Apple Pay Lands in a QR Code Nation | TWIF Asia & India

Moneyview debuted at $1B+ after 98.5x subscribed IPO; StockGro filed for a $210-260M IPO.

Niyo's revenue jumped 78% to $18.5M; SME lender Seeds Fincap raised $10.4M.

Apple Pay launched with Axis Bank.

HK virtual banks ZA Bank ($7.2M net profit, +44%) and Mox Bank are now profitable in H1 2026.

Regional expansion: Cashku partnered Kenanga; Skyro secured a Malaysian lending license.

Singapore's crypto economy surged 55.4% to $284bn (H1); StraitsX launched an SGD stablecoin.

Apple launched Apple Pay in India with Axis Bank support across iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

SBI Holdings, Mesh, and Money Forward planned a crypto joint venture in Japan for Q4 2026 launch, pending regulatory approval.

Swift launched pay-by-alias initiative enabling cross-border payments using mobile numbers and email addresses with 100+ banks.

Cashku, a Malaysian wealth management startup, partnered with Kenanga Investors to offer investment funds to its customer base.

Ovanti, an Australian financial infrastructure company, raised $7.6M.

Mizuho Bank partnered with International Finance Corporation (IFC) to launch $1bn supply chain finance facility for Asia Pacific SMEs.

bolttech, an Asian insurance infra startup, partnered with Bold Penguin, a US insurance startup, to launch a joint commercial and personal insurance offering across the US, Europe and Asia.

StraitsX partnered with Monad to launch XSGD and XUSD stablecoins on Monad, with XSGD becoming the first Singapore Dollar (SGD)-denominated stablecoin natively issued on Monad.

WeMoney launched WeMoney Connect, an AI-powered lending assessment service leveraging Australia's Consumer Data Right (CDR) and Mastercard's Open Finance network to accelerate loan decisions.

Ticketmelon, a Thai event ticketing company, partnered with 2C2P to launch localised event payment solutions supporting regional payment options across Southeast Asia.

Seeds Fincap, an Indian SME lending startup, raised ₹100cr ($10.4M).

Blue Fire AI, a Singaporean capital markets intelligence and AI-native asset management technology startup, raised $9M.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) removed remittance amount limits for Form A2 online submissions, enabling Authorised Dealers to frame internal forex remittance guidelines.

Indian insurance industry proposed tiered Expenses of Management (EoM) limits to Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), enabling smaller insurers higher initial expense ratios declining progressively with business growth.

Skyro, a Philippine consumer lending startup, received a moneylender's license from Malaysia's Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) issued a moneylender's licence to launch cash loans in Malaysia.

State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) opened its second Regulatory Sandbox cohort for AI, payments, remittances, and next-generation financial services, with applications due November 30, 2026.

Gelephu Financial Services Office (GFSO), a financial services regulator in Bhutan, granted BTSE Bhutan final license to operate virtual asset trading facility and custody services in Gelephu Mindfulness City, Bhutan.

StockGro, an Indian stock market advisory and research startup, filed preliminary IPO documents with SEBI to raise ₹2,000-2,500cr ($210-260M).

Niyo, an Indian travel fintech startup, grew revenue 78% YoY to ₹178cr ($18.5M) in FY26, while cutting losses 58% to ₹33cr ($3.5M).

Jio Financial Services and Allianz Europe B.V. raised ₹640cr ($65M) for their 50:50 joint venture Jio Allianz General Insurance.

India’s Chief Economic Advisor urged households to shift more savings into simpler, accessible long-term pension products, noting pension assets are only about 17% of GDP versus at least 80% in OECD economies.

ZA Bank grew net profit 44% YoY to $7.2M in H1 2026, with fee income reaching record $12.5M.

Mox Bank, Hong Kong's digital bank, recorded HK$8.63M ($1.1M) pre-tax profit in H1 2026, with operating income growing 69% YoY.

Aomori Michinoku Bank, Bank of Iwate, and Akita Bank began merger talks to create $82bn banking group amid Japan's depopulation.

Visa reported nearly 200% YoY growth in stablecoin-linked card payments, with business and commercial programmes accounting for 17% of volume in FY2026 to date.

Moneyview, an Indian personal loan startup, listed on the Indian stock-market at a 76% premium, valuing it above $1 billion after its IPO was subscribed nearly 98.5 times

Singapore's crypto economy grew 55.4% to $284bn in H1 2026, led by institutional activity rising 94% to $60bn.

Laura Spiekerman, Co-Founder & President, Alloy

Nicole Casperson, Founder & CEO, Fintech Is Femme

Sheel Mohnot, Co-Founder & General Partner, Better Tomorrow Ventures

Simon Taylor, Author, Fintech Brainfood