FinTech

Hong Kong’s WeLab acquires Bank Jasa Jakarta in Indonesia to launch second digital bank in Asia

WeLab announced Monday the acquisition of PT Bank Jasa Jakarta (BJJ), a commercial bank in Indonesia, with plans to launch its second digital bank in Asia further to the successful launch of WeLab Bank in Hong Kong. WeLab said it had drawn wide-spread interest from existing and new investors who have already contributed $240 million for this transaction,…

Singapore financial technology firm Xen Capital raises $7.5M Series A led by Headline Asia

Xen Capital has raised $7.5 million in a Series A round led by Headline Asia (formerly known as Infinity Ventures) to scale its business to business to consumer (B2B2C) alternative investment platform.

South Korean online lending platform PeopleFund raises $64M Series C funding led by Bain Capital

PeopleFund will utilize the funds to hire artificial intelligence (AI) engineers and acquire alternative data to further upgrade its credit-scoring algorithm while focusing on credit scoring technology with the acquisition of MyData license set for late this year.

India fintech platform Simpl raises $40M Series B funding led by Valar Ventures and IA Ventures

Simpl, has raised a $40 million Series B round led by Valar Ventures and IA Ventures with participation from LFH Ventures and other internal investors. The investment brings the total capital raised by the company to $83 million.

Grab to debut on NASDAQ after investors approve SPAC merger

Altimeter Growth Corp announced that its shareholders approved the business combination with Grab at an extraordinary meeting of shareholders on Tuesday.

India’s Slice turns unicorn after raising $220M led by Tiger Global and Insight Partners

Slice has raised $220 million in a Series B round that values the company at over $1 billion.The round was led by investors Tiger Global and Insight Partners. New and existing investors including Advent International’s Sunley House Capital, Moore Strategic Ventures, Anfa, Gunosy, Blume Ventures, and 8i also participated in the round.

Singapore multi-currency wallet YouTrip raises $30M to accelerate growth in B2C and B2B space

YouTrip has raised $30 million in its latest Series A round. The round, driven by returning investors from major Asian family offices and prominent financial technology investors, will solidify the fintech firm’s position as the leading neobank in Southeast Asia offering business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) multi-currency payments.

Singapore digital wealth platform Endowus adds $27M in funding to accelerate growth across Asia

The growing list of strategic partners bolsters Endowus’ key growth initiatives, including geographic expansion, the roll-out of new product offerings, and further development of its technology platform to enhance client experience. The company also plans to boost its human capital by doubling headcount across core functions and strengthening its technology…

ORIGIN Innovation Awards 2021: Startup Winners – AI, E-commerce, FinTech & RegTech

We are thrilled to announce the Startup Winners - AI, E-commerce, FinTech & RegTech for the second edition of the ORIGIN Innovation Awards.

Striking while the iron is hot: The Philippine venture scene is heating up and getting hotter

TechNode Global’s series on the Philippines will delve into why Filipino entrepreneurs and founders are attracting venture capital (VC) money in droves. In this second part, we explore the rise in Series B (and now, C) fundraising rounds out of the Philippines in 2021, and what it signals for the startup ecosystem as a whole. Seven founders share how much…