Asia

Animoca Brands Japan, a strategic subsidiary of Animoca Brands, has on Wednesday announced it has partnered with BONSAI NFT CLUB, the bonsai-themed NFT art project. Under the partnership, Animoca Brands Japan will support the global development of BONSAI NFT CLUB in the areas of marketing and token strategy by utilizing the network of Animoca Brands.

Asia-Pacific cashless payments projected to reach almost 45% of global payment volume by 2030, S&P Global Market Intelligence said Tuesday.

87 percent of Asia Pacific (APAC) manufacturers prioritize digital transformation; yet 82 percent struggle with innovation pace, a study showed Tuesday.

BNP Paribas, the European Union’s leading bank, and Ant International, a Singapore-based digital payment and financial technology firm, have formed a strategic partnership to enhance cross-border payment solutions for merchants and consumers in Europe.

Japanese venture capital fund Softbank Group Corp. has acquired United Kingdom chip start-up Graphcore for an undisclosed sum.

The report also said it is the largest fundraising by a privately-owned VC firm in China in the past year, marking the ongoing influence commanded by its founder Neil Shen, often considered the country’s most powerful tech investor.

The Hex Trust Group, a Hong Kong-based provider of digital asset solutions, has partnered Monad Labs, a global developer-forward smart contract platform, to offer custody support for the Monad Blockchain.

Australian blockchain financial company DigitalX Limited said Tuesday that it will launch spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).

Xero, a New Zealand-based small business platform, has announced the return of the Xero Beautiful Business Fund for 2024 — an initiative offering more than SGD 630,000 ($466,720) in funding to support small businesses and non profits with their growth plans and help drive future success.

FREENOW, an European taxi app, has integrated Alipay+ cross-border mobile payment solutions with its taxi cab services in seven European countries: Spain, Germany, Ireland, Italy, France, Greece and Austria.