Disruption

The entry deadline for the FinanceAsia Achievement Awards 2025 has been extended to September 26; the awards will celebrate the best deals and firms across Asia Pacific and the Middle East over the last 12 months; FA's Deal Maker poll is also still open.

Cornerstone investors in the tech firm's listing include Hillhouse Investment Management, Taikang Life Insurance and Grab; net proceeds were $514m and the firm's valuation climbed above $4.6bn on its September 16 debut.

Despite the promising pass of an Ordinance, use cases of stablecoins in Hong Kong remain vague. Adopting retail stablecoins depends on multiple factors, including the regulator’s stance and technical concerns, such as monitoring unhosted wallets.

Hong Kong’s Stablecoin Law is cementing the financial hub’s digital ambitions, however pending US crypto laws are keeping regulatory competition tight as both chase the growing opportunity.

The aim of the stock purchase is to help boost advanced technology and semiconductor innovation in the US; Intel has been under the spotlight of the US administration in recent weeks.

Michael Benz brings over three decades of leadership experience to the Swiss crypto bank.

Cultural readiness, not just code, is emerging as the biggest barrier — and opportunity — in scaling AI across financial services, according to MAS and AWS.

HSBC’s John O’Neill discusses the bank’s growing focus on digital assets and why Hong Kong has emerged as a key launchpad for its strategy.

Pei-Si Lai, CEO of GXBank, Malaysia's first digital banking firm, will take over from Muthukrishnan Ramaswami, who is retiring, at the beginning of June.