Аsia
Singapore to block scam mules from banking services
Fintech Global, Posted September 18, 2025
Singapore is stepping up its fight against scam syndicates with new measures to block repeat offenders from accessing critical banking and telecommunications services.
The joint initiative, announced on 17 September by the Singapore Police Force, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the Infocomm Media Development Authority and the Government Technology Agency, will target so-called “scam mules” who provide their bank accounts, mobile lines and other facilities to criminal groups, claims CNA.
Bank of India, Cashinvoice launch digital MSME lending platform
IBS Intelligence, Posted September 19, 2025
Bank of India (BOI), has partnered with Cashinvoice, to launch ‘BOI Trade Easy’, a transformative digital supply chain finance platform designed to deliver fast, transparent, and structured access to credit for India’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The initiative underscores BOI’s commitment to driving digital transformation in lending and strengthening financial inclusion. Through this platform, the bank aims to disburse ₹1,000 crore in working capital loans within the next four to six months, reaching more than 200,000 MSMEs nationwide.
Payment aggregators face tighter rules as RBI consolidates guidelines
IBS Intelligence, Posted September 17, 2025
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released its long-awaited Master Direction on Payment Aggregators (PAs), bringing together all previous circulars and guidelines into a single, comprehensive framework. The move is being seen as a defining moment in India’s digital payments evolution, aimed at creating greater clarity, consistency, and security in a market that has grown exponentially in recent years.
MAS and HKMA enhance cooperation on banking supervision
MAS, Posted September 17, 2025
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) today announced the exchange of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on banking supervisory cooperation.
2 MAS and the HKMA have been collaborating on banking supervision closely over the years. The MoU strengthens the supervisory cooperation and facilitates the exchange of information and mutual assistance for supervisory purposes between the two authorities. Given the significant presence of Singapore and Hong Kong banks in both jurisdictions, such cooperation enhances the supervision of cross-border operations of banks under the purview of both authorities.
Cross-border QR payment linkage pilot launched between China and Indonesia
Electronic Payments International, Posted September 15, 2025
UnionPay International, along with partners, has initiated a pilot launch of a new cross-border QR payment system between China and Indonesia.
This cross-border QR payment linkage is being carried out under the supervision of the central banks of the two nations.
In Beijing, the pilot was launched with a transaction demonstration in Beijing using an Indonesian mobile payment application.
Europe
PAY.nl successfully processed first Wero e-commerce transaction
Epi Company, Posted September 18, 2025
Pay. announces today having successfully completed its first Wero transaction with a test merchant, marking a significant milestone in its ambition to become one of the first payment service providers in the Netherlands to incorporate Wero into its payment portfolio.
UK CENTRE STAGE OF EUROPEAN FINTECH COMEBACK AS AI USHERS IN NEW ERA
Financial IT, Posted September 18, 2025
Today, Finch Capital released the tenth edition of its State of European Fintech Report. Please find key findings and analysis from the Finch team below, and the full report at the link here.
Greater concentration of funding is prevalent across European regions amid an overall drop in total funding. This lack of diversification, however, highlights the UK’s dominance, netting 56% of total funding, 79% of which is concentrated in London.
Lithuania courts Korean fintech as entry point to Europe
Korea Herald, Posted September 17, 2025
Lithuania, a nation of fewer than 3 million people, is striving to sharpen its competitiveness by welcoming leading offshore players into its market.
The Baltic state is setting its sights on South Korea’s financial technology sector, positioning itself as a strategic gateway to the European Union’s 450 million consumers.
As part of the move to appeal, a business delegation, including Elijus Civilis, general manager at Invest Lithuania, and Lukas Jakubonis, chief business development officer at the Bank of Lithuania, recently visited Seoul.
Finary gets serious: Paris FinTech lands €25 million for AI-powered wealth tools and expand across Europe
EU-startups, Posted September 18, 2025
Finary, the Paris-based FinTech tackling wealth management with a tech-first, transparency-led approach, has raised a €25 million Series B round to fuel expansion and enhance its product suite.
The latest funding brings in heavyweight backer PayPal Ventures alongside returning investors Y Combinator, Speedinvest, Kima Ventures, LocalGlobe, Hedosophia, and angel investors including Harsh Sinha (CTO of Wise), Axel Weber (former president of the German central bank and former chairman of UBS), Steve Anavi, Alexandre Prot (Qonto), and Eric Demuth (Bitpanda).
USA
Covecta raises $6.5m to speed up business lending with AI platform
IBS Intelligence, Posted September 17, 2025
Covecta has raised $6.5 million to expand its AI-powered platform, aiming to help banks automate workflows, accelerate lending, and free frontline staff from administrative burdens.
Despite years of digital transformation spending, commercial loan applications can still take as long as six months to process, with loan officers spending more than 150 hours on a single case. Financial institutions remain stuck managing disconnected systems from loan origination tools and CRMs to public registers and core banking platforms — forcing staff to juggle tasks that should be seamless.
First Fed Bank goes live with Apiture digital banking platform
IBS Intelligence, Posted September 19, 2025
First Fed Bank has launched its digital business banking experience on the Apiture Digital Banking Platform, enabled by Apiture, to modernise customer-focused banking.
Founded in 1923, First Fed Bank is a cornerstone of Washington’s financial community, managing more than $2 billion in assets while remaining deeply committed to local businesses and communities. The adoption of Apiture’s platform underscores the bank’s strategic investment in digital transformation, with a focus on equipping businesses of every size with intuitive, future-ready tools.
Google and PayPal Forge Multiyear Partnership to Revolutionize Commerce
PayPal, Posted September 17, 2025
Google and PayPal today announced a multiyear strategic partnership focused on advancing several commerce solutions. The collaboration will deliver innovative solutions that transform how businesses and consumers transact across platforms and devices. Combining their expertise and scale, the companies aim to deliver frictionless digital commerce experiences and set a new standard for commerce ecosystem innovation.
Bitget Wallet adds crypto purchase support for Apple Pay and Google Pay
Bitget, Posted September 10, 2025
According to the press release sent to crypto.news, Bitget Wallet has partnered with payment infrastructure platform Mercuryo to allow users to purchase more than 40 crypto assets directly through the wallet using Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more.
In addition, users can also use cards issued through Visa or MasterCard, Revolut Pay, SEPA, and PIX to purchase cryptocurrencies directly through the wallet. The collaboration adds 10 more additional payment methods, broadening payment options to on-board new users onto the platform.
Aside from the major crypto assets, the collaboration between Bitget Wallet and Mercuryo puts special emphasis on pushing stablecoin adoption. For a limited time only, users will be able to purchase 100 USDC ( USDC ) without fees applied, at mid-market rates displayed on Google.
LatAm
Ume raises $21.8M Series B round
LatamList, Posted September 17, 2025
Ume, a Brazil-based fintech focused on improving access to credit, raised $21.8M in a Series B round led by Valor Capital Group and Bewater. PayPal Ventures, NFX, Globo Ventures, Canary, and BigBets also participated in the round. The investment follows Ume’s Series A round in 2024.
Ume helps businesses create and operate their own credit offerings. The platform enables merchants to generate new revenue streams, strengthen customer relationships, and reduce dependence on traditional financial institutions. Its infrastructure combines AI-driven credit decisioning, LLM-powered customer engagement, and PIX integration to run financial operations with greater speed and autonomy.
dLocal teams up with Bolt to power mobility expansion across emerging markets
dLocal, Posted September 17, 2025
dLocal (NASDAQ: DLO), the leading cross-border payment platform connecting global merchants to emerging markets, announced its partnership with Bolt, the leading European shared mobility platform, to expand ridesharing across emerging markets with cost-efficient and reliable local payment solutions.
In ride-sharing, even small payment inefficiencies cut into profitability. Entering new markets often means repeated integrations with fragmented systems, slowing growth, and raising costs. In emerging markets, where over half of digital transactions happen outside traditional cards, alternative payment methods (APMs) are essential to keep drivers active and rides moving. Meanwhile, the industry keeps growing and is expected to reach USD$ 3.16B in Africa and USD$ 26.02B in APAC by 2030. This growth makes scalable, localized payments critical.
