Hi fintech friends, I'm Osborne, investor in early stage startups.

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🧐🏆 Posts of the Week

📈 Chart of the Week

Source: Manish Singh

🇮🇳 India

📰 Market Updates

1. Parliamentary standing committee urged government to explore new International Financial Services Centres (IFSCs) in multiple cities, highlighting need for more financial innovation hubs across India.
2. BharatPe, a small business payments company, turned profitable with INR 6 cr ($690K) adjusted Profit Before Tax (PBT) in FY25, recovering from INR 342 cr ($39M) loss in previous year.
3. India's Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections grew 7.5% to INR 1.95 lakh crore ($22bn) in July, with domestic source collections growing 6.7% and import-based collections increasing 9.7%.
4. Unified Payments Interface (UPI) crossed 700M transactions a day and processed INR 25 lakh crore ($285bn) in value.
5. BSE SME exchange expanded to 600 listings, raised INR 10,652 crore ($1.2bn), with average Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Initial Public Offering (IPO) size tripling to INR 32cr ($3.7M) between Jan, 2023 and Jun, 2025.
6. Zerodha Fund House launched a Multi Asset Passive Fund of Funds (FoF) with 30% largecap ETF, 30% midcap ETF, 25% gold ETF, and 15% government securities ETF, targeting steady wealth creation with lower portfolio volatility.
7. Infibeam, a digital payments company, reported INR 1,280cr ($146M) quarterly revenue, growing 72% YoY with payment business contributing 96% of collections in Q1 FY26.
8. Federal Bank reported a 15% YoY decline in quarterly net profit to INR 862cr ($100M) due to elevated provisions in agriculture and microfinance segments in Q1 2026.
9. Top 14 Indian banks experienced 150 basis points CASA ratio decline over past year, resulting in 18 basis points net interest margin reduction in Q1 FY2026.
10. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) kept policy repo rate unchanged at 5.5% in August monetary policy review, with no immediate impact on loan EMIs.

🚀 Product Launches

1. Super.money launched flight bookings with 5% discount.
2. JioBlackRock Asset Management, a joint venture between Jio Financial Services and BlackRock, launched five Index Funds targeting diverse market segments during NFO from August 5-12, 2025.
3. Razorpay launched CardSync, a comprehensive card tokenisation solution for seamless and secure digital payments.
4. India Post Payments Bank launched nationwide Aadhaar-based face authentication for digital banking transactions, enabling secure and convenient banking for elderly and differently-abled customers.
5. Bank of Baroda launched bob FxOne, a digital foreign exchange platform for corporate and small businesses, enabling instant forex and derivative transactions with real-time rates.
6. CAMS launched CAMSAi, an AI model pre-trained on proprietary datasets targeting financial institutions' service quality and operational efficiency.

📝 Regulatory Updates

1. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) introduced stricter co-lending regulations, mandating technological integration and 15-day loan assignment window, potentially slowing co-lending for home and MSME loans.
2. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed Authorised Dealer Category-I banks to open Special Rupee Vostro Accounts (SRVAs) for overseas correspondent banks without prior approval.
3. Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) outlined policy for joint annual inspection and information sharing mechanism among Market Intermediary Institutions (MIIs).
4. Quant Mutual Fund received final approval from Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to launch India's first Specialised Investment Fund (SIF), targeting sophisticated investors with long-short equity strategies.
5. Indian Railways' subsidiary IRCTC Payments received in-principle RBI approval to operate as payment aggregator, enabling cross-border and domestic transactions.
6. Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) proposed removing subject restrictions for investment advisers and research analysts, allowing graduates from any discipline to apply for the license after clearing mandatory NISM certification exams.
7. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) granted AU Small Finance Bank in-principle approval to transition to a universal bank, the first such approval in a decade.
8. Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) approached Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to reduce risk weights on loans against property, arguing for lower risk classification compared to unsecured loans.

💰 Financing Announcements

1. Zype, a digital lending startup, raised INR 90 crore ($10.4M).
2. DPDZero, a digital debt collections startup, raised INR 60cr ($7M).
3. Mitigata, a cyber insurance startup, raised INR 52cr ($5.9M)
4. CapitalMind, an asset management company, raised INR 45cr ($5.2M).
5. Fibe's lending arm EarlySalary raised INR 225 cr ($26.5M) through non-convertible debentures (NCDs) from investors including AK Capital Finance, Franklin Templeton AIF, and Vivriti Alpha in August 2026.

ACQUISITIONS:

1. Central Bank of India acquired 25.18% stake in life insurance and 24.91% stake in general insurance, launching new Generali Central brand with updated visual identity in 2025.
2. Weaver Services, backed by Gaja Capital, acquired 75% stake in Centrum Housing Finance for INR 600 crore ($73M) at 2x enterprise valuation.

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🌏 Asia

📰 Market Updates

1. HSBC launched its Innovation Banking division in Australia, increasing client base by 50% and providing specialised financing for high-growth technology companies.
2. Visa launched global Cybersecurity Advisory Practice under Visa Consulting & Analytics.
3. Sygnum, a digital asset bank, integrated Sui blockchain token with regulated custody, trading, and lending solutions for professional and institutional clients.
4. Cathay United Bank received approval to establish a branch in Tokyo and a sub-branch in Fukuoka, marking its debut in the Japanese market.
5. Central banks of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand expanded Local Currency Transaction Framework by appointing additional cross-currency dealers to facilitate local currency trade settlements.
6. DBS, Southeast Asia's largest bank, reported a 1% YoY net profit increase of S$2.8bn ($2.2bn) in Q2 2025.
7. Finmo launched Confirmation of Payee (CoP) feature in Australia to enhance payment security and fraud prevention.
8. Visa partnered with Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) to launch Visa Direct, enabling real-time cross-border payments for Filipinos across 190 countries, targeting $905B global remittance market.
9. fanC launched Korea's first won-pegged digital token KRWIN in a test phase, targeting payments, remittances, and tourism sectors with blockchain technology.
10. Allied Bank in Pakistan partnered with Avanza Innovations to launch immersive 3D virtual banking platform.
11. DigiFT, a Singapore-based crypto exchange, launched CUBX, a tokenised loan product from Docking Tech with 12% expected annual yield targeting Indonesian micro-loans
12. Hong Leong Bank launched financial literacy workshops for Foodpanda delivery partners, targeting 3M Malaysian gig economy workers with essential money management skills.
13. Skyee obtained Major Payment Institution (MPI) license from Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), enabling comprehensive payment services across Southeast Asia.
14. Indonesia's Financial Services Authority (OJK) launched comprehensive crackdown on digital lending fraud, investigating multiple fintech platforms including TaniFund, Crowde, Akseleran, and Investree for alleged financial misconduct and loan defaults.
15. TransferMate received in-principle approval from Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to expand payment services, enabling local account issuance and money transfer capabilities.
16. Ant International obtained Money Services Business (MSB) licence in Malaysia, enabling WorldFirst to launch digital cross-border payment services for SMEs.
17. Investment Association of United Kingdom (IA) and Investment Management Association of Singapore (IMAS) joined Project Guardian, an international blockchain and asset tokenisation initiative led by Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)

💰 Financing Announcements

1. TNG Digital, a Malaysian fintech company, raised an undisclosed sum at $1bn valuation and potentially plans Initial Public Offering (IPO).
2. Triv, an Indonesian crypto exchange, raised an undisclosed amount at $200M valuation in strategic investment.

ACQUISITION:

1. Banking Circle acquired Australian Settlements Limited (ASL) to enhance cross-border and domestic payment capabilities in Australia's financial ecosystem.

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