Asia

June 2, 2026 @ 5:40 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Hong Kong’s monetary authority said it will develop a Digital Asset Platform later this year to support the issuance and settlement of digital bonds and, in the future, other digital assets. The move comes as the city looks to deepen its role as a “super… Read More

June 2, 2026 @ 9:16 am By JD Alois  |  

Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN)has launched its investing platform in India. India is a massive market of around 1.48 billion individuals. Yet only around 9.5% of the market invests in securities. Regarding crypto, estimates range from 90 to 127 million investors trade. These are mostly a younger demographic. In… Read More

June 1, 2026 @ 7:07 am By Michael Wong  |  

Ascend Bank, the virtual bank backed by Charoen Pokphand Group, is expected to debut in July, CP Group senior vice-chairman Suphachai Chearavanont said. The planned launch comes after rival Clicx Bank announced earlier this week it plans to launch its mobile app on June 19,… Read More

June 1, 2026 @ 2:36 am By Michael Wong  |  

Southeast Asia’s AI infrastructure market is still young, uneven, and heavily concentrated in Singapore. The sector has drawn about $1.2 billion in disclosed equity funding across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand from 2015 to 2026, according to a report by private market data platform Tracxn…. Read More

May 31, 2026 @ 11:55 am By Michael Wong  |  

Hong Kong’s monetary authority said regulated stablecoins in the city are expected to be launched in the next few months, as it moves digital finance initiatives from experimentation to real-value transactions. Howard Lee, deputy chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, said Hong Kong’s… Read More

May 31, 2026 @ 3:05 am By Michael Wong  |  

Singapore’s central bank said it has issued a circular guiding financial institutions to establish a client’s source of wealth in a risk-proportionate way, as part of efforts to make account opening in the wealth management industry more efficient while maintaining sound regulatory standards. The Monetary… Read More

May 31, 2026 @ 12:44 am By Michael Wong  |  

Hong Kong’s banking system recorded a broad increase in deposits in April, with renminbi deposits rising mainly on corporate fund flows even as cross-border trade settlement remittances declined from the previous month. Total deposits with authorized institutions increased by 1.5% in April, according to statistics… Read More

May 29, 2026 @ 4:46 pm By JD Alois  |  

Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) and Kalshi have been approved to offer perpetual crypto futures trading. In a series of updates, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced that “certain crypto asset perpetuals” will be allowed via a no-action letter. Coinbase Financial Markets (CFM), a subsidiary of Coinbase,… Read More

May 28, 2026 @ 5:47 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Investment platform Kraken has rolled out significant enhancements to its platform, focusing on user-friendly earning opportunities and strategic international expansion. These developments underscore the exchange’s commitment to accessibility, security, and compliance in the evolving digital assets landscape. On May 21, 2026, Kraken introduced AVAX staking… Read More

May 28, 2026 @ 12:46 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs has restricted public access to Polymarket, a US-based platform that operates as a prediction market using blockchain technology and cryptocurrency. The decision, announced on May 22, 2026, underscores the government’s firm stance against any form of speculative betting… Read More

May 27, 2026 @ 2:49 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Asia is set to play a pivotal role in the expansion of the global cyber insurance sector. A joint report by CyberCube, a key player in cyber risk analytics, and United Insurance Brokers (UIB), a Lloyd’s broker, underscores the region’s potential amid surging digital transformation… Read More

May 25, 2026 @ 11:15 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Despite the ongoing regional tensions and uncertainty in the global market, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) drew strong investor demand in its latest local-currency bond sale. In a statement, the UAE’s Ministry of Finance said it raised 1.1 billion dirhams, or about $300 million, through… Read More

May 25, 2026 @ 3:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Iran has initiated conversations with Oman regarding a potential collaborative arrangement to implement a payment mechanism for ships navigating the Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint for global energy supplies. This development highlights ongoing tensions, as it suggests that Washington and Tehran remain far from… Read More

May 25, 2026 @ 11:19 am By Michael Wong  |  

A Nasdaq-listed fertility services company is making a bet on one of the internet’s more speculative frontiers: AI-powered prediction markets. NewGenIVF Group has made an initial $2 million strategic investment in K25.ai, a Singapore-based AI-native live streaming and watch-to-predict platform, as part of a Pre-A… Read More

May 25, 2026 @ 11:12 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Global markets displayed positive momentum early this week, with Bitcoin pushing past the $77,000 threshold while a steep decline in crude oil values eased cost pressures and encouraged risk-taking. The flagship cryptocurrency hovered near $77,200 during Asian trading sessions, maintaining its position just above a… Read More

May 25, 2026 @ 1:13 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Trading volumes for US-listed options tied to two prominent Chinese fintech firms spiked dramatically just before a major regulatory announcement from Beijing. This activity preceded a sharp downturn in their share prices, highlighting how some investors appeared to anticipate the crackdown. Futu Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ:… Read More

May 24, 2026 @ 6:44 pm By Michael Wong  |  

USDKG, a gold-backed stablecoin issued by a state entity in Kyrgyzstan, announced its official listing on OSL HK, the Hong Kong-licensed digital asset exchange of stablecoin payment and trading platform OSL Group. The listing allows professional investors to trade the token against Tether’s USDT through… Read More

May 24, 2026 @ 2:43 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Chinese autonomous driving company UISEE Technologies has raised about HK$870 million ($111 million) in a Hong Kong initial public offering, adding to signs of improving investor appetite for AI-linked technology listings in the city. The Beijing-based company began trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange… Read More

May 24, 2026 @ 8:47 am By Michael Wong  |  

The Singapore government is taking another step to position itself as a carbon markets hub, this time partnering with the World Bank Group to launch a carbon markets program, according to an announcement. The initiative, dubbed Singapore Carbon Markets Program, aims to help countries build… Read More

May 23, 2026 @ 8:22 am By Michael Wong  |  

For Edward Robinson, deputy managing director for economic policy and chief economist at Monetary Authority of Singapore, the gains from artificial intelligence (AI) are unlikely to arrive quickly due to a mix of shocks from tariffs, energy, and geopolitics. During the 13th Asian Monetary Policy… Read More