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Fintech firms rush to raise equity in Hong Kong to tap crypto frenzy
By Summer Zhen and Samuel Shen HONG KONG/SHANGHAI (Reuters) -Fintech companies are rushing to raise equity in Hong Kong to fund expansions in cryptocurrencies, capitalising on investor fervour as the city starts accepting applications for stablecoin issuer licences on Friday. At least 10 Hong Kong-listed companies raised a total of more than $1.5 billion from share placements in July to be invested in areas including stablecoins, digital assets and blockchain-based payments, according to a Reuters calculation based on exchange filings. They include digital asset platform OSL Group, China's biggest retail cloud solution provider Dmall Inc and artificial intelligence giant SenseTime Group. The equity offerings had been snapped up by investors upbeat about stablecoins, which are cryptocurrencies pegged to assets such as the U.S. dollar. Hong Kong's stablecoin bill passed in May is taking effect on Friday as the Asian financial hub races the United States in setting up a regulated market for such tokens, seen as a key lubricant in the burgeoning digital economy. Before the bill passed, raising funds for stablecoin development in Hong Kong held less appeal for investors. "We're seeing a notable increase in fundraising activity linked to stablecoins and digital assets," said Anthony Pang at international law firm Baker McKenzie, which advised on Dmall's HK$388 million ($49.43 million) share placement last month. "The momentum in this space is real, and it's accelerating." OSL raised $300 million in late July to support global initiatives including development in stablecoins and a digital payment network. The equity raising was completed within three days after the company appointed Macquarie to help with the offering, and the bookbuilding - which attracted sovereign wealth funds and big hedge funds - took less than three hours. "Investor zeal toward cryptocurrencies and stablecoins was palpable," OSL Chief Financial Officer Ivan Wong said. An index tracking Hong Kong-listed stablecoin concept stocks has surged 65% this year, far outperforming the benchmark Hang Seng Index, which is up roughly 23%. Hong Kong's de facto central bank cautioned the public last week against "growing frothiness" and "excessive exuberance" due to the recent hype around stablecoins. PRIVATE MARKET The crypto exuberance has also spilled into the private equity and startup markets. "Venture capitalists are very interested in this area, and many are actively looking at such projects," said Liu Honglin, a Shanghai-based attorney at Man Kun Law Firm, who helped venture capital-backed digital payment service provider Kun raise more than $50 million in Hong Kong last month. "There's definitely a lot of excitement around stablecoin, but the sector is far from being frothy. It's just the start of a trend." JF SmartInvest Holdings raised HK$785 million last month to invest in Real World Assets (RWA), a term used for digital tokens that represent traditional assets such as stocks and commodities. Chinese AI giant SenseTime raised HK$2.5 billion and will use part of the proceeds to explore areas such as blockchain, RWA and stablecoins. Other companies that tapped the crypto craze include ZA Online, Crypto Flow Technology and Easou Tech. Traditional finance players such as custodians and investment managers want a piece of the action, so "interest in these topics, and fintech applications more generally, is set to continue," said Kishore Bhindi, a Hong Kong-based partner at law firm Linklaters. ($1 = 7.8499 Hong Kong dollars) Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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Data breach involving Cycle & Carriage Singapore customer details under probe
SINGAPORE - The authorities are investigating a data breach in which hackers are believed to have accessed details of customers of motoring giant Cycle & Carriage Singapore (C&C). In response to queries, the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) said it is aware of the data breach and investigations are ongoing. C&C, in a note sent to affected customers on July 31, said it is still investigating the full scope of the breach. It is unclear how many customers were affected. The note said: 'We were alerted on 14 July 2025 to the unauthorised access into our customer relationship management system, and the threat actor downloaded some customer information. 'Your information is within the affected data records.' Information that was compromised can include customer names and contact information such as e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and mailing addresses, but not banking or credit card information, it added. C&C also made a police report after it discovered the data breach. The note said: 'Once we became aware of the incident, we took measures to prevent further unauthorised access to the system. A thorough investigation was carried out to establish the facts and it is still ongoing.' It added that forensic investigators were activated to look into the possible causes of the hack, and it had informed the PDPC as well. C&C advised affected customers to keep an eye out for phishing activities or suspicious requests for personal information following the incident. Those who have enquiries or wish to report any suspicious activity can contact C&C customer care officers at 6471 9111 or via e-mail at customerassistancecentre@ Anyone who needs more information on the protection of personal data can refer to the PDPC website. The Straits Times has contacted C&C and the police for more information. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction Discover how to enjoy other premium articles here
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Slow US job gains expected in July; unemployment rate forecast rising to 4.2%
By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. job growth likely slowed in July, with the unemployment rate forecast rising back to 4.2%, but that probably would be insufficient to spur the Federal Reserve to resume cutting interest rates soon as tariffs are starting to fan inflation. The anticipated slowdown in nonfarm payrolls in the Labor Department's closely watched employment report on Friday would mostly be payback after a surprise surge in state and local government education boosted employment gains in June. The U.S. central bank on Wednesday left its benchmark interest rate in the 4.25%-4.50% range. Fed Chair Jerome Powell's comments after the decision undercut confidence the central bank would resume policy easing in September as had been widely anticipated by financial markets and some economists. Though Powell described the labor market as being in balance because of supply and demand both declining at the same time, he acknowledged that this dynamic was "suggestive of downside risk." Job growth has slowed amid uncertainty over where President Donald Trump's tariff levels will eventually settle. Trump on Thursday slapped dozens of trading partners with steep tariffs ahead of a Friday trade deal deadline, including a 35% duty on many goods from Canada. The White House's immigration crackdown has reduced labor supply as has an acceleration of baby boomer retirements. "We just don't have a roadmap yet with respect to tariffs, and now that it's coming into place, I think that can certainly help, but if you're thinking about what you're planning for your business over the next two to three years ... you don't want to make that decision until you know what your costs of running your business are going to be," said Michael Reid, senior U.S. economist at RBC Capital Markets. Nonfarm payrolls likely increased by 110,000 jobs last month after rising by 147,000 in June, a Reuters survey of economists showed. That reading would be below the three-month average gain of 150,000. Estimates ranged from no jobs added to an increase of 176,000 positions. An economist predicting no change in payrolls pointed to the jump in state and local government education jobs in June, which accounted for nearly half of the employment gains that month. "When the academic year ends, there is a huge drop in payroll levels at schools," said Stephen Stanley, chief U.S. economist at Santander U.S. Capital Markets. "The fact that there were fewer reductions than usual in June suggests to me that more of the usual wave of reductions came in July." Stanley also argued that there had been a torrent of anecdotal and survey evidence suggesting that businesses large and small slowed their hiring activity this summer in the face of elevated policy uncertainty. This led Stanley to anticipate private sector payrolls growth slowed further in July rather than accelerated as most economists expected after the economy added the fewest jobs in eight months in June. LOW BREAK-EVEN NUMBER Federal government job losses as the Trump administration wields the axe on headcount and spending, excluding immigration enforcement, could mount after the Supreme Court gave the White House the green light for mass firings. But the administration has also said several agencies were not planning to proceed with layoffs. The reduction in immigration flows means the economy now needs to create roughly 100,000 jobs per month or less to keep up with growth in the working age population. The decline in the unemployment rate to 4.1% in June was in part due to people dropping out of the labor force. July's anticipated rise would still leave the jobless rate in the narrow 4.0%-4.2% range that has prevailed since May 2024. "The July jobs report is unlikely to shake the Fed out of its 'wait-and-see' posture," said Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon. "But it will add further evidence that the labor market is gradually losing momentum." Financial markets have pushed back an anticipated September rate cut to October. With tariffs starting to raise inflation, some economists believe the window for the Fed resuming policy easing this year is closing. But others still believe the Fed could still cut rates in September, especially if the Bureau of Labor Statistics' preliminary payrolls benchmark revision in September projects a sharp decline in the employment level from April 2024 through March this year. The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, derived from reports by employers to the state unemployment insurance programs, has indicated a much slower pace of job growth between April 2024 and December 2024 than payrolls have suggested. "If it's an ugly downward revision, the Fed will move, there is no question," said Brian Bethune, an economics professor at Boston College.
