Daily News

Hong Kong taps Unlimit to boost cross-border payments

Unlimit Secures Strategic Status in Hong Kong

Hey Payments Fanatic!

Hong Kong wants to strengthen its position as a global payments hub, and Unlimit is now part of that plan.

The financial infrastructure company has been selected as a Strategic Enterprise by the Hong Kong government, signing an agreement to help develop the city as an Asia-Pacific hub for cross-border payments and multi-currency settlement.

Unlimit plans to use Hong Kong as a base to expand across the region, connecting businesses to its payment network spanning more than 180 countries. The company also secured its Hong Kong Money Service Operator licence in August.

What I find interesting is how governments are increasingly competing to attract payment infrastructure providers, not just banks and FinTech apps. The companies moving money across borders are becoming an important part of the financial infrastructure that global businesses depend on.

Here’s what else is happening in payments today👇

See you tomorrow!

Cheers,

Marcel

INSIGHTS

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NEWS

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Government selects Unlimit as a Strategic Enterprise. Unlimit joins the OASES programme, which offers tailored government support to selected companies in strategic sectors. The company plans to expand across the Asia Pacific region from Hong Kong after obtaining its MSO licence in August 2026. Its proprietary payment network spans more than 180 countries.

🇦🇪 Mastercard unveils its Experience Center in Dubai as it marks 40 years in the UAE. Located at its Dubai Internet City headquarters, the center serves as a customer engagement hub for 81 EEMEA markets. It features three connected zones: Discovery, Experience and Engagement.

🇺🇸 Aurionpro extends its Mastercard partnership to North American transit. The partnership will enable contactless, open-loop fare payments across public transit networks, combining Aurionpro’s transit technology with Mastercard’s payment network. The expansion brings tap-to-pay transit payments to more North American networks.

🇲🇽 Belvo and dLocal bring direct debit payments to more Mexican businesses. The partnership aims to help businesses with recurring payments, subscriptions and memberships collect payments more reliably, reducing failed transactions and operational friction. The companies are expanding bank debit as a payment option for recurring collections in Mexico

🌏 Bank Negara Malaysia and Bank of Thailand join the BLOOM initiative. Alongside MAS, the central banks will develop common approaches for cross border digital money. BLOOM has also added Airwallex, Mastercard, Ripple, Visa and the World Bank Group as participants.

🇭🇰 HSBC launches HSBC RedCoin, its first stablecoin, on PayMe in Hong Kong. Licensed by the HKMA, the coin is pegged to the Hong Kong dollar. More than 3.3 million PayMe users can activate a wallet and pay over 100,000 merchants.

🇪🇺 Solidgate secures MiCA authorization as a crypto asset service provider. The payment orchestration platform received its CASP licence from CySEC, passported across the European Economic Area. The licence gives Solidgate its own regulated foundation for stablecoins.

🇺🇸 American Express and Airbnb launch an exclusive partnership. The agreement brings over 1 million listings to American Express Travel, allowing eligible Card Members to book Airbnb stays directly through the platform. The companies announced the partnership on October 22, 2026.

🌐 LianLian Global and PayPal power cross border payouts for social commerce, marketplace and eCommerce customers. Clients can now pay creators and contractors directly to PayPal and Venmo wallets. PayPal Payouts is live in 96 markets and 24 currencies.