Key drivers of open finance in Southeast Asia; Stablecoins have found product-market fit; Types of Consumer Wallets and Funding Types;
This edition of Fintech Wrap Up dives into open finance breakthroughs in Southeast Asia, Europe’s advancements in digital identity, and the growing impact of AI on fintech compliance.
Insights & Reports:
1️⃣ Key drivers of open finance in Southeast Asia
2️⃣ Regulatory initiatives to drive European eID expansion
3️⃣ Corporate client onboarding — the benefits of corporate digital identity (CDI)
4️⃣ Open finance vs open banking — what’s the difference?
5️⃣ Stablecoins have found product-market fit
6️⃣ Types of Consumer Wallets and Funding Types
7️⃣ Big Ideas by a16z in 2025: Enterprise + Fintech
8️⃣ An overview of the global Embedded Finance landscape
9️⃣ Fintech Startup Chime Submits Confidential Filing for IPO
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TL;DR:
In this issue, we explore the transformative strides in open finance across Southeast Asia. Key drivers include regional payment connectivity, with initiatives like PromptPay-PayNow and DuitNow-QRIS leading the charge in cross-border real-time payments. Coupled with advancements in cloud technology, such as Indonesia’s OJK guidelines for core banking and Singapore’s widespread cloud migrations, the region is solidifying its position as a fintech powerhouse. The rapid adoption of digital currencies, including retail CBDCs like Singapore’s Project Orchid and Thailand’s pilot, showcases how innovation is being leveraged for both retail and international settlements. Embedded finance, superapps, and Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) are also gaining momentum, reshaping user experiences and opening up new revenue streams.
Switching focus to Europe, eIDAS2 regulation is paving the way for interoperable European Digital Identity Wallets (EUDIW), enabling seamless access to public and private services. Standout examples include Estonia’s near-99% eID adoption and Belgium’s daily 1 million eID actions, demonstrating the significant progress being made in digital identity solutions. For corporate clients, the integration of CDI platforms is revolutionizing onboarding processes by reducing manual effort and enhancing efficiency, saving up to 32% of process time.
We also demystify the difference between open finance and open banking, highlighting how open finance extends secure data access beyond traditional banking to apps, insurance, and trading platforms, empowering consumers with tools tailored to their financial goals. Stablecoins continue to disrupt global payments, outpacing Visa in transaction volume with their efficiency and cost-effectiveness, and demonstrating their value beyond the crypto trading sphere.
Finally, we delve into the evolving landscape of digital wallets, breaking down technology types — open, closed, and semi-closed systems — and funding models like pass-through and stored value. AI’s role in compliance is spotlighted, showcasing its potential to transform legacy systems and regulatory adherence, enabling businesses to operate with greater efficiency and accuracy.
As always, thank you for being part of the Fintech Wrap Up community. Let’s continue shaping the future of fintech together!
Insights & Reports
Key drivers of open finance in Southeast Asia
👉 #1 Regional integration
ASEAN payment connectivity
Five ASEAN countries (Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines) launched real-time payment linkages.
✅ Key achievements:
Thailand-Singapore: PromptPay-PayNow linkage successful for 3 years
Malaysia-Indonesia: DuitNow-QRIS integration adopted for 2 years
Singapore-Philippines: PayNow-InstaPay connection announced
Cross-border standards
Project Nexus: Singapore’s MAS leading initiative connecting real-time payment systems,
Regional API standards development:
Singapore has a government backed API Exchange platform
Indonesia’s SNAP (Standard National Open API) adoption by 16 banks
Malaysia’s Financial Sector Blueprint 2022–2026 emphasizing API standardization
👉 #2 Technology advancement
Cloud adoption
Cloud market in SEA is projected to reach USD 12.5 billion by 2025
✅ Key developments:
Singapore: 60% of banks migrating core systems to cloud
Indonesia: OJK guidelines allowing cloud services for core banking
Thailand: BOT cloud guidelines enabling broader adoption
Digital currencies
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) initiatives:
Regulatory initiatives to drive European eID expansion
Generally, the region has benefited from a proactive and progressive approach to eID by the regulatory community.
👉 EU regulatory initiative
The European Commission is prioritising eIDs to enable pan-European solutions that are interoperable across borders through the eIDAS2 regulation reform, finalised in April 2024. Through eIDAS2, the European Commission is specifying the technical architecture and standards to be used. All governments in Europe are to offer their citizens a European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDIW) for accessing both public and private services. eIDAS also pushes for strict requirements on interoperability and obliges certain relying parties to accept eIDs.
It’s not just the regulatory community who are enthusiastic. There is strong demand across the digital ecosystem. Consumer expectations for a seamless digital experience have given rise to several payment wallets and, when robust eIDs are available, people are comfortable using them.
👉 Europe is uniquely positioned to set the pace for eIDs
eID schemes have been widely introduced across Europe — but have uneven degrees of adoption and lack interoperability.
✅ Estonia
With a coverage close to 99%, Estonia’s state-issued eID is one of the most developed in the world and can be used to access any public e-service. It can be used for identity verification and digital signatures
Curated News
Fintech Startup Chime Submits Confidential Filing for IPO
The company aims to go public in 2025, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. The IPO timing is not finalized and the plans could still change, they added.