Asia-Pacific
Banking and finance news from China, Japan, India, Australia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific
Hong Kong Monetary Authority raises base rate 25 basis points to 4.25%
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority raised its base rate by 25 basis points to 4.25%, following the Federal Reserve, while three major banks left their lending rates unchanged.
India's new UPI merchant fees draw Supreme Court challenge and retail opposition
India's new UPI merchant-fee framework faced a Supreme Court petition and retailer objections, while government sources said the 0.4% charge above ₹2,000 would still begin on 15 October.
PBoC governor Pan Gongsheng signals shift from loan-growth targets toward interest-rate tools
PBoC Governor Pan Gongsheng said slower, higher-quality loan growth is likely to become a 'new normal' as the central bank shifts toward interest-rate tools.
India’s NPCI sets merchant fees for larger UPI payments from October
India’s NPCI announced a 0.4% merchant fee on qualifying UPI payments above ₹2,000 from 15 October 2026, capped at ₹300 per transaction, while retaining exemptions for smaller payments and eligible micro-merchants.
SEBI clears Fibe parent Social Worth Technologies to proceed with IPO including Rs 750 crore fresh issue
SEBI has cleared Fibe parent Social Worth Technologies' IPO, which combines a Rs 750 crore fresh issue with an offer-for-sale of about 4 crore shares by investors including TPG's Rise Fund.
Grab Holdings to acquire 60% stake in Atome Financial for $1.49 billion
Grab Holdings agreed to acquire a 60% controlling stake in BNPL platform Atome Financial for $1.49 billion, and agreed to buy the rest later.
Avendus Wealth Management names Umang Papneja executive vice chairman and CEO
Avendus Wealth Management appointed Umang Papneja as Executive Vice Chairman and CEO, succeeding Apurva Sahijwani.
AU Small Finance Bank appoints Anil Agarwal to lead commercial and institutional banking
AU Small Finance Bank named Anil Agarwal Senior Executive Group Head for Commercial & Institutional Banking, alongside new CRO Amol Padhye.
Weihai Bank completes RMB500 million green bond issuance in China's inter-bank market
Weihai Bank issued RMB500 million of Tranche One 2026 Green Financial Bonds with a 1.65% coupon and three-year term.
BRI sustainable finance portfolio reaches Rp842.1 trillion as social lending drives growth
Bank Rakyat Indonesia’s sustainable-finance portfolio reached Rp842.1 trillion at the end of the first half of 2026, equivalent to approximately 58% of the bank’s total lending portfolio, as social financing remained the dominant component of its sustainability strategy.
YES BANK and Open launch agentic platform to prevent recurring-payment failures
YES Bank and Open Financial Technologies have launched an agentic payments platform designed to identify recurring payments at risk of failure and intervene before the transaction is presented.
Alipay unveils AI wallet agent as agentic payments move towards commercial deployment
Alipay plans to launch an artificial intelligence wallet agent designed to help users manage every AI payment transaction, Alipay said at the 2026 Inclusion Conference on the Bund in Shanghai, as it moves its AI payment service from enabling agents to pay towards “trusted payment”.