Asean news and trends

Singapore Says Banking Sector Is Top Money Laundering Risk
AML // June 20, 2024

Singapore has identified banks as the entities posing the greatest money laundering (ML) risk to the country. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), which is a government agency, said this in a Money Laundering National Risk Assessment released Thursday (June 20). “The role of banks in facilitating...

Report: Grab Holdings and GoTo Group in Preliminary Merger Discussions
Aggregators // February 09, 2024

Southeast Asian ride-hailing and food-delivery companies Grab Holdings and GoTo Group are reportedly in talks to merge. The companies are in preliminary discussions and are exploring various scenarios for a potential merger, Bloomberg reported Friday (Feb. 9), citing unnamed sources. However, the discussions have been on and off, and may not...

TikTok and GoTo Combine eCommerce Businesses in Indonesia
eCommerce // January 31, 2024

TikTok and GoTo, the largest digital ecosystem in Indonesia, announced the formation of a strategic partnership in Indonesia. With this deal, GoTo’s eCommerce company Tokopedia and TikTok Shop Indonesia have combined under the PT Tokopedia entity that is now jointly owned by GoTo and TikTok, the companies said in a Wednesday...

Monetary Authority of Singapore Unveils Plans for Digital Money 
CBDC // November 16, 2023

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has unveiled a series of initiatives aimed at ensuring the secure and innovative utilization of digital money in the country.  These initiatives encompass the development of a digital Singapore dollar infrastructure, expanding digital money trials, and the issuance of a “live”...

Quick Reads
BIS Plans to Expand World’s Instant Payment Systems

July 01, 2024
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) wants to expand the world’s largest instant payment system (IPS). BIS announced Monday (July 1), that it had completed the blueprint for the third phase of its Project Nexus, aimed at connecting the instant payment systems of several central banks. In phase four of that project, those banks — […]

Singapore Says Banking Sector Is Top Money Laundering Risk

June 20, 2024
Singapore has identified banks as the entities posing the greatest money laundering (ML) risk to the country. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), which is a government agency, said this in...

Report: Grab Holdings and GoTo Group in Preliminary Merger Discussions

February 09, 2024
Southeast Asian ride-hailing and food-delivery companies Grab Holdings and GoTo Group are reportedly in talks to merge. The companies are in preliminary discussions and are exploring various scenarios for a potential merger, Bloomberg reported Friday (Feb....

TikTok and GoTo Combine eCommerce Businesses in Indonesia

January 31, 2024
TikTok and GoTo, the largest digital ecosystem in Indonesia, announced the formation of a strategic partnership in Indonesia. With this deal, GoTo’s eCommerce company Tokopedia and TikTok Shop Indonesia have combined under the PT Tokopedia entity...