Paytm turns profitable; Chocolate Finance raised $15M | TWIF - 26th July, 2025

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Paytm, a payments company, reported INR 1,918 cr ($222M) revenue and INR 123 cr ($14M) net profit in Q1 FY26, representing 28% YoY revenue growth and first quarterly profit.

AngelOnepartnered with Singapore's Livwell Holding Company to launch a joint venture for a digital-first life insurance company, where AngelOne will invest INR 400cr ($46M) for 26% of the JV.

Banksexperienced corporate loan growth slowdown in Q1 FY26, with top lenders like HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank reporting reduced lending as corporates preferred capital markets, with bond issuances reaching INR 3.27 lakh crore ($38Bn).

The credit card industry growth turned negative in June 2025, with major banks like ICICI Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank experiencing significant drops in total cards in use.

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) resolved INR 12 lakh crore ($14bn) of stressed debt in 9 years, with 30,000 cases settled pre-NCLT admission and average resolution time increasing to 713 days.

India's venture capital ecosystemraised INR 30,205 crore ($3.5 billion) across 355 deals in Q2 2025, outperforming broader Asian and global funding trends with fintech sector driving investments.

HDFC Bank and ICICI Bankreported YoY earnings growth in Q1 FY26, with HDFC Bank's net profit rising 12.2% to INR 18,155cr ($2.1bn) and ICICI Bank's net profit increasing 15.4% to INR 12,768cr ($1.5bn).

Mutual fund assets in India hit INR 65 lakh crore ($751bn), with retail participation growing from 26% to 28% and SIP contributions reaching INR 2.9lakh crore ($33.5bn) in FY2025, driven by fintech platforms and strong equity fund performance.

Canara Bankreported net profit of INR 4,752cr ($550M), growing 21.6% YoY in Q1 FY26, driven by robust advances and improved asset quality.

Bajaj Financereported INR 4,765cr ($551M) net profit, growing 20% YoY in Q1 FY26, with 25% asset management growth and increased loan volumes.

CoinDCX, a crypto exchange, reported a $44M theft from an internal operational account while assuring customer funds remained secure.

Jio Financial Servicesformed a 50:50 joint venture with Allianz for reinsurance in India while exploring future opportunities in general and life insurance.

KreditBee, an Indian digital lending platform, obtained board approval for merger of its lending and technology companies, and public company conversion, preparing for Initial Public Offering (IPO) in 2026.

PayPalpartnered withNPCI International to integrate UPI into PayPal World, enabling cross-border peer-to-peer transactions and international e-commerce payments for Indian users.

Federal Bankpartnered withM2P and MinkasuPay to introduce biometric authentication for e-commerce card transactions, enabling fingerprint and Face ID verification.

SBI Cardpartnered withPhonePe to launch two co-branded credit cards, offering digital-first UPI-enabled credit experience.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued comprehensive draft regulations for digital banking channels, mandating technological, security, and customer protection guidelines for all banks operating in India.

Governmentappointed Ajay Seth, former finance secretary, as Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) chairperson for a three-year term.

IRDAIproposed internal ombudsman mechanism to standardise complaint resolution within insurance companies.

Credit Finance Associationof Koreaformed strategic alliance to explore stablecoin regulatory compliance and potential industry integration.

Xflowreceived in-principle authorisation from Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as Payment Aggregator-Cross Border-Exports & Imports (PA-CB-E&I) in the cross-border payments infrastructure segment.

Altum Credo, a housing finance company, raised INR 100 cr ($12M).

FICO survey found social media and mule accounts drove scam surge across Asia Pacific, with regional losses reaching S$1.1B (US$860M) in Singapore and ฿60B (US$1.7B) in Thailand in 2024.

Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) reported 40% surge in investor base to 17M, with domestic retail investors comprising majority accounts in first half of 2025.

Blox Blockchainlaunched Malaysian ringgit stablecoin MYRC, transacting RM53M ($12.5M) with 644 users, and sought regulatory engagement through upcoming Digital Asset Innovation Hub.

Payoppartnered withDragonpay to provide comprehensive payment solutions across Philippine market, targeting 34M digital payment users.

Uzbekistan's Click and Kazakhstan's Halyk Bank partnered to establish a $237M fintech banking collaboration.

dLocalpartnered withRizRemit to provide faster, more flexible remittance payment options across African and Asian markets.

Citipartnered withAnt International to launch AI-enhanced Foreign Exchange (FX) risk management solution for eCommerce businesses, achieving 30% hedging cost reduction in aviation industry pilot.

DBSintegrated blockchain technology to launch Programmable Rewards digital voucher solution through PayLah! app, enabling merchants to issue smart contract-based vouchers at over 40,000 NETS QR points in Singapore.

Provenirpartnered withRyt Bank to provide AI decisioning platform supporting credit risk assessments and compliance automation in Malaysia's digital banking sector.

PayPallaunchedPayPal World, a cross-border payments platform connecting five payment networks representing nearly two billion users globally, enabling international transactions and merchant payments.

DBSlaunchediCoach, a Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) platform developed with Marshall Goldsmith to provide personalised career coaching for employees across all levels.

Thai Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reduced mandatory crypto knowledge test frequency and enhanced Initial Coin Offering (ICO) suitability assessments to streamline investor participation.

Proxymity, a digital investor communications platform, raised $36M.

Chocolate Finance, Singapore-based fintech, raised $15M and received regulatory approval to launch Hong Kong operations.

AccentureacquiredAristal, a Malaysia-based financial services consultancy, to strengthen digital transformation capabilities in Southeast Asian banking sector.