Asia Pacific news and trends

Agility and Robust Risk Management Key to APAC Success in 2024, Says Discover Global Network
Authentication // February 06, 2024

In recent years, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region has emerged as a driving force in the digital payments space, with the region’s rapid technology adoption and changing consumer behaviors positioning it as a crucible for innovative payment solutions.   “In 2023, we saw QR codes and digital...

Mastercard Says Robust Payment Networks Prevent Need for Retail CBDC
CBDC // November 17, 2023

Mastercard said the widespread adoption of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) faces challenges due to consumer comfort with traditional forms of money. CBDCs would have to be as widely accepted as cash to ensure user convenience, Ashok Venkateswaran, Mastercard’s blockchain and digital assets lead for...

Mastercard Launches Biometric Payments Partnership With NEC
Biometrics // November 14, 2023

Mastercard has teamed with NEC to bring biometric checkout to the Asia Pacific region. The partnership, announced Tuesday (Nov. 14), combines NEC’s facial recognition and liveness verification technology with Mastercard’s payment operations, and comes as consumers and businesses are increasingly embracing biometrics. “As retailing environments continue to evolve and choices...

Circle and Coins.ph Partner to Promote USDC Use in Philippines
Cryptocurrency // October 11, 2023

Circle Internet Financial and Coins.ph, a cryptocurrency exchange and digital wallet provider, have announced a partnership to promote financial inclusion through remittances in the Philippines. The collaboration aims to raise awareness about the benefits of using USDC, a regulated and fully-backed digital dollar, for secure, low-cost and...

Interviews & Exclusives
Agility and Robust Risk Management Key to APAC Success in 2024, Says Discover Global Network

February 06, 2024
In recent years, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region has emerged as a driving force in the digital payments space, with the region’s rapid technology adoption and changing consumer behaviors positioning it as a crucible for innovative payment solutions.   “In 2023, we saw QR codes and digital wallets usage surge across the region,” Chris Winter, managing director and […]

Chinese Consumers Prefer Local Payment Methods When Shopping Online

December 27, 2022
Expansion into the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region remains difficult because eCommerce merchants aren’t offering local payment methods. This came through clearly in the new study “The Emerging APAC Opportunity: Local Payment...

Western Merchants Deeply Lacking Knowledge About APAC Payments

December 01, 2022
Local FinTech wallets are a key part of the Asia-Pacific (APAC) eCommerce ecosystem. Whether Alipay in China, Paytm in India, Kakao Pay in South Korea or Rakuten in Japan, shoppers...

Global Sellers Localize Payments to Convert Abandoned Carts in APAC

October 17, 2022
Unlocking potential in the burgeoning market for luxury goods in the Asia-Pacific region isn’t a job for payments lightweights. It’s serious business with major challenges. During a recent PYMNTS panel...

Quick Reads
Mastercard Says Robust Payment Networks Prevent Need for Retail CBDC

November 17, 2023
Mastercard said the widespread adoption of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) faces challenges due to consumer comfort with traditional forms of money. CBDCs would have to be as widely accepted as cash to ensure user convenience, Ashok Venkateswaran, Mastercard’s blockchain and digital assets lead for Asia Pacific, told CNBC in an interview posted Thursday (Nov. […]

Mastercard Launches Biometric Payments Partnership With NEC

November 14, 2023
Mastercard has teamed with NEC to bring biometric checkout to the Asia Pacific region. The partnership, announced Tuesday (Nov. 14), combines NEC’s facial recognition and liveness verification technology with Mastercard’s payment operations, and comes as...

Circle and Coins.ph Partner to Promote USDC Use in Philippines

October 11, 2023
Circle Internet Financial and Coins.ph, a cryptocurrency exchange and digital wallet provider, have announced a partnership to promote financial inclusion through remittances in the Philippines. The collaboration aims to raise awareness about...

Visa to Acquire Core Banking Platform Pismo for $1 Billion

June 28, 2023
Visa plans to acquire Pismo for $1 billion cash to provide more solutions to its customers. The acquisition will also expand the geographic footprint of Pismo, a cloud-native issuer processing and core banking...