Charting Asia’s Dominant FinTech Frontier

Asian fintech companies continue their growth and overseas expansion. The Chinese fintech firm Ant Financials’ payment arm Alipay has recently started partnering with Finnish mobile payment provider ePassi to launch mobile payments for shopping and services on Finnair’s flights, therefore, marking a significant milestone in the development of mobile payment services in air. Alexander Yin, chief financial officer of TCG, the parent company of the Finnish mobile payment provider ePassi, said: "In the fintech and mobile Internet sectors, China is a global leader thanks to business,....

You're probably used to waking up in the morning, having your cup of Earl Grey, and checking your favorite charting service for the most up-to-date bitcoin prices. But wait, the Mt. Gox price hasn't been updated in days. Have they been hacked? Did they give up? Is my charting service broken? No, no, and no. The answer lies in a technology change Mt. Gox did, switching their API provider to a company called PubNub, who specializes in delivering real-time information to consumers (read all about that here). Unfortunately, that move has broken some things, but it's only a matter of time....

Considering how Microsoft has partnered with various local banks in the past, it seems logical they will become part of the consortium. Blockchain technology is destined to make a significant impact all over the world. Up until this point, very few projects were conducted in the Asian part of the world. But fintech is slowly transforming the financial services industry, and Asian countries don’t want to be left out. Microsoft and Amis announced Asia’s first blockchain consortium this morning, which will put DLT on the map in that region. Ever since Microsoft ventured into the....

Malaysia’s proximity in the ASEAN region and its mix of urban, suburban and rural population makes it a suitable environment for testing and launching FinTech solutions for the global Islamic Finance market, according to a government official. Datuk Yasmin Mohamood, chief executive of Malaysia Digital Economy Corp (MDEC), a government-owned institution responsible for the country’s technology-fiorward agenda has opened the country’s doors for FinTech startups and companies. A majority of the country’s population practicing Islam, which is also recognized as the country’s official religion.....

South-east Asia’s biggest ride-hailing platform Grab has unveiled plans toward a $700 million investment in Indonesia. The majority of which will be toward Fintech development, particularly mobile payment and financial services in the country. Singapore-based Grab which sees a major presence in a number of Southeast Asian countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam is gearing up toward a major investment drive in Indonesia, a country that is already Grab’s largest market. As revealed by its announcement, the well-funded Uber competitor is planning to....