Fintech PR
Rapyd Research Identifies Rising Digital Payments Winners Across Asia Pacific
Rapyd, a global Fintech as a Service company, has released its 2020 Asia Pacific eCommerce and Payment Study. The study analysed the financial habits, payment methods, considerations, and preferences of consumers in seven Asia Pacific countries, uncovering how consumer buying expectations and behaviours are evolving in an increasingly digital world.
The research, conducted in March and April 2020, surveyed 3,500 online consumers – 500 respondents per country in India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. The results highlight a quick rise of new payment technologies that have emerged in recent years and gained rapid adoption and popularity by offering a convenient payment experience, adapting to local context, and providing access to digital payments for traditionally underbanked communities.
The study helps businesses gain insights into consumer buying habits and payment diversity in Asia, helping eCommerce and mCommerce businesses increase their addressable audience and include new customer segments into the Internet economy by adopting the most relevant digital payment options, as buyers go increasingly cashless during the current health crisis.
E-commerce and mobile-commerce in the seven countries is worth some $355 billion, as presented in the study. Southeast Asia’s internet economy hit $100 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow to $300 billion by 2025.
Joel Yarbrough, Vice President for Asia Pacific, Rapyd said: “Since the beginning of the global pandemic, going digital is no longer optional. eCommerce is now the new baseline. All over Asia, we see stratospheric growth in digital payment methods, with local patterns and local winners in every country. With this report, Rapyd provides businesses with the local market insights on payment behaviors, brands of choice, and technologies that are critical in creating a relevant checkout experience for consumers today.”
Challenge for Card-Only Merchants
While cards and card-powered mobile wallets are dominant in Japan (61%) and Taiwan (51%), across markets, there is a dramatic uptake of eWallets and bank transfers as preferred ways to pay.
Taken together, eWallets and bank transfers represent the emerging wave of payments – particularly where they are enhanced by interoperable Real-Time Payment (RTP) systems like India with UPI (64%) and Thailand with PromptPay (62%). Even in a card-preferring market like Singapore, together eWallets and bank transfers, including PayNow, are preferred by 42% of respondents, swinging all the way to 78% in Indonesia.
Key findings for each country include:
Singapore
- Real-time bank payments are on the rise: PayNow and FAST bank transfers are rising in importance as concerns about coronavirus converge with several years of government investment.
- PayNow is in #2 spot among the top payment methods with 70% of respondents using it in the last month.
- GrabPay is the 3rd most popular payment method after Credit Cards and PayNow.
Indonesia
- OVO Wallet is the #1 frequently used payment method with 69% respondents claiming to have used it in the past month, and the country’s most preferred one with 17.8% respondents choosing it amongst all payment brands.
- Indonesian consumers strongly prefer ewallets to cards and cash with 33.8% choosing one of three eWallets (OVO, Go-Pay, or Dana) as their preferred way to pay.
- Real-time bank transfers including both virtual accounts and older bank redirects are preferred 44% of the time on the archipelago.
Malaysia
- Bank transfer by Maybank2U, owned by Maybank, the largest bank in the country, is the most popular online payment method by usage (65%) and preference (21.4%).
- eWallets including Touch N Go, Boost, PayPal, and GrabPay are all of rising importance with 22% respondents choosing them as their preferred payment methods.
- Cash on Delivery remains relevant with 65% users claiming to have done it in the past month, prior to the Movement Control Order (MCO).
India
- 85% of Indian respondents used Paytm in the last month.
- With the growth of India’s UPI payment scheme, eWallets (including Paytm, Google Pay, Amazon Pay) are preferred by 51.2% of users and bank transfers by 11.9%.
- Debit and credit cards together are preceded by 28% of respondents.
- 49% of respondents make online purchases daily (highest among all countries surveyed).
Japan
- Most consumers still prefer credit cards and cash over the counter.
- Amongst mobile payment methods, the PayPay eWallet is rapidly gaining popularity with 41% users claiming to have used it in the past month, and 9.6% choosing it over all other payment methods.
Taiwan
- Credit cards continue to be the top payment method in Taiwan both in terms of usage and preference.
- Consumers appear to use multiple payment types depending on the use case, with preferences split almost equally between credit cards, pay-on-pickup at convenience stores, bank transfers, local Easycard, and eWallets.
Thailand
- The TrueMoney eWallet is the leading payment method with 66% of respondents using it regularly, and 16.8% choosing it over any other payment method.
- Together, eWallets and bank transfers make up the most popular payment methods chosen by 62.2% users – a trend accelerated by the interoperable PromptPay payment scheme.
- Cash is still preferred in highly digital Thailand by 19.4% of respondents.
Consumers in the region and current conditions continue to push businesses towards digitalisation and as digital adoption accelerates, it is essential for businesses to invest in the right technologies to build a strong online presence supporting mobile and social commerce trends catering to each market. This localisation is the key to sustaining the business in the time of the COVID-19 crisis, and for speedier recovery and further long-term growth.
Access the Rapyd Asia Pacific 2020 eCommerce and Payment study here.
NEW YORK, April 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — As the global investment landscape shifts in response to AI breakthroughs, geopolitical flux, and a generational wealth transfer, one firm is emerging as a powerful force redefining what it means to lead with conviction: Beyond Alpha Ventures (BAV). Under the visionary leadership of Jacob Kobe Frankel, BAV has established itself as a multi-strategy family office and hedge fund with an eye on the future—and the world is taking notice.
Launched with a long-term thesis and institutional discipline, BAV has quietly built a portfolio that reads like a blueprint of the next decade’s technological infrastructure. The firm holds stakes in industry-defining companies such as SpaceX, Palantir, and X.AI, placing it at the core of frontier innovation—from space commercialization and AI governance to national security technology and large language model development.
“We don’t just invest in companies—we invest in the architecture of tomorrow’s society,” says Frankel. “At BAV, capital is not just fuel. It’s strategy, insight, and commitment to long-term impact.”
A Visionary at the Helm
At just 32, Jacob Kobe Frankel has emerged as one of the most compelling young voices in venture capital and asset management. Frankel combines technical fluency with macroeconomic insight, bringing a rare dual-lens perspective to capital allocation. His strategic thinking has led to early and bold moves into sectors now considered essential.
What sets Frankel apart is not just his eye for high-growth assets—but his deep belief that venture capital has a responsibility beyond returns. Under his leadership, BAV has championed an investment model that actively integrates ethical foresight, systems thinking, and technical diligence. The result: a firm with both impressive returns and a growing reputation for shaping purposeful innovation.
A Distinct Investment Strategy
BAV’s edge lies in its multi-strategy approach, balancing late-stage private equity, secondary market opportunities, and algorithmic public market strategies. The firm operates with the agility of a startup and the rigor of an institutional fund, using proprietary AI-assisted research tools to enhance due diligence, monitor portfolio performance, and uncover high-potential market inefficiencies before they become mainstream.
Frankel’s belief in precision capital is evident in the firm’s track record. By backing technologies with proven traction and transformative potential, BAV has aligned itself with ventures that are not only scalable, but foundational—positioning itself as a core player in the next wave of technological consolidation.
A Global Perspective with Long-Term Discipline
Beyond Alpha Ventures has been featured in discussions at the Nasdaq Innovation Series, the Mastercard AI Summit, and global finance panels where Frankel has been praised for his pragmatic vision of AI’s role in society. Unlike many firms chasing hype cycles, BAV invests with a generational lens—focusing on technologies that can enhance resilience, transparency, and societal scalability.
“AI is no longer a vertical—it’s the operating system of modern civilization,” Frankel stated at a recent investor conference. “At BAV, our role is to back the builders of that system—with capital, conviction, and long-term partnership.”
Poised for a Breakout Year
As 2025 unfolds, industry insiders and LPs alike are calling Beyond Alpha Ventures one of the most promising hybrid investment vehicles on the market. With a robust pipeline, a world-class portfolio, and a CEO whose clarity and courage continue to define the firm’s trajectory, BAV is not just a hedge fund to watch—it’s a blueprint for the next era of capital innovation.
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2672681/BEYOND_ALPHA_VENTURES.jpg
Contact: Abigail Lincoln, +44 7856 126 983
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/beyond-alpha-ventures-the-multi-strategy-hedge-fund-to-watch-in-2025-302437684.html
Fintech PR
CapyFast and Bidwise forms strategic partnership involving over $40 million in payment volumes within performance marketing industry
MIAMI, April 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — At PI Live US, CapyFast, the embedded payments provider for digital commerce, and Bidwise, a performance marketing platform, have announced a new strategic partnership. This collaboration aims to transform payments flow across the performance marketing — making it faster, cheaper, and more intelligent.
The agreement signed today, formalized in a Memorandum of Understanding, is expected to bring over $40 million in payment volumes to CapyFast and millions in available working capital for Bidwise. The cooperation will cover integrating real-time cross-border payment solutions along with smart liquidity services into newly developed infrastructure for Bidwise.
“The performance marketing industry is powered by results, but too often held back by legacy payment cycles,” said Oleg Chanchikov, CEO of CapyFast. “This is why CapyFast wants to remove this block. We’ve already built the infrastructure to support real-time liquidity and embedded funding. Our partnership with Bidwise will help more businesses profit from it.”
CapyFast has grown to be an important financial infrastructure provider to performance-based platforms and networks. By embedding real-time payments and revenue-based funding directly into digital platforms, CapyFast transforms how value is distributed across the industry.
“At Bidwise, we invest millions of dollars every year into media buying to fuel growth and customer acquisition for our partners,” said Simon Vielma, CEO of Bidwise. “Through this cooperation, we’ll have access to flexible financing that will help us scale faster and operate more efficiently.”
What changes with this cooperation?
- Bidwise and its partners receive real-time and cross-border payouts with dramatically reduced costs;
- Bidwise improves liquidity by accessing flexible working capital;
- Enhanced risk management with CapyFast’s proprietary scoring and payment intelligence;
- A roadmap with plan for infrastructure scale, with rollout starting in Q3 2025 and full deployment by Q1 2026.
This deal reflects a growing trend of fintech-meets-adtech, where modern financial infrastructure becomes essential to platform scalability and user trust.
Media Contacts
CapyFast PR
Email: press@capyfast.com
Web: www.capyfast.com
Bidwise Media
Milli Frigara
Email: milli@bidwise.com
Web: www.bidwise.com
Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2672680/CapyFast_Logo.jpg
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/capyfast-and-bidwise-forms-strategic-partnership-involving-over-40-million-in-payment-volumes-within-performance-marketing-industry-302437615.html
Founded by ex-Optiver and IMC quants, the platform is backed by angels from Citadel, Jane Street, and JPMorgan
NEW YORK, April 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Theo, a novel network connecting onchain capital to global markets via institutional-grade trading infrastructure, today announced it has raised $20 million in funding. The round was jointly led by Hack VC and Anthos Capital, with participation from numerous other venture capital firms, including Manifold Trading, Mirana Ventures, Metalayer Ventures, Flowdesk, SCB, MEXC, Amber Group, and Selini Capital, as well as angels from a range of leading TradFi trading firms including Citadel, Jane Street, HRT, Optiver, IMC, 5 Rings, and JPMorgan.
Founded by former quant traders; Abhi Pingle, Arijit Pingle, and TK Kwon who honed their expertise at elite trading firms Optiver and IMC Trading, Theo was born from a recognition: while onchain capital is growing exponentially, access to traditional and institutional-grade strategies remain out of reach for everyday users. Theo aims to bridge this gap – delivering the sophistication of Wall Street to the retail investor.
Theo’s platform provides access to institutional-grade trading infrastructure that supports a wide range of strategies traditionally reserved for hedge funds and proprietary trading firms. At its core, Theo operates a custom low-latency validator set that ensures custodial guarantees for users, while enforcing rule-based access for institutional counterparties like market makers and trading firms.
These validators facilitate real-time execution across centralized exchanges (CEXes) and decentralized protocols (DeFi), while enforcing margin requirements and maintaining system-wide overcollateralization. Retail users can access these strategies via a simple deposit into strategy-specific vaults—without the complexity of multiple exchange accounts or algorithmic trading knowledge.
“Today’s crypto markets are fragmented and inefficient, preventing institutions and everyday users alike from accessing the full promise of global, permissionless finance,” says Abhi Pingle, co-founder of Theo. “Theo solves this by delivering robust, scalable infrastructure that seamlessly connects large traditional players and retail participants on-chain—unlocking new levels of capital efficiency.”
Theo strategies allow anyone to passively access professional trading strategies by simply depositing assets, with the platform handling execution, risk, and dynamic capital allocation across approaches like high-frequency arbitrage, cross-chain funding rate optimization, and advanced hedging.
As market conditions shift, Theo’s infrastructure dynamically reallocates capital to maintain performance, where single-strategy platforms often see returns diminish. This flexibility ensures greater stability and performance for retail participants.
For trading firms, Theo enables superior capital efficiency. By leveraging user capital through vault participation, firms can cross-margin strategy positions against their proprietary trades—unlocking alpha while users share in the upside. This creates a mutually beneficial ecosystem: institutional-grade strategies, retail accessibility, and shared value creation.
Theo’s architecture is uniquely positioned to connect traditional and crypto-native financial venues. As the industry evolves, Theo’s role as an infrastructure layer will be instrumental in bridging legacy markets and the onchain economy—democratizing access to advanced financial tools worldwide.
About Theo
Theo is an institutional-grade trading infrastructure platform founded by former quant traders from IMC Trading and Optiver. The platform enables retail users to access sophisticated high-frequency trading and market-making strategies previously available only to Wall Street firms, while providing trading firms with new opportunities to capture alpha through their market expertise with superior capital efficiency. Learn more at theo.xyz
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/theo-raises-20m-to-democratize-access-to-institutional-grade-trading-infrastructure-302437587.html
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