Go big or Go home | TWIF China

Ant International closed a $1.2 billion Series A funding round to expand its digital payments, business account services, and credit technology across international markets.

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek planned a new fundraising round at a $74 billion valuation ahead of a potential onshore initial public offering.

Fast-fashion retailer Shein won approval from the Hong Kong stock exchange listing committee to proceed with a highly anticipated initial public offering.

Visa and Airwallex partnered to develop embedded financial solutions aimed at modernizing payment and working capital processes for the global freight and shipping industry.

Airwallex also added direct support for the European Payments Initiative's Wero scheme, enabling its merchants globally to accept the instant account-to-account payment method without needing a European corporate entity.

Alipay+ integrated its global digital wallet network with Argentina's national QR payment system to allow international travelers to seamlessly pay at millions of local merchants.

HashKey Group, Kbank, and BPMG signed an agreement to explore the use of Korean won stablecoins for cross-border payments and regional trade settlement.

Anchorpoint Financial prepared to launch its regulated Hong Kong Dollar-backed stablecoin, HKDAP, which would be distributed to retail users through licensed virtual asset trading platforms.

Azerbaijan's Bir ecosystem formed a strategic partnership with UnionPay International to significantly expand the acceptance of UnionPay cards across the country's merchant and ATM networks.