Fintech

Liquid Group, NAPAS and VietinBank have launched a cross-border QR payment service linking Vietnam and Singapore.

Qashier closed a USD 6.125 million round after becoming profitable on USD 1 billion in annualised payment volume across four Southeast Asian markets.

Bank Negara Malaysia fined AEON Credit RM520,000 for failing to screen a sanctioned customer properly.

Indonesia's OJK just set clear rules for financial influencers, requiring licenses for investment advice and honest disclosure.

Singapore's MAS and ABS have launched a PayNow Generation 2 study targeting four upgrades to national instant payments infrastructure.

Amazon Web Services has launched its first AWS Local Zone in Hanoi, bringing cloud infrastructure closer to Vietnamese users. For fintech firms, the development is relevant to latency-sensitive and data-residency-driven workloads.

Clicx Bank has launched as Thailand’s first virtual bank, opening with an app-based savings product and a promotional rate of up to 4% per year. The debut gives Thailand its first live test of branchless commercial banking.

Stripe processed USD 1.9 trillion in payment volume in 2025, equivalent to 1.6% of global GDP. Its next bet is making AI agents and stablecoins the default rails for Asia-Pacific commerce.

Nuvei is acquiring Payoneer for USD 2.75 billion, combining payment acceptance with cross-border payout rails across 150-plus markets. A major consolidation moment for global fintech infrastructure.

Deel's DLUSD stablecoin wallet gives contractors dollar-backed earnings that hold value before spending anywhere globally.