Lianlian DigiTech announced the establishment of its Overseas Business Headquarters in Hong Kong, marking a new phase in its global expansion. The move follows the company’s designation as a strategic enterprise partner by the Hong Kong SAR Government’s Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises in October. 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…

Tencent Cloud has expanded its partnership with Ryde, a Singapore-based mobility and quick commerce platform. 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…

PAObank has been granted Type 1 (dealing in securities) and Type 4 (advising on securities) licenses by the relevant regulator, marking its entry into the wealth sector. 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…

The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), the independent regulator of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), have published a joint research report, Scaling Sustainable Debt in Emerging Markets, with BloombergNEF as a knowledge partner. 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…

AMINA (Hong Kong) (AMINA HK), a subsidiary of Swiss FINMA-regulated AMINA, has received a Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) Type 1 license uplift, enabling it to offer crypto spot trading and asset safeguarding services to professional investors in 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…

Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) has finalised plans to reclassify certain cryptocurrencies as financial products under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, alongside proposals to reduce taxes on crypto-related income. 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…

Local governments across Japan are ramping up efforts to attract digital nomads as part of a broader push to promote longer and more sustainable stays. This comes amid rising concerns over overtourism affecting major Japanese cities such as Kyoto and Tokyo since the COVID-19 pandemic. “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…

Amid the Belt and Road Initiative and expanding financial cooperation between China and Singapore, cross-border payments have become an important mechanism supporting regional trade and people-to-people exchanges. 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…

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced the launch of EnsembleTX, initiating the pilot phase of Project Ensemble. 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…

During the Singapore Fintech Festival 2025, Huawei and FanRuan jointly introduced the ChatBI AI Intelligent Decision-Making Solution, aimed at strengthening business analysis and supporting digital transformation in the financial sector. 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…

Tencent has launched TenPay Global Checkout, a new payment solution for Weixin Mini Program merchants operating internationally, allowing them to accept a range of local payment methods. With a single integration, overseas merchants can support multiple payment options, including digital wallets, local real-time payment networks, and credit and debit cards. Users outside mainland China can pay within the app using familiar local methods. The rollout begins in Singapore and Macau, where merchants can now accept credit and debit cards, PayNow, and BOCPAY(MO) via TenPay Global Checkout on the Weixin Official Accounts Platform. Expansion to additional markets, including Japan, Australia, and…

Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) is considering introducing a prior notification system for companies that provide systems to manage crypto assets. The proposal was discussed on 7 November by a working group of the Financial System Council, an advisory body to the Prime Minister. The move aims to strengthen measures to ensure system stability following a series of crypto asset thefts. According to Nikkei, current regulations require crypto exchange operators to implement proper management systems, such as storing customer assets in “cold wallets” that are not connected to the internet. However, system providers themselves are not currently subject to direct…

Hong Kong stand as one of the most prominent fintech hubs in the world, home to a vibrant community of over 1,200 fintech companies, a sophisticated financial industry, and a proactive government committed to leveraging technology and fostering innovation. Building on this strong foundation, Hong Kong’s dynamic fintech industry is poised to maintain its growth trajectory, with the government unveiling earlier this month at the Hong Kong Fintech Week 2025 a series of new initiatives designed to modernize the financial system, boost the adoption artificial intelligence (AI), and encourage the development of tokenization. This thriving ecosystem has made Hong Kong…

The ​Hong Kong Fintech Week x StartmeupHK Festival (HKFW x SMUF) 2025 concluded on 7 November 2025, following a dynamic week of activities that began with a two-day main conference held on 3 November 2025 and 4 November 2025. The event brought together government officials, regulators, innovators, and industry leaders from around the world for a series of panels, keynote speeches, and strategic discussions. The joint celebration of two flagship events reaffirmed Hong Kong’s commitment to advancing the digital economy. The entire week attracted a record high of over 45,000 visitors from over 120 economies and featured over 1,000 distinguished…

Hong Kong is preparing to market a new series of “digitally native” bonds denominated in multiple currencies, further advancing its ambitions to become a leading global centre for digital assets. According to Bloomberg, the government plans to issue digital green bonds denominated in US dollars, Hong Kong dollars, euros, and offshore yuan, people familiar with the matter said. The sale could be priced as early as Monday (November 10), they added, requesting anonymity as the information is private. If completed, it would mark Hong Kong’s third digital bond issuance since 2023. Digital bonds are debt instruments that employ blockchain technology…

At the 2025 edition of Hong Kong Fintech Week, which ran from November 03 to 07, the financial sector, the technology community, and the Hong Kong government unveiled several key initiatives aimed at driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and accelerating technology adoption in financial services, with the goal of enhancing efficiency and future-proofing the financial system. Co-located with the StartmeupHK Festival 2025, Hong Kong Fintech Week 2025 marked the tenth edition of the city’s flagship fintech event, welcoming a combined 45,000 visitors from over 120 economies, representing a new record. Combined, the events featured more than 1,000 distinguished speakers, 800 exhibitors…

Major holding companies in South Korea are accelerating efforts to forge partnerships with major tech firms, notably Naver, Kakao, and Samsung Electronics, as they seek an advantage in the rapidly emerging stablecoin market. The move, led by KB, Shinhan, Hana, and Woori Financial Groups, comes as domestic stablecoin transactions have already surpassed 60 trillion won (US$41.15 billion), despite the market not yet being fully legalised. According to The Korea Times, financial regulators plan to submit a bill regulating stablecoins to the National Assembly by the end of 2025. While discussions are still ongoing, banks, the flagship subsidiaries of the holding…

JPX Market Innovation & Research (JPXI), with the support of Amazon Web Services (AWS), has made significant progress towards Japan Exchange Group (JPX)’s goal of becoming a “global, comprehensive finance and information platform,” as outlined in its Medium-Term Management Plan. JPXI has developed J-WS, JPX’s common infrastructure platform, on AWS. The platform supports the stable operation of JPX Group’s data and digital services while improving operational quality and functionality through AWS’s advanced cloud technologies. As part of its ongoing digital transformation, JPXI will migrate the Timely Disclosure Network (TDnet) to J-WS. TDnet plays a critical role in transmitting material corporate…

JCB International, the international arm of JCB and Agoda have entered into a three-year partnership, announced during the 18th JCB World Conference. Running from April 2026 to March 2029, the MoU outlines a plan to use data-driven insights to attract new customers, refine marketing strategies, and explore new communication channels to engage inbound travellers to Japan. The collaboration includes joint campaigns and co-marketing initiatives aimed at improving customer experience and encouraging greater use of JCB cards. “We are proud to partner with Agoda to deliver greater benefits to JCB cardmembers,” said Masaki Yokawa, President and CEO of JCB International. “This…

Stripe and NEC Corporation have begun exploring the integration of the Stripe Reader S700 payment terminal, part of the unified commerce solution Stripe Terminal, with NEC’s face recognition payment service. The collaboration aims to combine Stripe’s payment infrastructure with NEC’s facial recognition technology, known for its high authentication accuracy*, to enable secure, hands-free payments and improve customer convenience. The face recognition payment experience will be demonstrated using the Stripe Reader S700 at the Singapore Fintech Festival from 12 to 14 November. Stripe Terminal is a unified commerce solution that connects in-store and online payments through a single platform, offering real-time…