Lianlian said the new headquarters is intended to strengthen its position as a multinational firm and support its goal of building a global digital payments ecosystem.

Zhang Zhengyu, Chairman and Executive Director of Lianlian DigiTech, stated:

“Our decision to establish the Overseas Business Headquarters in Hong Kong reflects not only the city’s unique role as a natural bridge between Greater China and the world, but also the Hong Kong SAR Government’s forward-looking vision in charting a digital future. Its ambition to position Hong Kong as a global innovation hub for digital assets aligns closely with Lianlian’s long-term roadmap.”

According to Zhang, the Hong Kong hub will act as the company’s strategic centre and an innovation testbed.

Its priorities include using blockchain and artificial intelligence to advance cross-border payments, reinforcing technology and compliance capabilities, and expanding global partnerships to support its wider innovation ecosystem.

Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Hong Kong, based on image by bisualphoto via Freepik

The post Lianlian DigiTech Sets Up Overseas Business HQ in Hong Kong appeared first on Fintech Hong Kong.

The new phase introduces a Weixin Mini Program in Singapore, building on the previous integration of Tencent Cloud Real-Time Communication (TRTC) technology that enhanced in-app communications within Ryde.

Weixin, known internationally as WeChat, is China’s most widely used messaging and social platform.

The Weixin/WeChat Mini Program allows Chinese tourists in Singapore to book Ryde rides directly within the platform, without downloading a separate app.

The interface supports Simplified Chinese, displays fares in RMB, and accepts payments via Weixin/WeChat Pay.

Kenneth Siow, Regional Director for Southeast Asia and General Manager for Singapore & Malaysia at Tencent Cloud International, said:

“This expanded partnership underscores our commitment to deepening digital integration within the Weixin/WeChat ecosystem. We are proud to support Singapore’s inbound tourism by enhancing connectivity and user experience through our Mini Programs.”

Nitin Dolli, CTO at Ryde Group, added:

“Partnering with Tencent Cloud strengthens Ryde’s position as a local platform collaborating with global technology pioneers. The new Mini Program offers a familiar and localised booking experience for over 3 million Chinese visitors each year, aligning with their language and currency preferences.”

Featured image credit: Ryde

This article first appeared on Fintech News Singapore

The post Tencent Cloud and Ryde Launch Weixin Mini Program in Singapore appeared first on Fintech Hong Kong.

The bank’s new wealth service will offer access to a range of investment products, including Hong Kong stocks, US stocks, and funds, broadening its retail banking wealth management offering.

PAObank plans to soft-launch the service to selected customers ahead of a wider public release.

The service provides broker-level trading functions with the safeguards of a licensed bank, combining features typical of both online brokers and traditional banks.

It will also offer pre-market and after-hours trading sessions for US stocks, extending trading access to up to 16 hours a day to allow customers to respond to market developments during daytime in Hong Kong.

Ronald Iu, Chief Executive of PAObank, said:

“PAObank is poised to expand our retail banking business by tapping into the investment market. Our wealth service combines speed, reliability and flexibility, offering customers a simpler and more seamless investment experience, seizing the opportunities to grow wealth just a fingertip away.”

Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Hong Kong, based on image by diloka107 via Freepik

The post PAObank Secures Licenses to Launch Wealth Management Services appeared first on Fintech Hong Kong.

The report examines the potential of labelled debt, including green, blue, social, and sustainability-linked bonds, to support sustainable development in emerging markets.

The research finds that sustainable debt markets across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and emerging Asia Pacific (APAC) have significant growth potential.

Many issuers and borrowers currently finance sustainable projects with unlabelled instruments.

Opportunities for expansion include government guidance to ease market entry, greater corporate issuance, and broader use of sustainable debt beyond conventional labels and structures.

The report includes three case studies illustrating innovation in sustainable finance: a blue bond from DP World, a sustainability-linked loan bond from Emirates NDB, and long-tenor green bond and loan from MTR Corporation Limited.

Regulators in MENA and emerging APAC are increasingly supporting the development of transition and social finance frameworks, stronger disclosure standards, and innovative sustainable instruments.

In the UAE, initiatives such as the UAE Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 aim to diversify the energy mix, reduce carbon emissions, and position the country as a regional hub for green and transition finance.

The UAE Sustainable Finance Working Group, of which the DFSA is a founding member, has issued draft principles for climate transition planning to help financial institutions create credible and effective transition plans.

Mark Steward, Chief Executive of the DFSA, said:

“This research provides valuable insight into how sustainable debt is evolving across the MENA and emerging APAC regions. The US$94 billion issuance record in 2024 reflects growing investor confidence and the resilience of our markets.”

Eddie Yue, Chief Executive of the HKMA, said:

“Sustainable debt is a promising tool for bridging the multi-trillion-dollar climate financing gap in emerging markets. Through this joint research, we aim to explore solutions to remove the barriers faced by issuers and identify opportunities for growth.”

Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Hong Kong, based on image by thanyakij-12 via Freepik

This article first appeared on Fintech News Middle East

The post DFSA and HKMA Highlight Sustainable Debt Growth in MENA and APAC appeared first on Fintech Hong Kong.

This development allows AMINA to operate locally as a regulated crypto services provider while leveraging its global expertise.

The services are available to institutions, corporates, and high-net-worth individuals within Hong Kong’s regulatory framework.

The license addresses a gap in Hong Kong’s institutional crypto market.

Although regulatory frameworks for digital assets exist, professional investors and family offices have had limited access to international institutional-grade crypto with local onboarding capabilities.

AMINA HK’s license, combined with the group’s banking-grade operational expertise, enables professional investors to access regulated crypto services that meet the standards of traditional financial products.

Michael Benz, Head of AMINA Hong Kong and APAC, said:

“Hong Kong has established itself as the region’s most sophisticated market for regulated institutional crypto adoption, and this license uplift positions AMINA to serve the accelerating demand from professional investors seeking trusted access to crypto. What distinguishes AMINA is our ability to combine Swiss banking rigor with Hong Kong digital asset expertise to deliver crypto solutions through a framework that institutional clients can trust.”

With the Type 1 license uplift, AMINA HK provides 24/7 crypto spot trading, asset safeguarding, and crypto deposits and withdrawals to whitelisted addresses, following SFC regulatory standards.

These capabilities allow professional investors to manage cryptocurrency positions efficiently while maintaining institutional-grade security.

The trading platform supports major digital asset pairs, with an initial offering of 13 vetted cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, stablecoins such as USDC and USDT, and leading DeFi tokens.

Clients have access to institutional-grade liquidity pools and can use multiple channels, including mobile applications, web portals, and personalised relationship management.

AMINA HK also provides SFC-compliant custody services that meet institutional security standards.

Clients can deposit and withdraw cryptocurrencies to whitelisted addresses, including external non-custodial wallets.

The infrastructure is protected by multi-layered security protocols, including SOC 1 Type 2 and SOC 2 Type 2 certifications, and offers 24/7 operational capabilities to support professional investors across global time zones.

Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Hong Kong, based on image by freepik

The post AMINA HK Secures SFC Type 1 License for Professional Crypto Services appeared first on Fintech Hong Kong.

According to a report by Asahi, the move will place 105 cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin and ether, under new disclosure rules.

Exchanges listing these assets will be required to provide details on key attributes such as whether the token has an identifiable issuer, its underlying blockchain, and its price volatility.

The FSA also intends to introduce measures to curb insider trading, potentially banning issuers and exchange executives from trading crypto assets based on non-public information, including listing schedules, The Block reported.

The proposed changes are expected to be submitted as amendments to Japan’s financial laws during the 2026 ordinary Diet session.

As these 105 digital assets move closer to being treated like traditional financial products, Japanese authorities are also seeking to reduce the tax rate on crypto income to align it with stock investments, lowering it from a maximum of 55% to 20%.

The tax reform will be reviewed in the coming fiscal year, according to Asahi.

Japan, once known for its cautious stance following the Mt. Gox collapse, has begun overhauling its regulatory landscape in an effort to position itself as a regional Web3 hub.

Last month, the FSA was reportedly exploring ways to permit local banks to trade cryptocurrencies in a manner similar to stocks and government bonds.

The agency has also been advancing a yen-pegged stablecoin initiative, with the country’s first local stablecoin, JPYC, launched on 27 October.

Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Hong Kong, based on image by sweet_tomato via Freepik

The post Japan to Reclassify Crypto as Financial Products, Cut Tax Rates appeared first on Fintech Hong Kong.

“More local governments want digital nomads because they can stay longer than normal tourists,” Ryo Osera, an executive member of the Japan Digital Nomad Association (JDNA), told the South China Morning Post in a recent interview. “They can also spend lots of money because they [tend to] have high-skilled, professional careers.”

Established in 2022, the JDNA aims to make Japan more welcoming for digital nomads. One of its main initiatives at the moment is to expand Japan’s Digital Nomad Visa program, which currently allows a maximum stay of six months. This duration pales in comparison with other locations like Portugal, Malta, and Dubai, which offer stays for up to one year.

Japan officially launched its Digital Nomad Visa scheme in March 2024. The visa permits holders to live and work remotely from Japan for up to six months, and includes special provisions for accompanying spouses and children.

To apply, applicants must prove that they work remotely for a company or clients outside Japan, and must submit documents about their job, income, and plans during their stay in Japan.

This includes producing documents proving that their annual income is JPY 10 million (US$65,000) or more, such as tax payment certificate, income certificate, employment contract, or contract with a business partner.

They must also present either a detailed stay plan during their stay in Japan, or produce a Certificate of Eligibility issued by a regional immigration bureau.

Finally, they must carry insurance covering death, injury, or illness during their stay, with a minimum medical coverage of JPY 10 million.

Accompanying spouses and children must produce the same documents.

The Digital Nomad Visa cannot be extended and doesn’t come with a residence card. This means that visaholders cannot open a Japanese bank account, sign long-term rental contracts, or register at a city hall. The same restrictions apply to accompanying spouses and children.

Furthermore, the visa is limited to nationals and citizens from a little over 50 countries that have both a visa waiver and a tax treaty with Japan. These countries include most of Europe, North America, as well as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. Spouses and children from over 20 additional countries may also apply, but only as dependents.

Japan: one of the world’s hottest travel destinations

Unlike typical tourists who visit briefly and concentrate their spending in high-traffic tourist zones, digital nomads tend to rent local housing, frequent neighborhood businesses, and integrate into communities. This creates steady incomes for small businesses and helps diversify the local economy beyond seasonal tourism.

Furthermore, digital nomads often choose housing in less touristy areas where they can live and work quietly. This slower and more integrated lifestyle usually aligns better with sustainable development and avoids the short-term strain that mass tourist brings.

Over the past five years, Japan has grown into one of the world’s hottest travel destinations. The country was voted the number one country in the world by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler in the magazine’s 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards for the third consecutive year. Tokyo (#1) and Kyoto (#2) was voted the top two best “Large Cities” in the world, with Tokyo leading the list for the second year in a row.

Between January and August 2025, more than 28 million foreign visitors arrived in the country, marking a 17% increase from about 24 million a year prior, according to Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). The estimated number of international travelers to Japan in August 2025 was 3,428,000, representing a 16.9% year-over-year (YoY) increase.

Breaking down the number of foreign visitors to Japan in August 2025 by country and region, China ranked first with 1,018,600 visitors in August 2025, followed by South Korea with 660,900 visitors, and Taiwan with 620,700 visitors.

Overtourism in Japan

This surge in international tourism has led to made inbound travel a key pillar of Japan’s economy. Inbound tourism is now the country’s second-largest export sector behind automobiles, with spending by foreign visitors reaching an annualized JPY 7.2 trillion (US$47 billion) for the period between January and March 2024.

However, this rapid increase in tourism has also led to highly concentrated tourism in a handful of prefectures. This over-concentration of tourists has negatively impacted residents’ daily lives, leading to issues including congestion, overcrowded transport, noise pollution, and waste management.

To address these challenges, Japanese lawmakers are currently considering hiking the departure tax from JPY 1,000 (US$6.5) per person to JPY 3,000 yen (US$20), NHK, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, reported earlier this week.

Introduced in 2019, the departure tax, formally called the International Tourist Tax, is levied on all travelers leaving Japan, including Japanese citizens. It’s collected as a fee added to the prices of tickets for airlines and other forms of transportation.

Some members of the Japanese government and ruling party have proposed that increased revenue from the tax hike be used to address the challenges caused by overtourism, such as transportation congestion and disruptive behavior by some foreign tourists.

Lawmakers are expected to begin discussions on the tax reform in fiscal 2026 with the focus on whether the tax should be raised and by how much.

Japan is one of the many countries in Asia to have introduced a special visa scheme for digital nomads and remote workers, joining Thailand, Indonesia, and South Korea, among others.

Featured image by tawatchai07 on Freepik

The post Japan Aims to Attract Digital Nomads to Promote Sustainable, Long-Term Stays appeared first on Fintech Hong Kong.

To strengthen financial connectivity, Development Bank of Singapore (DBS) has partnered with UnionPay International (UPI) to enable DBS UnionPay Platinum Debit Cardholders to access a more efficient cross-border payment experience.

From now until 31 March 2026, cardholders can receive up to 8% cashback and a 3% waiver on transaction fees when spending in China, providing a total benefit of up to 11%.

DBS said the programme supports the growing economic and social exchanges between the two countries.

Through UnionPay’s global merchant network, the card can be used across Belt and Road countries, reflecting the concept of “One Card, Travel Across Asia.”

The UnionPay “Global Privileges” programme additionally offers benefits such as hotel upgrades, dining discounts, and leisure privileges.

Cardholders can also link the DBS UnionPay Platinum Debit Card to Alipay or WeChat Pay for a 3% waiver on transaction fees for single transactions above RMB 200.

Overseas ATM withdrawals incur no fees, saving up to S$7 per transaction.

DBS noted these measures aim to reduce the cost of cross-border mobile payments and support digital finance cooperation between China and Singapore.

Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Hong Kong, based on image by freepik

This article first appeared on Fintech News Singapore

The post DBS and UnionPay Expand Cross-Border Payment Options appeared first on Fintech Hong Kong.

The pilot aims to facilitate real-value transactions involving tokenised deposits and digital assets within a controlled environment.

EnsembleTX builds on the outcomes of the Ensemble Sandbox, which since August 2024 has allowed industry participants to test end-to-end use cases for settling digital asset transactions using experimental tokenised deposits.

In the pilot phase, the HKMA, participating banks and other industry participants will focus on enabling faster and more transparent settlement of tokenised transactions, initially in tokenised money market fund transactions and real-time liquidity and treasury management.

The pilot will run through 2026, with interbank settlement of tokenised deposits initially facilitated via the HKD Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system.

The environment will be progressively upgraded to support settlement in tokenised Central Bank Money (CeBM) on a 24/7 basis, supporting the development of Hong Kong’s tokenisation ecosystem.

The HKMA and the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), a member of the Ensemble Architecture Community, will continue to collaborate on practical applications of tokenisation across asset classes and sectors.

Eddie Yue, Chief Executive of the HKMA, said,

“EnsembleTX marks a pivotal moment in our journey, upgrading from proof-of-concept to a real-value setting. It is where innovation meets implementation, and the concepts and details tested in the Ensemble Sandbox are now applied in real-value transactions, delivering tangible benefits to market participants.”

Julia Leung, Chief Executive Officer of the SFC, said,

“To scale tokenisation of investment products, interoperability is key. A critical step in that direction is today’s initiative announced by the HKMA which will gradually allow interbank settlement of tokenised deposits in real time 24/7.”

Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Hong Kong, based on image by rawpixel.com via Freepik

The post HKMA Launches EnsembleTX Pilot for Real-Value Tokenised Transactions appeared first on Fintech Hong Kong.

Roger Wang, Director of the Partner Development Department, Huawei Digital Finance BU, and Saber Chen, Chief Product Officer (CPO) of FanRuan, attended the launch ceremony together.

The solution integrates Huawei’s digital infrastructure, including servers and Lakehouse Architecture, with FanRuan’s FineBI and FineChatBI analysis platforms to create an end-to-end workflow from data access to model inference and strategy execution.

It supports natural-language data retrieval for frontline staff, enabling faster access to key indicators; intelligent reporting that combines large language model parsing with FineBI visualisation; and AI-driven decision support that links business logic with model reasoning to automate analysis and early-warning processes.

Huawei and FanRuan said the solution reflects their shared commitment to industry collaboration.

With Huawei’s computing capabilities, the system lowers the barrier for enterprise data access and improves data utilisation.

According to the companies, a commercial bank using the solution reduced data-cleaning and query work from several days to seconds through natural-language queries, significantly increasing analysis efficiency.

By combining Huawei’s infrastructure with FanRuan’s data-intelligence tools, the companies aim to help financial institutions shift from simply viewing data to actively using it, supporting more effective decision-making and ongoing digital transformation.

Featured image credit: Huawei

This article first appeared on Fintech News Singapore

The post Huawei and FanRuan Unveil ChatBI Solution appeared first on Fintech Hong Kong.