. Mayenobe brings more than 15 years of experience scaling fintech businesses and transforming multinational payments groups. Her previous roles include Chief Operating Officer at Solaris Group, which reached a valuation of €1.6 billion, Deputy CEO at Natixis Payments, and Senior Vice President and Managing Director for EMEA at Ingenico Group. At Ingenico, she managed profit and loss responsibilities exceeding €400 million and contributed to a twelvefold increase in the company’s market capitalisation. Since joining Thunes in 2023, Mayenobe has been instrumental in professionalising the company’s governance and played a central role in securing US licensing across all 50 states. She was also central to closing Thunes’ US$150 million Series D funding round. Peter De Caluwe Peter De Caluwe, CEO and Deputy Chairman of Thunes, said, “Chloé is more than an operational leader; she is a strategic visionary who understands how to turn ambition into enterprise value. Her promotion to Deputy CEO reflects her immense contribution to our growth and her ability to navigate complex global markets. To win the race, you need both a visionary driver and a flawless engine. With Chloé fine-tuning the high-performance engine of our day-to-day operations, I am focused on the road ahead, steering our strategic vision and cementing Thunes as the world’s definitive global payment infrastructure.” Chloé Mayenobe Chloé Mayenobe, Deputy CEO of Thunes, said, “I am honoured to step into the Deputy CEO role. Thunes is at a pivotal moment where operational rigour must meet aggressive strategic expansion. My focus will be on leveraging our global Network to unlock new revenue streams, integrating predictive intelligence into our decision-making, and ensuring our culture of high performance translates directly to client success. I look forward to working with Peter and our incredible team to build a financial ecosystem that is not only efficient but truly transformative for the global economy.”     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by digitizesc via Freepik The post Thunes Promotes Chloé Mayenobe to Deputy CEO as It Scales Globally appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Over the past year, there has been a clear shift in conversations with banking and fintech leaders across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and key markets in Southeast Asia. The question is no longer simply “How do we digitise?” but “How do we make smarter, faster, safer decisions.” That shift captures where Asia Pacific is heading and explains why artificial intelligence (AI) decisioning is emerging as a critical driver of intelligent growth for the region’s financial institutions. AI has moved far beyond experimentation. In a region defined by rapid digital acceleration and increasingly complex risk patterns, banks and fintechs are under pressure to transform how they understand customers, evaluate risk and deliver personalised experiences. Traditional rules based systems can no longer keep up with the pace of change. Today’s environment demands decisioning systems that can learn, adapt and respond instantly to real world behaviour, and that is exactly what AI brings to the table. Why Southeast Asia’s Markets Are Taking Distinct Paths to AI Maturity Source: Roni4060 via Freepik Across Asia Pacific, AI decisioning is evolving at different speeds but with a shared vision of building smarter and more resilient financial ecosystems. Singapore continues to lead with trusted regulatory frameworks and a strong commitment to responsible AI. Malaysia is strengthening digital trust and expanding financial inclusion, with AI helping institutions assess thin file customers and detect fraud with greater precision. Indonesia’s rapidly growing digital economy is driving demand for scalable, AI driven lending and fraud prevention, powered by behavioural and alternative data. What is most exciting is how each market approaches intelligence differently. Singapore instils confidence through governance, Malaysia drives innovation through inclusion and Indonesia challenges the industry to think bigger with its scale. These unique strengths reinforce that AI in Asia Pacific cannot follow a one size fits all model. It must adapt to each market’s needs, challenges and ambitions. What Will Define Intelligent Banking in 2026 Source: Art of Innovation via Freepik Looking toward 2026, it is clear that banks across Asia Pacific are preparing to evolve from digital to truly intelligent banking. Personalisation will deepen as decisioning becomes behaviour driven rather than demographics based. Risk models will shift from static assessments to dynamic systems that continuously learn from real time behaviour. Regulatory expectations around AI governance and explainability will grow stronger, encouraging greater transparency and accountability. Institutions will also move toward unified intelligence layers that eliminate silos across risk, fraud, onboarding and customer experience. Provenir, an AI-powered data and decisioning software provider, is focusing in Asia Pacific on enabling more real-time, transparent and adaptive decisioning capabilities for 2026. The priority is to help financial institutions leverage richer data, strengthen AI governance and build scalable intelligence frameworks aligned with emerging expectations across Southeast Asia. The aim is not just to deploy AI, but to embed intelligence at the heart of every decision. The organisation is already geared up for what lies ahead, ready to support banks and fintechs as they accelerate their AI adoption. For institutions looking to understand their readiness and identify the right next steps, the AI Maturity Assessment available through Provenir’s AI Unlocked programme offers a practical way to evaluate current capabilities and uncover opportunities to advance AI decisioning strategies. The Road Ahead for AI in Asia Pacific The year 2026 is set to be a defining moment for AI in Asia Pacific. The opportunities ahead for banks, consumers and the broader economy are enormous. Intelligent decisioning will sit at the centre of this evolution, shaping how institutions manage risk, build trust and deliver experiences that truly meet the expectations of a digitally empowered region. The future of banking in Asia Pacific is not just digital; it is adaptive, personalised and powered by AI.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by leungchopan via Freepik The post Banks Across Southeast Asia Advance at Different Speeds on AI Maturity appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Stripe has launched the Agentic Commerce Suite to help businesses sell through AI agents as online shopping evolves. The suite is designed to reduce the complexity of integrating with multiple AI agents, each of which typically has its own technical and onboarding requirements. Stripe said businesses can sell across supported agents through a single, low-code integration instead of building separate connections for each one. The launch builds on Stripe’s earlier introduction of the Agentic Commerce Protocol, an open standard for transactions between AI agents and businesses. Stripe said adoption of the protocol has been fragmented, leading it to introduce the Agentic Commerce Suite to simplify participation. Stripe said the suite supports Shared Payment Tokens, which allow AI agents to pass a buyer’s payment credentials securely to businesses without exposing sensitive information. The tokens can be limited by seller, time and transaction amount to help manage fraud risks linked to automated transactions. Retailers including Coach, Kate Spade, Etsy, URBN, Ashley Furniture, Revolve, Halara, Nectar and ABT Electronics are onboarding to the suite, alongside ecommerce platforms such as Wix, Squarespace, WooCommerce, BigCommerce and commercetools. The product will roll out through Stripe’s dashboard and application programming interfaces, as well as via partner ecommerce platforms. Stripe said the Agentic Commerce Suite is part of its broader effort to build infrastructure for commerce as artificial intelligence increasingly shapes how consumers discover and purchase products online. https://fintechnews.sg/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Agentic_Commerce_Suite.mp4   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by wahyu_t via Freepik The post Stripe Launches Agentic Commerce Suite to Support Sales Through AI Agents appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Vietnam has set up a dedicated regulatory unit to oversee crypto asset trading, marking a further step toward formalising supervision of digital assets as market activity continues to grow. The development, reported by The Investor Vietnam, was announced by the State Securities Commission after the Ministry of Finance approved the formation of a crypto asset trading market management board under the regulator. The new board will operate within the State Securities Commission’s framework and oversee crypto asset trading activities in Vietnam’s capital markets. Bui Hoang Hai, vice chairman of the commission, has been appointed to lead the unit. At the launch event, State Securities Commission chairwoman Vu Thi Chan Phuong said the board would be expected to push forward regulatory and policy work, improve tools for monitoring market activity, and draw on regulatory experience from other jurisdictions. She added that the unit should provide transparent and responsible advice to the government when assessing and licensing enterprises seeking to operate crypto asset trading services. The regulatory move follows the government’s issuance of Resolution 05/2025 on 9 September, which outlines a five-year pilot programme for crypto asset trading. The framework adopts a controlled approach to market development, with safeguards intended to protect investors and the legitimate rights and interests of domestic and foreign organisations and individuals. Vietnam remains one of the most active crypto markets in the region. Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis estimated that crypto-related transaction value in the country exceeded US$220 billion, placing Vietnam third in Asia-Pacific in its 2025 Global Adoption Index. The firm also reported market growth of about 55 percent between July 2024 and June 2025, a trend analysts associate with more sustained participation beyond short-term speculation.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on images by Frolopiaton Palm and pranavkr via Freepik The post Vietnam Forms Dedicated Body to Oversee Crypto Asset Trading appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

Though AI is now nearly ubiquitous across the financial, technology, and fintech sectors, many firms are still struggling to achieve full integration, highlighting a persistent “implementation gap”, according to a study by Cloudera. The survey report, released in November 2025, polled 155 finance, tech and fintech executives worldwide in August 2025, and found that 97% of respondents had deployed at least one AI or machine learning (ML) use case. This signals that AI has moved from an emerging innovation to a strategic business necessity. However, widespread deployment has not translated into deep adoption. Nearly half (48%) of the surveyed firms reported that their AI/ML maturity level has moved beyond experimentation and proofs of concept but is still not fully embedded in operations. How would you describe your organization’s current level of AI:ML maturity? Source: Turning AI potential into advance, Finextra Research and Cloudera, Nov 2025 Data security and data siloes emerge as top barriers to AI deployment The study found that data fragmentation is among the biggest barriers to AI deployment across regions and firm sizes. An overwhelming 97% of the financial services firms polled specifically reported that siloed data across their organization is hindering their ability to build and deploy effective AI models. This suggests that data silos have become the critical fault line between strategic ambition and operational execution. Large global organizations with more than 50,000 employees are the most affected by this, with 38% citing significant impact and 43% moderate impact. This reflects the inherent complexity of managing data across multiple business lines, as the more separated the functions, the more data silos emerge. Smaller firms are not exempt from this. Among organizations with fewer than 1,000 employees, 25% reported significant impact from data silos and 40% moderate impact, showing that data silos challenges are affecting AI efforts at every scale. At the regional level, LATAM showed the highest share of significant impact (45%), while North America was evenly split between significant (32%) and moderate (32%). Europe reported higher moderate impact (61%), where regional regulatory requirements such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and open banking regulations have already forced institutions to confront data governance challenges. In the Middle East and Africa (MEA), 68% cited moderate concerns, suggesting newer, modernized systems may help mitigate the issue. Data security also is a major barrier, reflecting heightened industry awareness of privacy risks and ethical responsibilities. High infrastructure costs add to the challenge, particularly in North America, while evolving AI regulations contribute to an increasingly complex and fragmented compliance landscape. Rate how significant each of the following is as a barrier to successful AI implementation in your organization, Source: Turning AI potential into advance, Finextra Research and Cloudera, Nov 2025 Top AI/ML use cases The study found that chatbots and knowledge search leveraging large language models (LLMs) are the leading AI/ML use cases globally, with 70% of the surveyed firms either deploying or actively developing these AI use cases. Adoption is the highest in North America and APAC (81%), reflecting both customer expectations for 24/7 digital engagement and the efficiency gains of automating frontline interactions. These results align with broader consumer trends. A recent study by Genesys Cloud Services and Twimbit, which surveyed 1,400 consumers across seven Asian markets in October 2025, found that more than 70% of respondents had used a chatbot or a virtual assistant for customer support in the past 12 months. This indicates that AI-driven support is now a familiar part of the customer experience in the region as Asian customers prioritize fast response and resolution as their top customer expectation (80%) and as efficiency become central to positive experience. Fraud and anomaly detection is the second most deployed AI/ML use case deployed globally, at 64%, with uptake being the highest in MEA (77%) and APAC (74%). This reflects a growing focus on financial crime prevention as fraud threats escalate across emerging digital economies. A 2023 study commissioned by Lexis Nexis found that 42% of organizations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) experienced a year-on-year (YoY) increase in online fraud year-on-year (YoY), incurring an average cost of AED 4.19 (AED 3.62 for retailers and AED 4.99 for financial institutions) for every dirham lost to fraud. Across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, digital channels accounted for 52% of overall fraud losses in 2023, surpassing physical fraud for the first time. In APAC, AI has ushered in more sophisticated fraud schemes, including deepfake documents, biometric spoofing, and enhanced impersonation. A 2024 APAC study commissioned by GB Group found that 70% of organizations in APAC saw fraud attempts increase over the prior year, with many reporting a surge in impersonalization of digital presence, account takeover fraud, and money laundering and money mules. Over a fifth (22%) of APAC organizations said identifying fraudsters at the point of onboarding has become extremely difficult, a figure that rises to 31% respondents in Malaysia and 29% in Australia. Overall, 27% of fraud prevention professionals in the APAC region said identifying and stopping fraud at the point of onboarding is now one of the biggest challenges they face in their job. Which of the following AI/ML use cases are you currently deploying or actively developing? Source: Turning AI potential into advance, Finextra Research and Cloudera, Nov 2025 Europe leads in full AI implementation Globally, Europe leads in full AI implementation. While only 26% of firms worldwide have achieved full AI integration, 45% of European organizations have reached this stage, supported by the region’s strong fintech ecosystem and regulatory drivers from the EU AI Act. In North America, organizations are concentrated just below full integration, with 39% at the stage preceding it and 35% fully integrated. Similar patterns appear in MEA and APAC where 61% and 58% of respondents, respectively, are just one stage short of full integration, and only 13% in each region having reached full integration. Latin America (LATAM) stands out with 26% fully integrated, 13 points higher than both APAC and MEA, suggesting that the region is leapfrogging certain legacy barriers.   Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by freepik via Freepik The post AI Reaches Widespread Adoption in Finance, Yet Full Integration Still Lags appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

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.