FintechNews.sg – Weekly Newsletter
Period: February 14 – February 21, 2026
📝 Executive Summary
-
Singapore remains a hotbed of fintech innovation, with a new government-backed Growth Capital Workgroup established to strengthen financing channels, and banks and tech leaders collaborating on AI-driven payments and applications. There’s notable momentum in AI and digital payments, including SEA-wide partnerships shaping the future of embedded financial services.
-
Digital asset and wealth creation continues to evolve, with wealthtech firm Chocolate Finance scaling assets under management to nearly S$1.1 billion while charting expansion plans into Hong Kong, the UAE, and Japan. Meanwhile, retail investing preferences in Singapore are shifting, with precious metals gaining traction among younger investors.
-
AI integration across financial services is accelerating, as exemplified by the SEA tech giant Sea and Google’s expanded agreement to develop agentic payment systems and AI-enhanced shopping experiences — signaling growing convergence between e-commerce, gaming, and fintech platforms.
📈 Key Trends
- AI Finance Integration: Strategic partnerships and pilots show AI moving from analytics into core payment processing and user experience design.
- WealthTech Growth: Singapore startups are scaling AUM rapidly and planning overseas expansion, demonstrating investor appetite for digital wealth solutions.
- Capital Formation Initiatives: Government and regulator collaboration on growth capital infrastructure reflects concern with sustaining fintech scale-ups.
- Shifts in Retail Investment Demand: Younger investors are diversifying beyond equities into alternative asset classes like precious metals.
- E-Commerce + Fintech Convergence: Major SEA tech groups are embedding payments and financial services into broader digital ecosystems.
🇸🇬 Singapore
Various / Policy & Market
- Singapore Sets Up Growth Capital Workgroup at Budget 2026 (16 Feb 2026) Singapore’s government announced the formation of a Growth Capital Workgroup — chaired by MAS deputy chairman Chee Hong Tat — to review and strengthen financing channels from deal origination to capital recycling to support startups and scale-ups across growth stages. Industry: Infrastructure / B2B Fintech Source: https://fintechnews.sg/126530/fintech/singapore-growth-capital-workgroup/ (Fintech Singapore)
AI in Finance & Payments
- Sea and Google to Develop AI Applications Spanning Payments, E-Commerce (20 Feb 2026) Sea and Google expanded their partnership to build agentic payment systems and AI-driven commerce experiences across digital financial services and e-commerce, exploring use cases that span payments, shopping, and gaming. Industry: AI in Finance / Payments Source: https://fintechnews.sg/126622/ai/sea-google-ai/ (Fintech Singapore)
Payments / AI
- DBS First APAC Bank to Pilot AI-Powered Agent Payments with Visa (16 Feb 2026) DBS launched a pilot with Visa to embed AI agents into payment flows, enabling AI-led transactions initiated securely through existing card infrastructure, marking a regional first in agent-based commerce. Industry: Payments / AI in Finance Source: https://fintechnews.sg/126516/ai/dbs-visa-agentic-ai/ (Fintech Singapore)
WealthTech
-
Chocolate Finance Scales to S$1.1 Billion AUM, Targets Profitability by 2027 (20 Feb 2026) Singapore-based wealthtech startup Chocolate Finance reported nearly S$1.1 billion assets under management in its first full commercial year, and unveiled plans to expand into Hong Kong, the UAE, and Japan while targeting profitability by 2027. Industry: WealthTech Source: https://fintechnews.sg/126613/wealthtech/chocolate-finance-aum/ (Fintech Singapore)
-
Gold, Silver Replace Equities as Preferred Entry Point for OCBC Retail Investors (20 Feb 2026) OCBC data shows retail investors, particularly those under 40, are increasingly diversifying into precious metals (gold and silver) over traditional equities as accessible alternative investment options. Industry: WealthTech Source: https://fintechnews.sg/126632/wealthtech/ocbc-gold-silver/ (Fintech Singapore)