KUALA LUMPUR (April 19): The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) will enhance cross-border e-commerce among small and medium enterprises by partnering Amazon in a programme that allows products to be sold internationally via Amazon’s e-stores.

Matrade, Amazon collaborate to enhance cross-border e-commerce among SMEs

SINGAPORE (April 15): Asia Pacific saw the largest y-o-y decline in financial technology (fintech) funding value compared to other regions in 1Q2024, falling 46% to US$1.85 billion (S$2.51 billion), according to data by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Asia Pacific saw largest y-o-y decline in fintech funding in 1Q2024 — S&P Global

BENGALURU (April 9): India's Paytm said on Tuesday that Surinder Chawla had resigned as the chief executive officer and managing director of its banking unit Paytm Payments Bank "on account of personal reasons".

The company said the resignation would be effective from June 26 but did no...

India's Paytm banking unit CEO Surinder Chawla resigns

SINGAPORE (April 9): The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and global payments company Mastercard have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enhance cooperation in cyber security.

MAS to strengthen financial services’ cyber resilience with Mastercard MOU

TNG Digital Sdn Bhd will start imposing a 1% overseas transaction conversion fee for its cross-border QR payment feature in Touch 'n Go (TNG) eWallet, starting from April 25, which had been free of charge previously.

Touch 'n Go eWallet to charge 1% conversion fee for overseas transactions from April 25

KUALA LUMPUR (April 8): Grab-led digital bank GX Bank Bhd (GXBank) aims to provide financial facilities to the underserved market, expand the retail segment and address the needs of the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), said its chief executive officer Lai Pei-Si.

Grab-led digital bank GXBank to tap into underserved market, MSMEs

MBSB Bank Bhd is discontinuing its e-wallet platform, effective from May 31.

In a statement on Monday, the bank said the strategic decision is aligned with the bank’s ongoing efforts to optimise and streamline its digital offerings.

MBSB Bank discontinues e-wallet platform

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has launched Cosmic, a centralised digital platform for the sharing of customer information among financial institutions to tackle money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing.

Singapore's MAS launches information-sharing platform to combat financial crime with six commercial banks

KUALA LUMPUR (March 27): Malaysia’s first shariah-compliant and conventional peer-to-peer (P2P) financing platform microLEAP recorded a total financing disbursement of RM62.18 million last year, more than double from RM30.91 million in 2022.

microLEAP records over 100% rise in total financing disbursement in 2023

Alibaba Group said on Tuesday it was offering to buy the 36% of Cainiao it does not already own for up to US$3.75 billion (RM17.7 billion), abandoning plans for an initial public offering (IPO) of the logistics business in Hong Kong.

Alibaba to buy Cainiao stake for up to US$3.75b as it drops IPO plan

Thailand's government expects to launch a signature handout scheme worth 500 billion baht (RM65.2 billion) by the fourth quarter of this year, a deputy finance minister said on Monday, delaying it beyond a former target date of May.

Thailand delays US$14b handout scheme to fourth quarter

JAKARTA (March 22): Southeast Asian online lending platform Akulaku, which is backed by China's Alibaba, secured up to US$100 million of debt financing from the Singapore branch of London-based HSBC, Akulaku's CEO said, as it aims to make the company more profitable.

Alibaba-backed fintech Akulaku secures HSBC financing, aims for double-digit growth

SINGAPORE (March 22): Maybank has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with fintech firm Doxa Holdings International (Doxa) to jointly provide and enhance supply chain financing (SCF) solutions for players in the building and construction sector, extending to other industries in the future.

Maybank, Doxa ink MOU for supply chain financing solutions in building & construction sector

(March 20): Charoen Pokphand Group and Gulf Energy Development Pcl, among Thailand’s largest business groups, are vying for the country’s new virtual bank licences as the Bank of Thailand opens applications.

True Money, a financial technology arm of CP Group, and its partners including ...

Thai tycoons heat up new virtual bank licence bids 

Approved road transport logistics companies will obtain “fleet cards” from select fuel retailers to purchase subsidised fuel under the diesel subsidy rationalisation programme, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said.

Approved logistics players to get diesel fleet cards amid subsidy rationalisation

PKR Information chief Fahmi Fadzil said no specific names were discussed regarding the leadership of the Sabah PKR State Leadership Council (MPN) at a special meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Saturday.

No specific names discussed for Sabah PKR State Leadership Council head, says Fahmi

Efforts to reform the Bretton Woods institutions – the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank – are progressing, albeit slowly. In December, the IMF Board of Governors approved a 50% increase in member quotas, which will reduce its reliance on borrowed resources, and the World Bank has re...

The Frontiers Of Growth : How to Govern the Bretton Woods Institutions Better

A highly anticipated Bitcoin software update called the “halving” has been completed, dealing a potential blow to the companies that make money by ensuring that the digital currency functions smoothly and securely.

Bitcoin ‘halving’ cuts supply of new tokens in threat to miners

A Philippine freight railway project may be built with the support of the US and Japan, an official in charge of it said, as Manila seeks alternative financing deals after dropping funding talks with China.

Philippines wants US, Japan to take over rail deal eyed by China

The World Bank on Friday said that 11 countries have pledged to contribute over US$11 billion (RM52.62 billion) to new hybrid capital and portfolio guarantee instruments designed to expand the bank's financing capacity by US$70 billion over a decade to tackle climate change, pandemics and other global challenges.

World Bank wins US$11b in pledges to boost lending for climate, global crises

Shareholders of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed this week on the importance of addressing challenges faced by low-income countries, many of which are facing unsustainable debt burdens, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Friday.

IMF concerned about debt, fiscal challenges facing low-income countries

The ringgit is likely to trade in the same range of around 4.78 against the US dollar next week, as the situation in the Middle East will continue to be under scrutiny by investors, said an analyst.

Ringgit likely to trade around 4.78 versus greenback next week

Attention this week will be on the March inflation rate, with the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) slated to put out Consumer Price Index (CPI) — the key gauge for inflation — data on Thursday.

Inflation edged up by a higher-than-expected 1.8% i...

The Week Ahead: Eyes on March inflation, US 1Q GDP and tech earnings

Persistent inflation and higher-for-longer interest rates were cited as key risks to financial stability in the Federal Reserve's (Fed) latest survey of US central bank contacts, with geopolitical troubles and the 2024 US presidential election also mentioned as "a potentially significant source of shocks".

Fed survey cites inflation, US election as key financial stability risks

Former inspector general of police Tun Mohammed Hanif Omar died at 2.15am on Saturday. He was 85.

Former IGP Tun Hanif Omar passes away

The long-awaited Energy Exchange Malaysia (Enegem) has finally been introduced, along with guidelines on cross-border electricity sales announced by the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (Petra) last Monday for exports of green electricity from Malaysia to Singapore and Thailand.

Enegem: Malaysia edges closer to RE exports

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim arrived in Kota Kinabalu on Friday night for a one-day working visit to the state.

Anwar's plane landed at Terminal Two, Kota Kinabalu International Airport at 11.40pm, where he was greeted by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

Anwar arrives in Kota Kinabalu for one-day visit

Attention this week will be on the March inflation rate, with the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) slated to put out Consumer Price Index (CPI) — the key gauge for inflation — data on Thursday.

Inflation edged up by a higher-than-expected 1.8% i...

The Nasdaq and the S&amp;P 500 ended lower on Friday as Netflix shares weighed, but American Express (AmEx) kept the Dow afloat after quarterly earnings from both companies, while growing pessimism that the Federal Reserve (Fed) would cut interest rates soon also dented sentiment.

Nasdaq, S&P tumble as Netflix, chip stocks drag; AmEx boosts Dow

Israel's apparent strike on Iran after days of vacillation was small and appeared calibrated to dial back risks of a major war, even if the sheer fact it happened at all shattered a taboo of direct attacks that Tehran broke days earlier.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet had initially approved plans for a strike on Monday night inside Iranian territory to respond forcefully to last Saturday's missile and drones from Iran, but held back at the last-minute, three sources with knowledge of the situation said.

Israel's Iran attack carefully calibrated after internal splits, US pressure