Archive for the ‘Fintech’ Category

ASUS Partners 2C2P for Online Payments and Shopping

Tuesday, July 5th, 2022

By integrating 2C2P’s omnichannel payment solution to the newly revamped ASUS Store, ASUS is able to offer its customers frictionless payments using cards, PayNow QR and Installment Payment Plan (IPP) while simultaneously connecting its digital store to its fulfillment partners for seamless payment and settlement.

“2C2P is delighted to partner with ASUS Singapore to advance their omnichannel offering. Our advanced platform seamlessly caters to ASUS’ differing business needs, whether it is securely accepting their customers’ preferred payment methods or making simultaneous payments to its resellers or distributors. At 2C2P, we are always looking for innovative ways to support and empower our merchants’ digital transformation journey,” said Agnes Chua, Executive Director, Business and Product Development of 2C2P.

2C2P is delighted to partner with ASUS Singapore to advance their omnichannel offering. Our advanced platform seamlessly caters to ASUS’ differing business needs, whether it is securely accepting their customers’ preferred payment methods or making simultaneous payments to its resellers or distributors. At 2C2P, we are always looking for innovative ways to support and empower our merchants’ digital transformation journey,” said Agnes Chua, Executive Director, Business and Product Development of 2C2P.

Previously, ASUS Singapore has always sold its products through authorised resellers’ brick-and-mortar stores.

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Luno Receives Payments In-Principle Approval from MAS in Singapore

Thursday, April 28th, 2022

Global retail cryptocurrency platform Luno has obtained in-principle approval (IPA) from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to provide Digital Payment Token Services (DPT) in Singapore.

Luno’s global customer base grew by 35% year-on-year and aims to bring cryptocurrency to over 1 billion customers by 2030.

Luno’s global customer base grew by 35% year-on-year and aims to bring cryptocurrency to over 1 billion customers by 2030.

Luno Singapore has been granted in-principle approval from the MAS, under the Payment Services Act (PSA), to provide DPT services in Singapore.

This milestone marks Luno as the first global retail-focused cryptocurrency platform in Singapore to obtain IPA from the MAS, which will enable the accessibility of cryptocurrency in a well-regulated environment that safeguards the interest of consumers.

More details below from the press release.

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Luno Launches Luno Expeditions

Wednesday, March 16th, 2022

Luno, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Digital Currency Group (“DCG”), has announced the launch of Luno Expeditions, a global, early-stage investment arm to support the best fintech and crypto/web3 founders on their journeys to build the next generation of financial services.

The Luno Expeditions Team (from L to R): Margaux Duterte, Mira Christanto, Jocelyn Cheng, Katharine Suy, and Aditi Khimasis.

The Luno Expeditions Team (from L to R): Margaux Duterte, Mira Christanto, Jocelyn Cheng, Katharine Suy, and Aditi Khimasis.

Building on DCG’s 7-year track record in early stage crypto investing, Luno Expeditions will now spearhead all of DCG’s early sage investing (seed and pre-seed).

“I am thrilled to join Luno Expeditions as Chief Executive. These are incredibly exciting times in cryptocurrency and the broader fintech ecosystem. We’ve got ambitious plans to build a leading fund designed around the needs of early stage founders. It will be a privilege to work with ambitious entrepreneurs from all over the world, all intent on solving problems and building the next generation of financial service companies,” said Jocelyn Cheng, CEO, Luno Expeditions.

The dedicated team will scale up investments (targeting 200-300 per year) and expand the focus beyond crypto into the broader fintech space, globally.

Luno Expeditions will be led by Jocelyn Cheng, who takes on the role of CEO.

Whilst in stealth mode over the past few months, Luno Expeditions has already invested in over 20 leading crypto and fintech companies globally, including a crypto compliance solution in Israel, an NFT marketplace in the United States, a bank dedicated to women in Pakistan and a ground-breaking remittance solution in Tanzania.

Barry Silbert, founder and CEO of DCG, and Marcus Swanepoel, co-founder and CEO of Luno, are both closely involved in the initiative and will be part of the Investment Committee.

The Luno Expeditions Team

Jocelyn Cheng, CEO

Jocelyn has invested in global startup founders over the last 6 years as Managing Director at the impact investment VC, Global Innovation Fund. She previously held investing roles at CPP Investments, Bain Capital and Goldman Sachs. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business school.

Mira Christanto, Director of Investments

“We know how hard it is to build a company, especially in the fintech space, and with our deep experience building, scaling and operating fintech businesses in some of the hardest markets in the world, we’re looking to support a new generation of entrepreneurs from all over the world to do the same,” commented Marcus Swanepoel, Luno co-founder and CEO.

Before joining Luno Expeditions, Mira was a senior research analyst at the leading crypto firm Messari. She moved full-time to crypto after working for 15 years at institutional investments funds between Wall Street and Hong Kong.

Aditi Khimasis, Head of Legal

Aditi is an experienced legal professional with extensive VC experience both in house and at leading legal firms across a number of emerging and developed jurisdictions. She was previously Legal Counsel at Anthemis Group.

Katharine Suy, Chief Marketing Officer

Katharine is a seasoned crypto marketer who has worked in the industry over the last 5 years. She joins Luno Expeditions with over 15 years experience in digital marketing, content creation and entrepreneurship across UK, Vietnam & Australia.

Margaux Duterte, Investment Analyst

Before joining Luno Expeditions, Margaux worked with fintechs and payment partners across Africa for 3 years at Luno. She previously held finance roles at BNP Paribas and worked in France, Portugal and South Africa. She holds a Masters in Corporate Finance from Paris Dauphine.

Fee-less Luno Fund Transfer from Banks to Crypto Wallets

Monday, October 25th, 2021

Luno users will be able to transfer funds without intermediary parties or delays, from any local SGD-denominated bank accounts to their cryptocurrency wallets at no fee.

Luno is one of the first in Singapore to officially launch direct SGD bank transfers, enabling $0-fee deposits through local SGD-denominated bank accounts, making digital assets more accessible to new and seasoned investors in Singapore.

Luno is one of the first in Singapore to officially launch direct SGD bank transfers, enabling $0-fee deposits through local SGD-denominated bank accounts, making digital assets more accessible to new and seasoned investors in Singapore.

Luno, a global cryptocurrency company, is officially launching a direct SGD bank transfer feature, promising a fast, safe and hassle-free way to invest.

Luno offers multiple core features to deliver a seamless experience for new and seasoned investors alike, offering access to popular cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Ripple (XRP), Litecoin (LTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and USD Coin (USDC).

More details below from the press release.

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Acronis and Minterest Launch Acronis #CyberFit Financing in Singapore

Monday, June 22nd, 2020

The joint initiative by Acronis and Minterest aims to help businesses combat COVID-19 disruptions and remain resilient and #CyberFit despite the pandemic.

Acronis, a global leader in cyber protection, and Minterest, a leading Singapore-based online financial services solutions provider, have joined forces to launch Acronis #CyberFit Financing, Powered by Minterest to provide Singapore-based businesses with financing support.

Acronis, a global leader in cyber protection, and Minterest, a leading Singapore-based online financial services solutions provider, have joined forces to launch Acronis #CyberFit Financing, Powered by Minterest to provide Singapore-based businesses with financing support.

The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has forced businesses globally to operate remotely and people – to work from home.

Very often, they work with unsecured digital networks and are vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

“Cybercriminals are ruthless – they see the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to target new vulnerabilities such as those caused by many staff migrating to home offices. Now more than ever, cyber protection should be a key concern for every business, as a data breach that costs a company valuable data can cripple even large organisations. Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud is a solution we have developed to combat this global threat. Acronis is dedicated to doing our part to help businesses both in the digital and the real world. With support from our capable partners at Minterest, we hope to provide streamlined access to vital funding to ensure business continuity for as many Singapore businesses as possible,” said Serguei Beloussov, Founder and CEO of Acronis.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, essential services such as supermarkets, drug stores, medical services, mechanical services, police, and governmental agencies will need cyber protection to be #CyberFit so their IT infrastructure remains protected and operational.

Beyond the heightened cybersecurity risk, with the coronavirus outbreak slowing down economies and disrupting supply chain networks, many managed service providers, hosting companies, SMEs and home businesses are also faced with urgent cash flow issues.

As a cyber protection company, Acronis aims to help organisations safeguard their data, applications, and systems so they can remain productive and avoid costly downtime.

Through this partnership, Acronis and Minterest hope to empower businesses by providing easy access to customised financing solutions to tide them through this difficult period and to build their cybersecurity capabilities to ringfence their businesses.

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Temasek Joins Facebook’s Libra Association As New Member

Thursday, May 14th, 2020

Singapore’s Temasek has joined Libra together with Paradigm and Slow Ventures.

Libra is a permissioned blockchain digital currency proposed by the American social media company Facebook, Inc. Facebook established the Libra Association - founded in Geneva, Switzerland - to oversee the currency.

Libra is a permissioned blockchain digital currency proposed by the American social media company Facebook, Inc. Facebook established the Libra Association – founded in Geneva, Switzerland – to oversee the currency.

The design of a blockchain-based payment system that supports responsible financial services innovation and inclusion for billions of people requires a diverse set of members in different industries, geographies and sectors to help catalyze development over the long term.

Temasek, a global investment company headquartered in Singapore, brings a differentiated position as an Asia-focused investor.

With its forward looking and long term view, Temasek sees innovative technologies such as blockchain as transformative enablers of growth.

Temasek’s efforts to support and advance the use of blockchain technology across a range of use cases, asset classes and sectors, reflects its drive to explore, develop and invest in solutions to bring about a better, smarter, and more sustainable world.

More details below from the press release.

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Revolut, StashAway & PolicyPal Launch “Medical Energizer”

Thursday, April 16th, 2020

The “Medical Energizer” programme aims to support medical heroes in Singapore fighting the COVID-19 pandemic on the frontlines.

“Being in the frontline is a challenging task, therefore we would like to extend our support to protect their health and families. We believe that together we would be able to support each other through this crisis,” said Val Yap, Founder and CEO of PolicyPal.

“Being in the frontline is a challenging task, therefore we would like to extend our support to protect their health and families. We believe that together we would be able to support each other through this crisis,” said Val Yap, Founder and CEO of PolicyPal.

The program offers local heroes financial, insurance and rides benefits, to support their wellbeing during this crisis.

Revolut, a Visa partner, offers medical personnel 3% cashback for every transaction made on their Revolut Visa cards without any caps and up to S$50 rides rebates per week for any ride sharing services and taxi rides.

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Visa Study: 2 In 3 Singaporeans Interested In Using Neobanks

Wednesday, March 25th, 2020

Close to 65% of Singaporeans are open to the idea of adopting a digital-only bank, according to the Visa Consumer Payment Attitudes Study.

* All infographics in this story courtesy of Visa.

It comes as no surprise that if consumers were to adopt a digital bank - interest is highest for an existing issuer given the trust already associated with the issuer. Click on infographic to enlarge.

It comes as no surprise that if consumers were to adopt a digital bank – interest is highest for an existing issuer given the trust already associated with the issuer. Click on infographic to enlarge.

The Visa Consumer Payment Attitudes Study was conducted in October 2019 by ENGINE Insights with 511 Singaporeans aged 18-65 years of age.

3 in 4 Singaporeans are aware of the concept of Digital Banking - whilst nearly 2 in 3 would be curious of adopting a digital only bank. Click on infographic to enlarge.

3 in 4 Singaporeans are aware of the concept of Digital Banking – whilst nearly 2 in 3 would be curious of adopting a digital only bank. Click on infographic to enlarge.

This is part of a regional research project conducted in Southeast Asia on 5,000 consumers across seven markets in Southeast Asia.

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Wirecard Expands e-Commerce Offering For WeChat Pay

Tuesday, March 24th, 2020

Wirecard’s expanded e-commerce offering for WeChat Pay will enable European merchants to enjoy fast access to the Chinese market.

Wirecard and its partner SwissPost will offer a complete package including technical integration, payment processing, customs and logistics.

Wirecard and its partner SwissPost will offer a complete package including technical integration, payment processing, customs and logistics.

Chinese consumers will be able to check out with WeChat Pay on the online shops of European merchants.

As a result, shoppers will enjoy a smooth and familiar payment flow.

The integration meets the needs of a key target audience, leading to significantly increased revenues.

More details below from the press release.

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Wirecard & Grab Announce Payments Partnership For MSMEs In SEA

Saturday, March 14th, 2020

The payments partnership between Wirecard and the Southeast Asia super app Grab will drive cashless economy for MSMEs across the region.

Wirecard partners Grab.

Wirecard partners Grab.

Grab offers a variety of services to consumers in Southeast Asia ranging from ride-hailing and food delivery to digital financial products across payments, lending and insurance.

Wirecard will process card transactions made via the GrabPay e-wallet and integrate it as a payment method for its merchants.

More details below from the press release.

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