Fintech Payments AI in Finance Singapore Fintech digital Payments

FintechNews.sg – Weekly Newsletter January 30, 2026

Posted on January 31, 2026 at 09:26 PM

📰 FintechNews.sg – Weekly Newsletter

Period: January 23 – January 30, 2026

📝 Executive Summary

This week’s fintech landscape was marked by continued innovation in payments and AI-driven financial solutions, with companies expanding product offerings and reward mechanisms while Singapore strengthened regulatory and technology leadership. Singapore’s fintech ecosystem saw activity from bill payment rewards to advanced fraud and AI frameworks, demonstrating a balanced focus on customer experience and risk management.

Cross-border payments and global scaling remained a theme as platforms like SUNRATE expanded acquiring capabilities and Indonesian payment rails moved toward interoperability with global networks. Funding activity also hit headlines with HeyMax securing a Series A round to fuel APAC expansion.

Regulatory and tech fronts converged in Singapore’s directive to Meta to deploy facial recognition to fight scams, underlining heightened focus on fraud prevention and safety. Broader technology initiatives included Singapore’s S$1 billion AI research push and Mastercard launching an agentic AI suite targeting workflow automation across banking and retail.

Across Southeast Asia and beyond, fintech events and infrastructure investments highlighted the region’s ongoing growth potential, including Thailand’s fintech event circuit and Google Cloud’s data centre deployment in Bangkok.

📈 Key Trends

  • Payments innovation: rewards programmes, global acquiring services, and cross-border QR adoption continue to drive competition. (Fintech Singapore)
  • AI integration in finance: from agentic AI suites to national research funding frameworks, AI is central to future fintech offerings. (Fintech Singapore)
  • Fraud and risk focus: regulators and firms are stepping up with identity controls and industry reports on emerging fraud patterns. (Fintech Singapore)
  • Funding activity: Series A rounds underscore investor interest in fintech startups scaling regionally.
  • Regional infrastructure growth: major cloud and event platforms suggest Southeast Asia remains a priority market. (Fintech Singapore)

🇸🇬 Singapore

Payments

  • AXS Introduces Rewards Scheme for Users Paying Bills via Its App (Jan 29, 2026) AXS has rolled out “AXS Rewards”, enabling users to earn and redeem vouchers on bill payments across 800+ service providers, aiming to boost app engagement. Source: AXS Introduces Rewards Scheme for Users Paying Bills via Its App

  • SUNRATE Adds Global Acquiring to Payments Offering (Jan 28, 2026) SUNRATE has expanded into global merchant acquiring by onboarding an experienced payments team, broadening its ability to offer acceptance, reconciliation, and cross-border flows to merchants. Source: SUNRATE Adds Global Acquiring to Payments Offering

AI in Finance

Security / RegTech

Funding / Startup

  • HeyMax Raises US$11 Million in Series A to Scale Across APAC (Jan 28, 2026) Singapore-based loyalty platform HeyMax secured US$11 million in a Series A funding round to accelerate expansion across the Asia-Pacific region. Source: (Fintech Singapore)

🌏 Southeast Asia

Payments / Infrastructure

  • Artajasa and Ant International to Bridge Indonesia’s QRIS with Global Networks (Jan 27, 2026) Indonesian payment provider Artajasa signed a MoU with Ant International to integrate QRIS with international payment networks, enhancing cross-border acceptance. Source: (Fintech Singapore)

🌍 Global

Various

  • Top 9 Fintech Events to Attend in Thailand in 2026 (Jan 23, 2026) A curated list of key fintech events and conferences scheduled across Thailand in 2026, highlighting regional opportunities for networking and innovation. Source: Top 9 Fintech Events to Attend in Thailand in 2026
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