Airwallex and Robinhood make big moves in SEA | TWIF - 14th Dec, 2025

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) deputy governor criticised stablecoins, arguing they pose risks to monetary sovereignty and financial stability, while recommending central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) as a superior alternative.

Growwreceived SEBI approval to operate as an Online Bond Platform Provider, enabling direct corporate bond distribution to retail investors.

Indian general insurersreported 24% YoY premium growth in November, with Bajaj Allianz leading with a 193% surge

Insurance companies in India approached the Union government to participate in the FASTag digital toll payment ecosystem by issuing stickers.

Bajaj Finservplanned market expansion into pensions and wealth management, targeting ₹3.4 lakh crore ($37.5bn) AuM by FY30 and potential insurance Initial Public Offering (IPO).

Department of Financial Servicesreported ₹2.75 lakh crore ($30bn) across Jan Dhan accounts, averaging ₹4,815 ($53) per account.

SBI Bank's managing director raised privacy concerns over Account Aggregator's single consent mechanism.

JPMorgan Chasereceived in-principle approval from Reserve Bank of India to establish its fourth branch in Pune, focusing on corporate banking services.

Reserve Bank of Indiareported credit growth at 11.5% YoY, outpacing deposit growth at 10.2% in late November 2025.

Murex, a French capital markets technology company, expanded operations in India to support growing demand for advanced trading and risk management platforms in India's capital markets.

Bajaj Financeplanned to disburse ₹5,300cr ($585M) loans via AI voice bots in fiscal year 2026, targeting 90% operations reduction and digital transformation.

Public Sector Banks wrote off ₹6.15 lakh crore ($68bn) in bad loans during five-and-a-half years without government capital infusion.

Reserve Bank of Indiareported its retail Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) surpassed 120M transactions with ₹28,000cr ($3bn) total value.

Airpay Payment Servicesreceived RBI approval to operate as cross-border payment aggregator, enabling full-stack payment services for Indian enterprises and SMEs.

Indian mutual funds reduced cash allocation to ₹2.01 lakh crore ($22bn) during Nifty's record rally in November.

Fino Payments Bankreceived 'in-principle' approval for Small Finance Bank conversion

Reserve Bank of Indiapublished comprehensive statistical publication covering regional economic data for Indian states in fiscal year 2024-25

State Bank of India and Bank of Barodareceived RBI approval to establish Section 8 non-profit companies for a digital payments intelligence platform.

Indian insurance industryexplored reducing distribution and commission costs by shifting to a deferred commission structure.

PensionBox, a pension facilitation startup, digitised National Pension System (NPS) for companies and individuals, addressing retirement savings gap in India.

Wiselaunched multi-currency travel card in India supporting 40 currencies, targeting overseas travel with transparent pricing

ValuEnable, a loan against financial asset startup, launched SLiQ, a digital platform enabling easy loan access against mutual fund investments.

FinBoxlaunched Journey Studio, a no-code and generative AI platform for digital lending.

Mastercardpartnered with Falcon to improve credit issuance solutions for banks.

CARD91empaneled with Indian Overseas Bank as a card-issuance platform.

India's Union Cabinetapproved 100% Foreign Direct Investment in insurance sector.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) instructed partner banks to stop issuing OneCard credit cards pending review of data-sharing practices.

SEBIrelaxed geo-tagging requirements for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) during KYC re-verification

Reserve Bank of India (RBI)eased restrictions on banks' cash credit, current, and overdraft accounts

Fibe, a consumer lending startup, raised $35M.

Skydo, a cross border payments startup for small businesses, raised $10M.

BlackSoil Capital, a lending company, raised ₹65 Cr ($7.2M).

Frex, a peer-to-peer payments platform for immigrants, raised ₹9.5cr ($1.1M).

Samunnati, an Indian agri-fintech startup, raised $5M in debt.

Singaporeranked as the top global cryptocurrency adopter in 2025.

JazzCash, a Pakistani mobile wallet startup, signed an exploratory MoU with Binance in UAE to support Pakistan's emerging digital asset regulatory framework.

Instarempartnered with Choco Up to offer up to $1M in non-dilutive SME financing directly inside its business platform in Singapore and Australia.

Financial Services Development Councilproposed broadening fundraising base by attracting global companies from Southeast Asia, Middle East, Europe, and America to list or issue bonds in Hong Kong.

Syfe, a Singaporean wealth management startup, reached group profitability in Q4 2025, grew assets under management past $2bn, and expanded across Singapore, Hong Kong, and Australia.

Ant International, HSBC, and Swiftcompleted a Proof of Concept for cross-border tokenised deposits using ISO 20022 standards, enabling real-time treasury movements between Singapore and Hong Kong.

NayaPay in Pakistan partnered with Alipay+ to launch global QR payment capabilities for Pakistani users across 50+ countries.

Pakistans National Database and Registration Authoritylaunched new digital verification system through Pak ID app to simplify identity checks for overseas Pakistanis

Razorpay Singaporelaunched a checkout feature enabling merchants to offer payment method-specific discounts to improve conversions and reduce transaction costs.

Bybit, a Singaporean cypto platform, partnered with Circle to enhance USDC liquidity, access, and integration across global trading and payment platforms

Endowuslaunched two income-focused investment strategies for accredited investors in Hong Kong and Singapore, offering Conservative and Aggressive portfolio approaches to manage risk and enhance returns.

Aspirelaunched international payment services in Hong Kong

State Bank of Pakistanmandated facial recognition for foreign currency transactions by January 1, 2026.

State Securities Commission of Vietnam launched crypto asset trading market management board to oversee Vietnam's emerging digital asset market.

Payment Optionsreceived In-Principle Approval from Monetary Authority of Singapore for Major Payment Institution licence to provide digital payment services for SMEs

Validus, a Southeast Asian small business lending startup, raised $30M.

MetaComp, a Singaporean FX and stablecoin infrastructure startup, raised $22M.

AUDC, an Australian stablecoin issuing startup, raised $5M.

Saladin, a Vietnamese insurance startup, raised an undisclosed amount.

Airwallexacquired majority stake in Skye Sab Indonesia to expand financial infrastructure across Southeast Asia with AI-driven tools.

RobinhoodacquiredPT Buana Capital Sekuritas and PT Pedagang Aset Kripto to enter Indonesian market in first half of 2026.