Kapronasia

The collaborative trial between Citi and Swift marks a crucial advancement in the evolution of cross-border transactions, demonstrating the technical feasibility of achieving a Payment-versus-Payment (PvP) workflow for settling transactions between traditional fiat currencies and digital currencies. This successful pilot represents a critical step toward creating a robust, risk-mitigated future for institutional asset transactions in the burgeoning digital economy. https://lnkd.in/g3FgMPdY

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has released a consultation paper proposing a comprehensive set of Guidelines on AI Risk Management (AIRG) to provide financial institutions (FIs) with clear direction on the responsible deployment and governance of AI within the financial sector. These proposed guidelines, intended to apply to all FIs, articulate MAS’s supervisory expectations concerning board and senior management oversight of AI, the design of key risk management systems, the establishment of effective policies and procedures, the implementation of robust AI lifecycle controls, and the requisite capabilities and capacity for AI utilization. https://lnkd.in/gFf7Am3Q

By 2030, Southeast Asia’s digital economy is projected to reach a staggering US$1 trillion, with the potential to hit US$2 trillion as the region implements its Digital Economy Framework Agreement. https://lnkd.in/gzVcYUxw

The promise of digital banking in Singapore—seamless, branchless, and instant—has always been about speed and convenience. However, recent data reveals a sobering trade-off. In the first eight months of 2025 alone, fraud losses linked to Singapore’s digital banks climbed to S$2.5 million, a figure that signals a shifting battlefield in financial crime. https://lnkd.in/gWHUwpef

The transition of Project Mandala to its second phase marks a pivotal advancement in the global effort to resolve the regulatory friction inherent in cross-border financial transactions. This initiative, led by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub Singapore Centre in collaboration with central banks including the Reserve Bank of Australia, the Bank of Korea, Bank Negara Malaysia, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore, has already demonstrated significant potential. The Phase 1 report, published in October 2024, confirmed the technical feasibility of embedding compliance rules directly within cross-border transaction protocols. https://lnkd.in/gXWCMzs9

The global banking industry is currently navigating a period of profound transformation, one where Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer an auxiliary technology but the core engine of operational efficiency, customer service, and, crucially, financial inclusion. The innovations unveiled by MYbank at the Singapore Fintech Festival (SFF) 2025 stand as a powerful testament to this change, directly addressing the persistent challenges of serving small and micro businesses (SMEs). Simultaneously, the latest analysis from McKinsey underscores the urgent, macro-level implications of this shift for the entire sector’s cost structure. https://lnkd.in/gSAqQP2H

The evolution of the ASEAN FinTech landscape over the past decade reveals a clear trajectory from nascent, growth-at-all-costs ambition to a more mature and resilient ecosystem. The current trends in both funding and exits, extensively detailed in the FinTech in ASEAN 2025 report by the Singapore Fintech Association, UOB, and PwC Singapore, underscore a fundamental shift in investor and founder priorities, moving decisively toward sustainable value creation over speculative expansion. https://lnkd.in/gxiKj82s

Nium, a leading global infrastructure for real-time cross-border payments, has reached a significant milestone by securing a Payment Institution (PI) license from the Central Bank of Brazil. Announced on October 27, 2025, this formal authorization marks a major step in the company’s continued expansion across Latin America, positioning Brazil as a “critical node” in its global infrastructure. https://lnkd.in/g9fYbqXg

Ripple, a leader in enterprise crypto solutions, has made its boldest move yet to cement its position as the premier infrastructure provider for the institutional digital asset economy: the acquisition of digital asset wallet and custody company, Palisade. While the financial terms remain undisclosed, this strategic purchase is more than just an investment; it is the final technical piece in Ripple’s mission to offer a comprehensive, end-to-end solution for corporate crypto management. https://lnkd.in/gJiJNSh3

The announcement of a US$38 billion, multi-year strategic partnership between Amazon Web Services (AWS) and OpenAI is more than just a massive cloud deal; it is a seismic event that formally redraws the competitive landscape of the AI industry. This seven-year commitment is a clear declaration that in the race for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), access to massive, reliable compute has become the single most critical, and expensive, commodity. https://lnkd.in/gKKWgCPG