Inference Research, an AI-native quantitative trading firm based in Hong Kong, has announced its launch and the expected closing of a US$20 million Seed funding round. The round was led by Avenir Group, an investment group originating from Li Lin’s family office and a major institutional investor in Asia. Founded by Luke Li, former Co-founder and Head of Trading at Amber Group, Inference Research aims to combine AI infrastructure with institutional trading practices. The firm plans to address challenges in modern markets, including asset pricing and liquidity provision, as global finance adapts to AI and blockchain technologies. Avenir Group’s investment…

London-based fintech company Unlimit, which provides a broad range of financial technology services, has appointed Michele Fung as Head of APAC. Based in Hong Kong, Fung will oversee the company’s strategy across the Asia-Pacific region, focusing on market expansion and growth. In her role, Fung will identify new market opportunities, build strategic partnerships, and work with merchants, financial institutions, and ecosystem partners in the region. Fung has over a decade of experience in global market entry, cross-border payments, and partnership development. She previously held senior roles at fintech companies including LianLian Global, where she helped develop the Global Payout service…

SoFi Securities (Hong Kong) (SoFi Hong Kong) and OSL Group have announced a partnership to offer digital asset trading to Hong Kong investors. Under the arrangement, SoFi Hong Kong members can trade a selected range of supported digital assets directly through the SoFi Hong Kong app. This marks SoFi’s first expansion of its digital asset business outside the US. The service is supported by OSL’s Omnibus Pro, an institutional-grade solution designed for brokers and banks. Trade execution, custody, and wallet management are provided through OSL’s Hong Kong–licensed subsidiary, OSL Digital Securities Limited. SoFi Hong Kong integrates this infrastructure while maintaining…

The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) held their third meeting in Abu Dhabi. Khaled Mohamed Balama, Governor of the CBUAE, and Eddie Yue, Chief Executive of the HKMA, chaired the meeting. It aimed to strengthen collaboration and connectivity between the financial sectors of both jurisdictions. The meeting built on progress from their second meeting in Hong Kong in December 2024. Officials discussed cross-border debt capital market connectivity, developments in digital assets, tokenisation, central bank digital currencies, stablecoin regulations, and supply chain financing. Senior representatives from both institutions attended, highlighting their commitment to…

The US$2.5 trillion SME credit gap in the Asia Pacific remains a significant challenge for traditional banks. Joe Udomdejwatana of Axe Finance joins us to discuss how the Axe Credit Portal (ACP) is transforming lending infrastructure. Key Highlights Composable architecture avoids high-risk “rip and replace” projects. Tools like Axe Studio and Axe BPM empower compliance officers to manage regulatory shifts. Predictive scoring with explainability models replaces “black box” AI with a transparent “glass box” approach. Lending 3.0 focuses on “intelligent adaptability” to process data in real time.

Alipay announced that its AI Pay, a payment solution using AI agents, processed over 120 million transactions in the past week. This reflects the growing adoption of agentic commerce in China. Launched in 2025, AI Pay is used in apps and mini programmes for retailers such as Luckin Coffee. It is also available on AI smart glasses like Rokid. In December 2025, Alipay partnered with Rokid to allow developers to integrate AI payment into agents built on Rokid’s Lingzhu platform. Using the MCP model, developers can deploy AI payment on smart devices through natural language instead of coding. This creates…

The global rate of identity fraud decreased in 2025 from the previous year’s high, but the threats have become more severe. Fraud isn’t retreating, it’s maturing. The sloppy, low-effort attacks that thrived in 2024’s era of widely available tools are being replaced by fewer but sharper operations: multi-step, coordinated, and built to bypass basic verification. Sumsub, a global verification and fraud prevention firm, have identified this Sophistication Shift, signalling that the next stage of identity fraud won’t be measured by volume alone. Why attackers are leveling up Behind the numbers is a change in criminal behavior. When simple tactics stop…

During Chinese New Year, Sands China, Alipay, and Macau Pass expanded their partnership to support Macao’s tourism sector and local merchants through digital solutions. They launched the ‘Tap for Luck, Tap for Golden Surprises’ campaign. Built on Alipay Tap! technology, it combines tap-to-check-in and other features to streamline tourist spending. Sands China implemented Alipay Tap! across its resorts. Guests can now tap to pay in retail, dining, beauty, fashion, and souvenir outlets. Handheld devices allow staff to process payments anywhere in-store. This improves service efficiency and enhances the customer experience. Grant Chum, CEO of Sands China, said, “By integrating the…

A former senior executive at a Hong Kong fintech firm has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison. He stole more than HK$19 million from his employer and laundered part of the proceeds to fund gambling and a lavish lifestyle. According to the South China Morning Post, the High Court on Wednesday (February 11) jailed Shum Lok-man, 38, after he pleaded guilty to three counts of theft and two counts of money laundering. He admitted to gambling away about 99% of the stolen funds. Shum worked as an assistant vice-president at Eddid Securities and Futures. He controlled…

The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) issued a guidance extending virtual asset (VA) services to margin financing for licensed brokers providing VA dealing services (VA brokers). It also set out a high-level framework for virtual asset trading platforms (VATPs) developing VA‑related leveraged products for professional investors. The SFC introduced the ASPIRe Roadmap in February 2025 to guide the development of Hong Kong’s digital asset market. Under this roadmap, VA brokers may offer VA financing to their securities margin clients. This is subject to sufficient collateral and investor safeguards. It allows margin clients with strong credit profiles to participate in VA…

Chubb Investment Management (HK), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chubb, has launched Chubb Wealth, an insurer-backed wealth management platform licensed by the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) in Hong Kong. The platform offers digital investing and wealth management services covering the entire client lifecycle, from onboarding and investment execution to advisory support. Chubb Wealth operates a transparent fee structure, with all fees disclosed upfront. The platform does not charge platform fees, mutual fund trading fees, or back-end mutual fund fees. Minimum investments for mutual funds start at US$100. The platform provides clients with access to a curated selection of funds across…

Hong Kong’s central bank is moving ahead with plans to issue an initial batch of stablecoin licenses in March, despite China’s longstanding opposition to cryptocurrency activity. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) is reviewing 36 applications for issuers under the city’s Stablecoins Ordinance, which came into effect in August and requires licenses for entities issuing stablecoins pegged to the Hong Kong dollar. “We hope that by March we will be able to make a decision,” Eddie Yue, HKMA Chief Executive, told a Legislative Council meeting on February 2, noting the authority’s review of the initial tranche of applications. Stablecoins are…

Alchemy Pay has upgraded HTF Securities Limited’s Type 4 (Advising on Securities) license to include virtual asset advisory services. The upgrade was carried out in collaboration with HTF Securities, a licensed corporation regulated by Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC). The license enhancement follows Alchemy Pay’s earlier strategic investment in HTF Securities. It expands the company’s regulated capabilities in Hong Kong’s digital asset sector. Under the updated approval, HTF Securities may provide regulated virtual asset advisory services to both institutional and retail clients. The Type 4 license upgrade marks the first phase of a broader regulatory plan by Alchemy…

South Korea’s financial regulator has said that local cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb’s accidental giveaway of more than US$40 billion in bitcoin to customers highlights the need for stronger rules to address vulnerabilities in digital assets. The exchange said on February 7 it had unintentionally distributed the bitcoin as promotional rewards, prompting a sharp selloff, Reuters reported. Lee Chan-jin, Governor of the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), told a press conference that regulatory mechanisms must be improved to manage such risks. “It is a case that shows the structural problems of electronic systems for virtual assets. There are many areas we are seriously…

OSL Group has launched USDGO, a US dollar stablecoin designed for institutional settlement and corporate payments. As part of OSL Group’s global payments infrastructure, USDGO supports cross-border transactions for businesses operating across Asia. OSL Group has issued an initial US$50 million of the stablecoin on the Solana blockchain, with plans to expand to additional networks. Fully backed 1:1 by US dollars, USDGO undergoes third-party audits. Anchorage Digital Bank, a federally chartered crypto bank in the US, issues the stablecoin, while OSL Group acts as its branding operator and distributor. Across multiple jurisdictions, USDGO supports liquidity management and settlement and remains…

Asia-Pacific’s fintech market is the most dynamic and fragmented in the world. While legacy banks struggle to keep up with shifting regulations and local payment rails, one European powerhouse is making a massive bet on the region. Gabriel, Stefanak, Business Development Head, Decta, breaks down why the current “fragmented” vendor stack is a ticking time bomb for financial institutions and how DECTA’s “Full-Stack” model, owning everything from issuing to acquiring, is their ultimate moat for entering APAC.

RedotPay has launched its Solana card, a virtual payment card allowing users to spend SOL, stablecoins, and other Solana-based digital assets for everyday purchases worldwide. The card expands RedotPay’s support of the Solana ecosystem by enabling users to spend, send, and manage Solana-based assets. The Solana card uses Solana’s high-throughput blockchain to provide near-instant settlement for merchants. There is a one-time US$10 application fee, and new users receive USDⓈ 5 in spending vouchers upon registration. “We’ve been focused on the Solana ecosystem since December 2024, when we first enabled users to deposit stablecoins via Solana. The launch of the Solana…

XPENG has appointed Antom as the first global payment partner for its electric vehicle (EV) charging platform to support international growth. Ant International’s Antom provides a unified infrastructure designed to simplify the complex payment landscape encountered during global expansion. The partnership debuted in Hong Kong on 9 February 2026. Initial implementation allows drivers to use the XPENG app to manage the end-to-end “Search, Locate, Charge, Pay” process. Users in the region can currently settle payments via AlipayHK at over 1,600 public chargers. Credit card options are expected to be available for these customers shortly. Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia are…

Hong Kong could potentially double the size of its fund industry by moving from legacy infrastructure to token-based finance, according to a whitepaper from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Aptos Labs, with contributions from Hang Seng Bank. The report, Digital Money: A Chance for Hong Kong’s Fund Industry to Double Up, draws on results from Phase 2 of the e-HKD Pilot Programme under Project e-HKD+. The pilot showed strong investor demand for features offered by digital money, including 24/7 trading access. Traditional “message-based” settlement systems rely on intermediaries updating separate ledgers with instructions. Token-based finance differs. It embeds value, ownership,…

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has issued a public alert regarding a fraudulent website and online login screens that falsely claim to be associated with the HKMA. The fraudulent website operates under the domain name hkma-gov[.]org. In addition, authorities have identified fraudulent online login screens with domain names containing the term “ensemble.” These sites falsely present themselves as the HKMA’s official website and attempt to mislead members of the public into opening accounts. The HKMA has clarified that it has no connection with the aforementioned website or login screens. It reiterated that it does not contact individual members of…