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Malaysian Digital Wallet Provider Boost Joins PayNet Real-Time Retail Payment Platform

Digital wallet provider Boost recently revealed that it’s now a part of the PayNet Real Time Retail Payment Platform (RPP). Boost confirmed that it will be adopting DuitNow QR (beginning on March 26, 2021).

DuitNow QR is the national QR code standard used in Malaysia. It was introduced by the Payments Network Malaysia (PayNet) under Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) Interoperable Credit Transfer Framework (ICTF).

The DuitNow QR serves as a standardized and unified QR code that provides a cashless, contactless and seamless way of shopping for digital wallet users including consumers who don’t use the Boost platform.

This new benefit or feature is offered to Boost merchants as well, where just a single QR code is required to take cashless/contactless payments from customers of any participating digital wallets in the PayNet ecosystem. This new benefit should also help merchants access a larger mobile-first user base.

Boost users may also take advantage of a larger merchant reach using DuitNow QR to make payments while being able to claim Boost’s loyalty rewards.

This latest participation by Boost should help the company expand its offline digital payment offerings. It should also help users transact safely in a post-COVID environment.

Boost was established in October 2017 and has managed to expand its operations to almost 9 million users. With the DuitNow QR code, it should be able to target a wider merchant base (of around 230,000 service providers).

Mohd Khairil Abdullah, CEO at Boost, stated:

“We believe that a standardized and unified QR code as a shared payment infrastructure is a defining piece in building a robust ‘One Nation, One QR’ cashless ecosystem. This will greatly facilitate interoperability between digital payment providers and increase accessibility for Malaysians to embrace a now normal lifestyle where going cashless will dominate. We are thrilled to be part of the DuitNow QR network and work hand-in-hand with PayNet to contribute towards charting the next chapter of the country’s digital and cashless transformation.”

Peter Schiesser, Group CEO at PayNet, remarked:

“E-wallets including Boost played a big role in helping Malaysians embrace a cashless and contactless lifestyle last year. Having Boost onboard the DuitNow ecosystem will further strengthen their contribution in enabling businesses, especially micro-enterprises and SMEs to accept digital payments and to weather the impact of COVID-19.”

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SME Lender October Confirms that French Government has Extended State-Guaranteed Loans Program to June 2021

European online lender October notes that in March 2020, the French State had announced a package of €300 billion in State-guaranteed loans (PGE) in order to support small and medium-sized enterprises during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following the amendment voted on in April 2020, lending marketplaces like October had been eligible or qualified to take part in these French state-guaranteed loans schemes and were offering state-guaranteed loans to qualified borrowers.

Since the introduction of the first state-guaranteed loan on October’s platform in June of last year, 68 French state-guaranteed loans were reportedly funded by institutional and retail lenders for “a total amount of €13,167,000 and new loans will be granted in the coming months, following the government announcement to extend the guarantee program until June 2021,” October confirmed in a blog post.

In December of last year, the French government had also announced a modification or change to the repayment scheme for these initiatives. Companies or businesses that would like to delay the capital repayment of their state-guaranteed loan are now able to request a 1-year “additional deferral to their creditor, who will choose to grant it or not,” the October team noted.

While commenting on the initial repayment scheme, the October team explained that the state-guaranteed loans are different from the standard loans available on their platform. The characteristics of these loans (for instance, the duration, interest rate) have been “set by the French government,” October confirmed.

They also noted:

“French state-guaranteed loans are initially 12-month deferred loans with payment of interest (2%) and principal at the end of the loan. However, what makes the state-guaranteed loan unique is that the borrower can decide to extend their loan after the first 12 months, with a higher interest rate.” 

At the conclusion of this period, the borrower has the following options: loan fully repaid after 12 months; duration extended after 12 months with no capital repayment; duration extended after 12 months with partial capital repayment (Note: for more details on these options, check here.)

While discussing the new repayment scheme, the October team noted that following an announcement from the French Ministry of the Economy and Finance (on December 14, 2020), all firms that had been issued a state-guaranteed loan (regardless of their activity and size) may apply for “an additional one-year deferral to start repaying the capital of their state-guaranteed loan.”

October’s management further noted:

“If a borrower wishes to extend their loan, they can now ask October for the extension of the deferral period for another 12 months, during which the company would repay only interest every month, followed by an amortization period of up to 4 years, during which the borrower would repay both capital and interest (i.e. the maximum duration to fully amortize the loan remains 5 years).”

They also confirmed that the interest rate “applicable during the additional 12-month deferral period is between 3.71% and 4.91% depending of the project rating.”

They also mentioned that when applying for the extension of the deferral period, the borrower will have to “indicate whether they will repay their loan immediately at the end of the deferral or whether they will spread the repayments over several years (in that case, they will also need to state the duration of the amortization).” If the company “decides to spread the capital repayment after the extra deferral period, the loan will be repaid through annuities, with an interest rate comprised between 3.71% and 4.91%.”

The October team clarified:

“Contrary to the extension of the amortization period for a period of 1 to 5 years, this extra deferral period is not granted automatically. October will study the applications on a case-by-case basis and will verify the company’s need to request the extra deferral period by requesting additional documents, studying the impact of Covid-19 on the company’s sector…If the October Committee accepts the application, we will ask the October lenders to vote.”

While commenting on what these changes mean for retail lenders, October noted that if a firm you’ve financed requests the extension of the deferral period for their state-guaranteed loan, then you will be “notified by email and request to vote on the additional deferral period.”

And if the majority of institutional and retail lenders (in volume lent) “votes in favor of the additional deferral period, the extra 12-month deferral will be granted and the company will only repay interest during that time.” The interest rate you’ll get “will be increased.” The new repayments will be “displayed in [the client’s] portfolio, on the Future Transactions tab.” From June 2021 onwards, October confirmed that they would begin receiving “some extension requests from borrowers who were granted a state-guaranteed loan.”

Not all firms may request the “additional” deferral period, but still you should be “prepared in case that happens,” the lender noted. It also mentioned that the platform’s management is available for questions you might regarding this change or update.

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Southeast Asia’s Funding Societies, an Online Capital Formation Platform, Reports S$2 Billion in Business Financing Disbursals

Southeast Asia-based Funding Societies, a digital financing platform, has revealed that it has made S$2 billion (appr. $1.5 billion) in disbursals of business financing to SMEs across the region as the company enters its sixth year of offering loans.

Funding Societies’ management noted that the amount is partly crowdfunded by more than 200,000 retail investors on its platform and has been disbursed through 3.7 million+ different loans.

Funding Societies reported S$ 850 million (appr. $640 million) in disbursals last year, meanwhile, its platform default rate managed to stay below 2% during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an effort to reduce its portfolio risk during 2020, Funding Societies had tightened up its credit underwriting criteria so that only quality notes would get crowdfunded. The platform also focused on companies that were likely to do well during the pandemic.

These high-performing industries include healthcare, medical supplies, transportation, among several others. Funding Societies reported an 18% growth in platform investors since January 2020.

Big Four auditing firm Ernst & Young’s 2020 ASEAN SME Transformation Survey has revealed that 68% of the surveyed 1,200 SMEs across the six major ASEAN nations (Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam) are open to doing business with non-traditional lending platforms.

Non-traditional lenders may be appealing because of their greater speed and convenience. Small and medium-sized enterprises may prefer the faster and more flexible loan approval process and the digital know-your-customer (KYC) processes, which usually don’t require asset security or visiting physical bank locations.

At present, there’s an annual trade financing gap of approximately $150 billion in Asia, according to estimates provided by the Asian Development Bank. Around 60% of firms have had their applications rejected when applying for trade financing, the bank noted, while pointing out that these businesses did not proceed with the trade due to the lack of funding.

Kelvin Teo, Co-founder and Group CEO of Funding Societies, stated:

“We’re thrilled to reach this major milestone before we even realised it. It is a momentous occasion and encouragement for us. There is much more to do, as we continue to serve the needs of SMEs and Investors in the region. We’re grateful to raise Series C funding last year, enabling us to further help SMEs even amidst uncertain times.”

As reported earlier this month, Singapore based Funding Societies had announced the expansion of operations into Thailand. The online capital formation platform will operate under a crowdfunding license authorized by the Thai Securities and Exchange Commission.

According to a note from Funding Societies, the company worked for more than a year with regulators to set up operations in the country.

Funding Societies currently operates in Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Thailand will be the fourth country where the marketplace will operate in its six years of activity. Funding Societies notes that it is the only SME digital financing platform in Southeast Asia to be licensed in four countries.

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Qatar Development Bank CEO Says Country will Work with US Firms to Diversify its Economy, Supported by Fintech and Digital Technologies

Qatar’s private sector is now ready to work cooperatively with US-based companies and businesses, according to Qatar Development Bank CEO Abdulaziz Bin Nasser Al Khalifa.

As previously reported, the Qatar Development Bank (QDB) offers financial services, banking, and loans to support the development of the nation’s economy. Al Khalifa has stated that changing mindsets regarding entrepreneurship is “critical to growth.”

Qatar’s growing private sector is prepared to collaborate with the US market, following the Middle Eastern nation’s successful diversification and business growth strategy, according to Al Khalifa (whose comments came during a recent virtual panel discussion hosted by the US-Qatar Business Council, in collaboration with QDB).

The project, called “B2match Business Matchmaking,” is focused on linking up US businesses with Qatar’s SMEs and large corporations. Both countries aim to explore high-potential business opportunities, Al Khalifa confirmed.

He remarked:

“For years, Qatar and the US have been strong business partners…if you are looking for partners, our virtual matchmaking is made for you.”

Al Khalifa also mentioned that diverse business relationships already exist between the two countries.

As covered, Qatar is now well-positioned to provide a test-bed for creating business-to-business (B2B) Fintech solutions. The Middle Eastern nation has introduced its National Vision 2030 Strategy, which includes several Fintech-focused projects that should help with expanding and diversifying Qatar’s economy.

Al Khalifa pointed out that QDB remains focused on supporting the growth of the Qatari economy. He confirmed that the modern economic policies are focused on “building on the government’s visionary plans and actions, is driven by its commitment to creating a sustainable, diverse, and competitive economy with success-driven SMEs and the private sector at its core.”

He added:

“In our endeavor to support the private sector with value added services, we have carefully studied the needs of Qatari business owners, and we have looked closely at a number of dynamic markets of Qatari companies. It is against this backdrop that I encourage you to seize the opportunity of participating in virtual matchmaking with our companies.”

As reported in October 2020, Qatar’s GDP is expected to contract by 4.3% in 2020, but the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects recovery next year – which may be supported by the country’s growing Fintech and digital economy.

QDB’s export promotion unit will be supporting 27 Qatari firms that are taking part in the matchmaking event (with the US). These businesses include electronics, (petro-) chemical products and plastic products, metal products, construction materials, Covid-19 supplies, and industrial products.

As covered in August 2020, Qatar is also supporting Fintech development with sustainable solar energy initiatives. Local firms are using blockchain tech to streamline operations.

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Australian SME Banking Challenger Judo Bank to Use Cloud based Bank Operating System Developed by nCino

Australia-based SME challenger bank Judo Bank has chosen nCino (NASDAQ: NCNO) to help streamline its lending processes. Judo Bank will be using nCino’s Cloud-powered platform to enhance its services which are mainly intended for small businesses.

nCino, Inc. is an established cloud banking and digital transformation solutions provider for the financial services sector. nCino’s Banking Operating System will be used by Judo Bank to improve its lending operations.

Judo Bank will be working cooperatively with nCino so that the digital challenger can automate key aspects of its banking processes.

As mentioned in a release:

“As part of the nCino Bank Operating System, Judo will implement nCino’s Commercial Banking Solution, which automates workflows and provides real-time reporting, elements of the credit analysis process and digital document management capabilities to drive a transparent and fully digital end-to-end lending process.”

Tim Alexander, Chief Product Officer at Judo Bank, said that Judo’s goal is to help Australian SMEs by “bringing back the craft of relationship banking and delivering the funding that SMEs desperately need and deserve.”

Alexander added that his company shares some of the same views as nCino which is why they chose them “to help disrupt the industry and deliver differentiated services to better finance the growth ambitions of Australian SMEs.”

Mark Bernhardi, General Manager of APAC at nCino, noted that his company is looking forward to working with Judo Bank. They’ll be helping the digital challenger with “creating a more efficient banking experience that is tailored to [its] clients’ individual needs,” Bernhardi said.

He added:

“Judo was created to be fast and nimble and to provide new options to SMEs across Australia. We look forward to building upon our partnership to support Judo’s craft of relationship banking, enabling them with the latest technology from nCino as they help their clients capitalise on the right opportunities at the right time.”

In May 2020, Judo Bank had managed to secure $250 million through an equity round and also achieved Unicorn status (companies valued at $1 billion or more).

nCino is a Wilmington, North Carolina-based Fintech that offers a cloud banking platform built on the Salesforce platform. It launched its initial public offering (IPO) in July 2020. The firm’s shares had rocketed on the NASDAQ as soon as trading began earlier this year.

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