Hello fintech friends,

Happy Halloween! Hope you have a slightly better costume idea than the below today. 

Enjoy the read and as always, write to me with your feedback or comments: ning@thisweekinfintech.com. 

Ning

Licensing & Regulations 

• The US is finalizing rules blocking investments in Chinese technology. 
• Hong Kong has introduced its first AI finance guidelines and is considering a tax break on digital assets, aiming to boost global appeal.
• Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) plans to accelerate virtual asset platform licensing.

Financing, Investment & Acquisition 

• Airwallex is in discussions with investors to secure approximately $200 million in a new funding round to support its growth ahead of a potential IPO in 2026.
• US-listed online insurer Waterdrop Inc. is looking at a secondary listing in Hong Kong as it seeks to expand its insurance business. 
• Hong Kong's e-wallet TNG decided to exit the Stored Value Facility (SVF) business due to strategic restructuring and internal organizational adjustments.

Product & Partnership Launches

• Shein is launching its first branded credit card globally in partnership with Mexican fintech Stori.
• JD.com has become the latest shopping platform to integrate Alipay as a payment option, signaling a breakdown of payment barriers across tech giants. 
• HSBC and Standard Chartered separately partnered with Ant International to conduct blockchain-based HKD transactions in the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA)'s Sandbox.
• ZA Bank, Hong Kong’s digital bank, has started piloting a virtual asset trading service. 
• LianLian International has launched the LianLian Global Accounts Service (LGAS) to help foreign trade merchants in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia manage multiple currencies with a single account. 
• CoGoLinks International launched a payment solution for China’s micro-drama exports.
• PhotonPay partnered with Tribe Payments to offer Issuer Processing services.
• London-based payment fintech Unlimit and Chinese Shopify-equivalent Shopline partnered to support Chinese merchants’ global growth. 

Why subscribe to This Week in Fintech?

• Join other execs from Visa, Plaid, Stripe, Robinhood, Revolut, Chime, Rapyd, and more to get the latest insights and deep dives.

• Learn from and collaborate with the world's largest fintech community, with 75,000+ members.

• Memberships start at $10 per month.

👉 Join today.