Aayush Singhania is Chief Product Officer at Tazapay, a Singapore-based cross-border payments platform that onboards customers across 70-plus countries and recently raised $36M to expand its stablecoin and agentic payments infrastructure. He joins Vincent Fong to explain why the SaaS subscription model breaks the moment AI agents become the customers, what replaces it, and how stablecoins connect two of fintech’s biggest open questions: how money moves across borders, and how software gets paid for in a world where AI agents are the buyers. In this episode: Why $30 trillion sits frozen in correspondent banking accounts How stablecoins disappear into the…

Fast payouts and seamless digital experiences have emerged as key requirements for insurance customers in Hong Kong. At the same time, fraud is becoming increasingly sophisticated, demanding insurers to adopt advanced technologies including artificial intelligence (AI) to stay ahead of evolving threats all the while ensuring a seamless experience. These insights come from a new report by Dutch payment firm Adyen. Released in May 2026, the report draws on a poll of 2,000 Hong Kong consumers and 204 senior insurance leaders, to identity key trends in the insurance industry in Hong Kong, highlighting shifting behaviors and critical gaps in the…

Alipay has introduced its full-stack AI payment infrastructure to corporate partners and merchants, debuting two services called AI Wallet and Token Pay to facilitate automated transactions. The rollout expands the platform’s digital payment capabilities to cater to the growing market of independent digital agents. The consumer-facing AI Wallet is accessible within the main Alipay application. It allows users to manage and monitor tasks executed by automated agents before and during the transaction process. To support this deployment, the company has established an intelligent security framework. Additionally, the Agentic Commerce Trust Protocol defines operational rules between software agents and service platforms.…

Mainland Chinese investors are reportedly moving to unwind their offshore stock positions amid concerns over a broader regulatory probe into unlicensed cross-border trading, according to Bloomberg. An estimated US$1 trillion reportedly flowed out of China last year, marking the largest annual capital outflow since 2006, Bloomberg reports. In a move to stem the capital flight, regulators have stated that “illegal” existing accounts must be rectified or liquidated within two years. CSRC details broker fines The specific regulatory actions were outlined in a separate report by CNA. The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has reportedly joined forces with the central bank…

Huawei has launched new financial AI solutions at its Intelligent Finance Summit 2026 in Shanghai, introducing tools to support central bank payments, risk control, and core banking operations. The technology provider introduced its Financial Data Intelligence Solution 6.0 and Digital CORE Solution 6.0. Huawei built these tools to assist global financial institutions in upgrading legacy architectures using a hybrid AI system powered by open-source foundation models. “By driving sustained innovation in foundational software and hardware, building systematic engineering capabilities, and providing localised services, Huawei has established an effective business growth flywheel,” said Jason Cao, Chief Executive Officer of Digital Finance…

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has granted a virtual asset trading platform license to NewBX Limited, the entity behind the crypto exchange Bixin. This approval brings the number of officially licensed platforms in the city to 13, as reported by Blockhead. The license permits NewBX to conduct regulated activities under Type 1 for dealing in securities and Type 7 for providing automated trading services. It also covers the operation of a virtual asset exchange under Hong Kong’s Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance. This fulfills the dual-licensing structure that all virtual asset platforms operating in the city must…

Manulife has appointed Wilton Kee as the new Chief Executive Officer for its Hong Kong and Macau operations, effective 1 July 2026. He succeeds Patrick Graham in the role, pending regulatory approval. The leadership change is part of the insurer’s succession planning to support its regional growth strategy. Kee joined Manulife in 2013 and has held several senior positions across pricing, product development, health, and finance. He became Chief Financial Officer in 2022 and took on additional responsibilities as Deputy CEO in March 2026. During his tenure in these dual roles, Kee helped drive enterprise integration, strengthen management oversight, and…

In this exclusive roundtable jointly hosted by Fintech News Network and Alteryx, senior banking leaders in Singapore shared how their institutions are deploying AI today, debated where human accountability still sits, and asked whether traditional banks will still exist in 10 years. The conversation moved through: How leading banks are deploying AI today, from chatbots and fraud detection to internal coding assistants and agentic workflows The rise of citizen coding when “the coding language is now English”, and what it means when non-technical staff start building The leap in compute power that has outpaced traditional planning models, and one banker’s…

Mizuho Bank will shift its investment into a 5.81% stake in Rakuten Bank, according to Japan Today. The move allows the Japanese lender to strengthen ties with internet banks and expand its customer base. The bank will withdraw its existing 14.99% stake in Rakuten Card. It will redirect an equivalent amount into Rakuten Bank when the transaction takes effect on 1 October 2026. The capital alliance comes as Japanese lenders face heightened competition for deposits. The Bank of Japan ended its decade of unorthodox monetary easing earlier in 2024, prompting traditional banks to seek new deposit channels. The two companies…

Forthright Securities and Forthright Capital have received approval from the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) to add virtual asset capabilities. This applies to their existing regulated activities. Both firms are subsidiaries of Hong Kong-listed JF SmartInvest Holdings. The regulatory upgrade applies to the companies’ Type 1 dealing in securities, Type 4 advising on securities, and Type 9 asset management licenses. This means the SFC now permits the firms to provide regulated virtual asset services within their licensed scope. The company noted this could potentially enable clients to access both traditional securities and virtual assets within a more integrated platform. “Virtual…

The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has appointed former J.P. Morgan Asset Management executive Elisa Ng as its new Executive Director of Investment Products for a term of three years. The regulator also announced the reappointment of Lisa Chen as Executive Director of Legal Services for another three years. Both appointments were made by the Financial Secretary of Hong Kong. Ng joins the regulatory body after more than two decades in the asset management sector. She previously served as Chief Executive Officer and Head of Hong Kong Funds and Institutional Business at J.P. Morgan Asset Management Hong Kong. Her background…

Mastercard and JD.com have entered a strategic partnership to develop cross-border supply chain finance tools for businesses and build payment infrastructure to support the e-commerce company’s international expansion. The collaboration will focus on integrating global payment connectivity, allowing JD.com to broaden its use cases in international commerce. “This is the natural next phase in our long-standing relationship with JD.com,” said Michael Miebach, CEO, Mastercard. “Mastercard will continue to be a bridge between China and the world.” The two companies plan to explore a cross-border supply chain finance network. This initiative aims to improve financing access for SMBs, making it easier…

Sumsub has launched an AI agent verification solution designed to link AI agent actions to verified human identities, targeting the growing risks of unmonitored digital transactions. The release coincides with new survey findings from the company showing that consumers across Greater China are increasingly delegating control to AI agents, despite unresolved security risks. To address these vulnerabilities, Sumsub introduced its new tool within a Know Your Agent framework. The system verifies AI agents by linking their actions to a confirmed human identity and helps ensure that authorised users carry out automated financial or administrative actions. “AI agents can dramatically improve…

Wonder Ventures has integrated JCB cards into its Wonder Taxi in-vehicle payment system, expanding cashless taxi payment options for passengers in Hong Kong. The move aligns with a Transport Department mandate that took effect on April 1 2026. The regulation requires all taxi drivers in Hong Kong to offer at least two electronic payment methods. This includes one QR-code payment option and one non-QR alternative, such as a credit card. By adding JCB to its platform, Wonder aims to provide a single system that helps drivers meet this regulatory requirement while processing both card and QR transactions. “The government’s move…

Digital assets are gaining real traction among regulated institutions, but security risks are rising just as quickly. As adoption accelerates, scrutiny around custody controls, transaction integrity and compliance oversight is becoming more intense. Banks, exchanges and financial intermediaries are no longer running isolated pilots. Digital asset workflows are being integrated into day-to-day operations, which makes security architecture and governance core requirements rather than secondary considerations. The institutions that move ahead will be those that can scale digital asset activity without compromising control, resilience or regulatory standards. What C-level leaders should consider when building a digital asset security blueprint How regulatory…

OCBC is expending its wealth management team in Hong Kong by 30% this year to meet growing regional demand for investment and financing products, according to a report by Bloomberg. The Singapore-based lender plans to hire between 30 and 50 new relationship managers in the city. OCBC expects income from its Hong Kong wealth division to increase fivefold from 2023 levels. The bank is also introducing a new service tier this year aimed specifically at clients with at least US$1 million in assets. Wealth services have been a strong driver of profitability for OCBC, pushing its first quarter earnings past…

Hana Financial Group has agreed to acquire a 6.55% stake in digital asset operator Dunamu. The transaction is valued at 1 trillion won (US$669 million). A regulatory filing on Friday (May 15) confirmed the deal, according to Yonhap. Hana Bank will purchase the shares from Kakao Investment to become the platform’s fourth-largest shareholder. The partnership expands their cooperation beyond providing basic fiat accounts for cryptocurrency transactions. The companies plan to co-develop digital financial products, including stablecoin initiatives. South Korean regulators are currently pressuring local cryptocurrency exchanges to dilute major shareholder concentrations. Authorities want these platforms to improve their financial stability…

Reap has partnered with TerraPay to expand its cross-border payout network using domestic clearing systems. The integration connects Reap’s treasury platform with TerraPay’s single API for local payment rails. The companies aim to reduce costs and processing times for B2B payments across the Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and the Middle East. Traditional cross-border corporate payments typically take several business days to settle and can cost 1 to 1.5% of the transaction value. The new infrastructure aims to reduce reliance on multi-hop correspondent banking networks. It does this by using intelligent routing and enabling direct settlement via local clearing systems…

Tencent reported a 9% increase in revenue from its fintech and business services division for the first quarter of 2026, reaching RMB59.9 billion (US$8.68 billion). According to the company, higher revenues from commercial payments and wealth management drove the growth in fintech services. Commercial payment activity grew at a faster year-on-year pace, supported by an increase in transaction numbers and higher value per transaction across the retail and dining sectors. Business services revenue surged by 20% during the first quarter. Higher demand for cloud services across domestic and international markets, including demand for AI-related services, supported this increase. “Our core…

Ant Group saw an estimated 79% decline in quarterly profit as the company accelerates its spending on AI, large language models, and global payment services. The profit drop is an estimate based on Bloomberg calculations derived from earnings data released by Alibaba Group, which owns a third of the fintech company. Ant Group contributed 375 million yuan to Alibaba for the three months ended December 31, translating to an estimated 1.13 billion yuan in total profit. In its own separate reporting period for the three months ended March, Alibaba recorded a 3% rise in revenue. The recent drop follows a…