Local governments across Japan are ramping up efforts to attract digital nomads as part of a broader push to promote longer and more sustainable stays. This comes amid rising concerns over overtourism affecting major Japanese cities such as Kyoto and Tokyo since the COVID-19 pandemic. “More local governments want digital nomads because they can stay longer than normal tourists,” Ryo Osera, an executive member of the Japan Digital Nomad Association (JDNA), told the South China Morning Post in a recent interview. “They can also spend lots of money because they [tend to] have high-skilled, professional careers.” Established in 2022, the…

Amid the Belt and Road Initiative and expanding financial cooperation between China and Singapore, cross-border payments have become an important mechanism supporting regional trade and people-to-people exchanges. To strengthen financial connectivity, Development Bank of Singapore (DBS) has partnered with UnionPay International (UPI) to enable DBS UnionPay Platinum Debit Cardholders to access a more efficient cross-border payment experience. From now until 31 March 2026, cardholders can receive up to 8% cashback and a 3% waiver on transaction fees when spending in China, providing a total benefit of up to 11%. DBS said the programme supports the growing economic and social exchanges…

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced the launch of EnsembleTX, initiating the pilot phase of Project Ensemble. The pilot aims to facilitate real-value transactions involving tokenised deposits and digital assets within a controlled environment. EnsembleTX builds on the outcomes of the Ensemble Sandbox, which since August 2024 has allowed industry participants to test end-to-end use cases for settling digital asset transactions using experimental tokenised deposits. In the pilot phase, the HKMA, participating banks and other industry participants will focus on enabling faster and more transparent settlement of tokenised transactions, initially in tokenised money market fund transactions and real-time liquidity…

During the Singapore Fintech Festival 2025, Huawei and FanRuan jointly introduced the ChatBI AI Intelligent Decision-Making Solution, aimed at strengthening business analysis and supporting digital transformation in the financial sector. Roger Wang, Director of the Partner Development Department, Huawei Digital Finance BU, and Saber Chen, Chief Product Officer (CPO) of FanRuan, attended the launch ceremony together. The solution integrates Huawei’s digital infrastructure, including servers and Lakehouse Architecture, with FanRuan’s FineBI and FineChatBI analysis platforms to create an end-to-end workflow from data access to model inference and strategy execution. It supports natural-language data retrieval for frontline staff, enabling faster access to…

Tencent has launched TenPay Global Checkout, a new payment solution for Weixin Mini Program merchants operating internationally, allowing them to accept a range of local payment methods. With a single integration, overseas merchants can support multiple payment options, including digital wallets, local real-time payment networks, and credit and debit cards. Users outside mainland China can pay within the app using familiar local methods. The rollout begins in Singapore and Macau, where merchants can now accept credit and debit cards, PayNow, and BOCPAY(MO) via TenPay Global Checkout on the Weixin Official Accounts Platform. Expansion to additional markets, including Japan, Australia, and…

Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) is considering introducing a prior notification system for companies that provide systems to manage crypto assets. The proposal was discussed on 7 November by a working group of the Financial System Council, an advisory body to the Prime Minister. The move aims to strengthen measures to ensure system stability following a series of crypto asset thefts. According to Nikkei, current regulations require crypto exchange operators to implement proper management systems, such as storing customer assets in “cold wallets” that are not connected to the internet. However, system providers themselves are not currently subject to direct…

Hong Kong stand as one of the most prominent fintech hubs in the world, home to a vibrant community of over 1,200 fintech companies, a sophisticated financial industry, and a proactive government committed to leveraging technology and fostering innovation. Building on this strong foundation, Hong Kong’s dynamic fintech industry is poised to maintain its growth trajectory, with the government unveiling earlier this month at the Hong Kong Fintech Week 2025 a series of new initiatives designed to modernize the financial system, boost the adoption artificial intelligence (AI), and encourage the development of tokenization. This thriving ecosystem has made Hong Kong…

The ​Hong Kong Fintech Week x StartmeupHK Festival (HKFW x SMUF) 2025 concluded on 7 November 2025, following a dynamic week of activities that began with a two-day main conference held on 3 November 2025 and 4 November 2025. The event brought together government officials, regulators, innovators, and industry leaders from around the world for a series of panels, keynote speeches, and strategic discussions. The joint celebration of two flagship events reaffirmed Hong Kong’s commitment to advancing the digital economy. The entire week attracted a record high of over 45,000 visitors from over 120 economies and featured over 1,000 distinguished…

Hong Kong is preparing to market a new series of “digitally native” bonds denominated in multiple currencies, further advancing its ambitions to become a leading global centre for digital assets. According to Bloomberg, the government plans to issue digital green bonds denominated in US dollars, Hong Kong dollars, euros, and offshore yuan, people familiar with the matter said. The sale could be priced as early as Monday (November 10), they added, requesting anonymity as the information is private. If completed, it would mark Hong Kong’s third digital bond issuance since 2023. Digital bonds are debt instruments that employ blockchain technology…

At the 2025 edition of Hong Kong Fintech Week, which ran from November 03 to 07, the financial sector, the technology community, and the Hong Kong government unveiled several key initiatives aimed at driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and accelerating technology adoption in financial services, with the goal of enhancing efficiency and future-proofing the financial system. Co-located with the StartmeupHK Festival 2025, Hong Kong Fintech Week 2025 marked the tenth edition of the city’s flagship fintech event, welcoming a combined 45,000 visitors from over 120 economies, representing a new record. Combined, the events featured more than 1,000 distinguished speakers, 800 exhibitors…

Major holding companies in South Korea are accelerating efforts to forge partnerships with major tech firms, notably Naver, Kakao, and Samsung Electronics, as they seek an advantage in the rapidly emerging stablecoin market. The move, led by KB, Shinhan, Hana, and Woori Financial Groups, comes as domestic stablecoin transactions have already surpassed 60 trillion won (US$41.15 billion), despite the market not yet being fully legalised. According to The Korea Times, financial regulators plan to submit a bill regulating stablecoins to the National Assembly by the end of 2025. While discussions are still ongoing, banks, the flagship subsidiaries of the holding…

JPX Market Innovation & Research (JPXI), with the support of Amazon Web Services (AWS), has made significant progress towards Japan Exchange Group (JPX)’s goal of becoming a “global, comprehensive finance and information platform,” as outlined in its Medium-Term Management Plan. JPXI has developed J-WS, JPX’s common infrastructure platform, on AWS. The platform supports the stable operation of JPX Group’s data and digital services while improving operational quality and functionality through AWS’s advanced cloud technologies. As part of its ongoing digital transformation, JPXI will migrate the Timely Disclosure Network (TDnet) to J-WS. TDnet plays a critical role in transmitting material corporate…

JCB International, the international arm of JCB and Agoda have entered into a three-year partnership, announced during the 18th JCB World Conference. Running from April 2026 to March 2029, the MoU outlines a plan to use data-driven insights to attract new customers, refine marketing strategies, and explore new communication channels to engage inbound travellers to Japan. The collaboration includes joint campaigns and co-marketing initiatives aimed at improving customer experience and encouraging greater use of JCB cards. “We are proud to partner with Agoda to deliver greater benefits to JCB cardmembers,” said Masaki Yokawa, President and CEO of JCB International. “This…

Stripe and NEC Corporation have begun exploring the integration of the Stripe Reader S700 payment terminal, part of the unified commerce solution Stripe Terminal, with NEC’s face recognition payment service. The collaboration aims to combine Stripe’s payment infrastructure with NEC’s facial recognition technology, known for its high authentication accuracy*, to enable secure, hands-free payments and improve customer convenience. The face recognition payment experience will be demonstrated using the Stripe Reader S700 at the Singapore Fintech Festival from 12 to 14 November. Stripe Terminal is a unified commerce solution that connects in-store and online payments through a single platform, offering real-time…

XTransfer has entered into a collaboration with Bank SinoPac, through its Hong Kong Branch, to expand international operations and provide SMEs with comprehensive cross-border financial solutions. The partnership was formalised with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between XTransfer Founder and CEO Bill Deng and Bank SinoPac Hong Kong Branch Chief Executive Lin Chia Yun during Hong Kong FinTech Week 2025. Under the agreement, the two parties will work together to strengthen XTransfer’s cross-border payment capabilities. In the first phase, with support from Bank SinoPac Hong Kong Branch’s network and services, XTransfer will offer over 700,000 clients access to…

Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) participated in Hong Kong Fintech Week 2025 (HKFTW25) as a strategic partner, announcing plans to expand its digital assets offerings to support the growth of Hong Kong’s digital asset ecosystem. Following the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s (HKMA) launch of its “Fintech 2030” vision, Bill Winters, Group Chief Executive of Standard Chartered, spoke at a panel titled “Sustaining Excellence: Hong Kong’s Role in the Future of International Financial Centre”, highlighting the city’s strengths as a global financial hub. Senior leaders from the bank also led seminars on topics including tokenisation, Web3 development, open banking, and generative…

HashKey and Kraken have announced a strategic partnership to promote institutional adoption of tokenised assets. The collaboration aims to combine both firms’ expertise and resources to drive innovation, expand market growth, and develop tokenised real-world asset opportunities across the Asia-Pacific region. Both companies bring established credibility in the global crypto ecosystem, a strong commitment to regulatory compliance, and a shared objective of broadening institutional and retail engagement in digital assets. Recognising the growing opportunity to connect traditional finance with digital assets and unlock institutional capital for tokenisation, HashKey and Kraken will explore collaboration in several key areas. The partnership will…

Reap, a global fintech company providing stablecoin-enabled financial infrastructure, has expanded its global headquarters with a new 10,014 sq ft office at 1063 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong. The expansion marks a key step in Reap’s global growth strategy amid rising market confidence and regulatory clarity surrounding stablecoin adoption. Since developing a full platform offering in 2021, combining cards, payments, treasury, and expense management, the company has grown processing volumes eightfold by the end of 2023. In 2025, Reap reached profitability and projects a sixfold increase in volumes in 2024. Its clients include Animoca Brands, Trust Wallet, CoinMarketCap, and…

SoftBank and OpenAI have launched a joint venture, SB OAI Japan. The venture aims to provide “Crystal intelligence,” an enterprise AI solution designed to improve management and operational efficiency across Japanese companies. SB OAI Japan will integrate OpenAI’s technology with local implementation and system integration services to deliver Crystal intelligence exclusively in Japan, with commercial availability expected in 2026. SoftBank Corp. will be the first to adopt the solution, testing its application in product development and business transformation before offering it to other organisations. The venture builds on SoftBank’s ongoing shift towards becoming an AI-driven group, with employees already using…

Loyalty and travel rewards platform HeyMax has made its first international launch in Hong Kong, partnering with Cathay to connect more users and merchants across the region. The Singapore-based company said the move supports its goal of building Asia’s leading open loyalty ecosystem. The expansion follows its July acquisition of Hong Kong fintech firm krip and is part of plans to quadruple its team and strengthen regional partnerships. HeyMax reported fivefold year-on-year revenue growth and an annualised revenue run rate of US$6 million as of May. It aims to reach one million users and issue over two billion Max Miles across the region by…