Hong Kong SME credit conditions remained broadly stable in the first quarter of 2026, according to a recent survey published by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA). The quarterly report showed that 73% of respondents felt banks held a similar or easier credit approval stance compared to six months ago. This marks a slight improvement from 70% in the previous quarter. Meanwhile, 27% of businesses perceived a more difficult approval process, dropping from 30% at the end of 2025. The regulator noted that this perception does not necessarily indicate actual difficulties in securing funding. Media reports, broader business sentiment, and…

Less than 1% of transactions are agentic today. Trulioo’s CPO believes that could reach 75% within a year, and most of the industry has no trust framework in place. Zach Cohen is the Chief Product Officer at Trulioo, a global identity verification platform that helps financial services companies verify identities and govern transactions across international markets. He leads product strategy at the intersection of AI governance, fraud prevention, and digital identity, and joins FNN to explain what the financial industry is missing as agentic commerce moves from theory to live deployment. In this episode: Why agentic commerce could jump from…

InvestHK has opened applications for Global Fast Track 2026, adding a virtual market readiness programme and expanded pitching formats for startups looking to enter the Asian market. Submissions for the business matching and pitch competition will close on September 25. The initiative runs alongside the upcoming Hong Kong Fintech Week and StartmeupHK 2026 events. While the programme accepts applicants across eight technology verticals, financial services remains a primary focus. Target sectors include fintech, insurtech, green finance, blockchain, digital assets, and applied artificial intelligence for the financial industry. “GFT has proven to be a powerful platform for validating solutions, forging commercial…

Anita Li is joining Citi Hong Kong as its new Head of Corporate Banking, effective July 2026, according to a report by Finews Asia. In this role, she will oversee operations and manage client relationships across local corporates, financial institutions, public sector organisations, and multinational subsidiaries. Li will report jointly to Kaleem Rizvi, regional Co-Head of Corporate Banking for Japan, Asia North and Australia, and Aveline San, Hong Kong Chief Executive and Banking Head. She brings more than 25 years of industry experience to the position. Before joining Citi, Li worked at Standard Chartered Hong Kong, where she most recently…

South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) has approved a 560 billion won (US$380.6 million) investment in AI startup Upstage, as reported by Yonhap News. The US$380.6 million Upstage funding marks the second direct equity injection by the Korea National Growth Fund. Founded in 2020, Upstage develops large language models and enterprise AI solutions. The startup holds unicorn status with a valuation exceeding 1 trillion won. It joins AI chip designer Rebellions Inc. as the only other company to receive investments from the state-backed policy fund. During Thursday’s (April 28) committee meeting, financial authorities also approved four other funding plans. This…

Ant Bank, part of Ant Group, has launched stock trading services within AlipayHK, offering zero-commission trading for Hong Kong equities as it expands its retail investment features in the city. The service allows users to trade Hong Kong and US stocks, ETFs, and selected structured products through the app’s wealth management section, according to the South China Morning Post. According to company materials, the integration aims to build a “one-stop” personal finance platform by combining trading with payments, savings, and fund investments. It also includes zero-commission Hong Kong stock trades, no custody fees, and free real-time market data. The move…

Japanese financial conglomerate SBI Holdings has entered talks to acquire a stake in local digital asset platform Bitbank, according to a report by Finextra. The proposed deal would make the crypto exchange a consolidated subsidiary, further expanding SBI Holdings’ presence in the digital asset sector. SBI Holdings Chairman and President Yoshitaka Kitao has submitted a letter of intent to begin discussions on a capital and business alliance with Bitbank. “We believe that by welcoming Bitbank into our group and maximising synergies within the group, we can establish a dominant position in the domestic crypto asset industry,” the company said. The…

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has warned the public about fake stablecoins in Hong Kong, specifically flagging tokens that falsely claim association with licensed issuers Anchorpoint Financial and HSBC. The regulator stated that no authorised entities issue or connect to tokens operating under the tickers “HKDAP” and “HSBC.” Both Anchorpoint and HSBC have confirmed they have not launched any regulated stablecoins in the market at this time. The HKMA advised individuals to remain vigilant against scams attempting to exploit the names of licensed entities to deceive investors. The regulator urges users to verify information through official company announcements and…

Singapore-based cross-border payments company Tazapay has secured a Money Service Operator (MSO) license in Hong Kong. The acquisition of the Tazapay Hong Kong license is a significant step forward in the firm’s commitment to providing a robust and compliant cross-border payment infrastructure for global businesses. Announcing the regulatory approval on LinkedIn, Tazapay Co-Founder and CEO, Rahul Shinghal, emphasised the company’s core mission to build a “next-generation money movement network, built entirely on modern rails.” Shinghal highlighted the jurisdiction’s status as an undeniable economic powerhouse, the ultimate gateway to China, and the world’s largest offshore Renminbi (RMB) clearing center. With the…

Hong Kong digital bank livi bank reported a full-year profit of HK$21 million for 2025. For the year, total operating income increased 49% year on year to HK$327 million. Total operating expenses declined 28% to HK$254 million, while net interest income rose 8% to HK$232 million. On the balance sheet, customer deposits increased 19% to HK$3.5 billion, while customer loans grew 49% to HK$2.9 billion. “2025 marked an important milestone for livi as we celebrated our fifth anniversary and achieved a full-year profit for the first time,” said Kennis Chong, Chief Executive of livi bank. “This achievement reflects our disciplined…

FWD Group reported a 4% year-on-year increase in new business sales to US$720 million for the first quarter of 2026, driven by sustained demand in Hong Kong and Japan. The pan-Asian life insurer recorded a new business contractual service margin of US$556 million, representing an 18% growth compared to the same period in 2025. The Hong Kong and Macau reporting segment delivered continued growth despite a high base effect from a record first quarter the previous year. FWD attributed this momentum to strong domestic demand and the region’s status as a financial hub for high-net-worth clients. “This is another strong…

WeLab Bank achieved profitability in the first half of 2025 and reported a 35% year-on-year revenue increase to HK$942 million for the full year. The performance was driven by expansion in its unsecured retail loan portfolio and wealth management operations. The bank recorded an operating income of HK$573 million, representing a 63% increase from the previous year. WeLab Bank attributed this growth to disciplined credit decisions and improved funding strategies, pushing its net interest margin to 10.6%. Its unsecured retail loan portfolio reached approximately HK$6 billion. The bank accelerated its loan marketing investments in the second half of the year,…

Ripple has partnered with Kbank to deploy an institutional digital asset wallet in Korea, equipping the internet bank with scalable custody infrastructure. Kbank, South Korea’s first internet-only lender, will use Ripple Custody to manage digital assets across multiple blockchains. The system relies on multi-party computation (MPC) technology to allow for high-speed transaction signing and fast wallet provisioning within a regulated banking environment. The wallet-as-a-service model lets Kbank expand its institutional crypto infrastructure without the high operational costs of building proprietary systems from scratch. This integration supports Kbank’s broader strategy to expand its blockchain-based financial services. The bank currently operates as…

What does it take to launch a full digital bank in under a year and have it outperform 70 physical branches? Bank Muamalat’s Atlas did exactly that. Built in just 9 months, it onboarded 61% new-to-bank customers in its first six months and delivers the same customer acquisition power as 70 physical branches from a single app. Vincent Fong sits down with Hazrizal Hasan, Head of Digital Banking at Bank Muamalat Malaysia, and Chirag Amla, Principal Solutions Architect for APAC at Mambu, to unpack how they pulled it off and what comes next for Islamic banking. In this episode: How…

South Korean financial and trading giants have partnered with blockchain developer Dunamu to build a blockchain remittance platform for corporate cross-border transactions, as reported by The Korea Herald. Hana Financial Group, Posco International and Dunamu signed a MoU on 29 April to develop the real-time settlement system. The partners plan to launch the platform later this year, with initial use focused on processing Posco International’s overseas fund transfers. The trading company currently handles about 40,000 overseas remittances annually across 51 countries. Posco will use this global supply chain to test the system’s viability for large-scale corporate trade operations. Hana Financial…

Visa has introduced Visa Agentic Ready in Hong Kong, a testing programme designed to help card issuers validate AI-driven, agent-initiated transactions. The inaugural cohort includes Bank of China (Hong Kong), DBS Hong Kong, Hang Seng Bank, HSBC Hong Kong, Reap, Standard Chartered Hong Kong, and ZA Bank. The initiative provides a production-grade environment for these institutions to explore how AI agents can execute payments on behalf of consumers. The first phase of the programme concentrates on issuer readiness. It uses Visa’s existing network infrastructure, incorporating tokens, identity verification, and risk controls to process automated payments without requiring banks to overhaul…

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the banking sector have introduced a new round of SME support measures, increasing dedicated lending funds to over HK$450 billion and using fintech to speed up trade finance approvals. Participating banks in the Taskforce on SME Lending have expanded their dedicated loan portfolios from HK$370 billion in October 2024. A key focus of the new package is improving access to working capital through data integration and automation. To speed up credit decisions, all major banks with material trade finance businesses will join the HKMA’s Cargox Pilot Programme. The initiative connects cargo and trade…

DBS has upgraded its credit card rewards programme in Hong Kong through a new integration with loyalty technology company Ascenda. The partnership allows the bank’s customers to transfer their existing DBS$ reward points into various frequent traveller programmes to access accommodation-related travel rewards. The partnership debuted in the Hong Kong market on 27 April. This launch marks the first phase of a broader planned rollout across the bank’s other regional markets. Connecting DBS directly to Ascenda’s global loyalty ecosystem caters to increasing consumer demand for flexible travel and lifestyle rewards. The backend integration gives the bank a streamlined way to…

Alipay has launched a new AI payment processing product in mainland China, allowing merchants to accept payments directly from autonomous AI agents. The tool targets SMBs, including single-person companies. It removes the requirement to build complex settlement systems. Businesses can onboard their monetisable services and receive funds automatically when an AI agent purchases them on behalf of a user. The rollout is designed to support the growth of agentic commerce. This emerging sector involves AI programmes executing routine tasks such as booking travel, comparing prices, allocating computing power, and buying digital tokens. Bocha, an AI search tool that supports applications…

Ping An Digital Bank has integrated real-time US market data into its mobile application following a new collaboration with Nasdaq. The feature allows users to access live pricing and market trends to inform their investment decisions directly within the banking app. The company stated that the Ping An and Nasdaq integration aims to provide retail investors with the insights they need to navigate US equities. According to a company announcement on LinkedIn, the move is part of the digital bank’s broader strategy to expand its wealth management services and equip customers with the tools required to manage their portfolios. Ping…