Singapore Gulf Bank’s adoption of BNY’s 24/7 USD Book Transfers service extends qualifying dollar transfers beyond US banking hours. OCBC and Ant International are also moving liquidity outside conventional banking windows, using tokenised deposits for treasury transfers between Singapore and Malaysia.

Elsewhere, Citi and Credendo closed $328 million in aircraft financing through IndiGo’s GIFT IFSC subsidiary, while Ecobank signed an agreement to expand renminbi payment links between China and its African banking network.

1. Singapore Gulf Bank extends 24/7 USD payments through BNY

Singapore Gulf Bank (SGB) announced on 12 October that it had expanded its USD payment capabilities through BNY’s 24/7 USD Book Transfers service. Qualifying transfers can settle at any time between eligible accounts held directly with BNY or with correspondent banks enrolled in the service. SGB said it was among the first financial institutions globally to adopt the capability.

Corporate uses include payables, account funding and time-sensitive cross-border treasury transactions over weekends and US public holidays. The service gives clients additional flexibility to move dollars across time zones through participating bank accounts. Availability remains bounded by the eligible accounts and correspondents enrolled in BNY’s service.

2. OCBC and Ant International apply tokenised deposits to cross-border treasury

OCBC launched a tokenised-deposit solution with Ant International on 7 October that enables 24/7 treasury management and liquidity movement between Singapore and Malaysia. Initially, Ant International can mobilise Singapore dollar- and US dollar-denominated tokenised deposits between its entities through WhaleRTP, its blockchain-based wholesale settlement platform. OCBC said the transfers enable near real-time settlement of treasury transactions.

Tokenised deposits represent commercial-bank deposits on a distributed ledger. OCBC’s September transaction with Citi on Swift’s ledger demonstrated cross-border movement of such deposits; the new WhaleRTP arrangement applies them to Ant’s intra-group treasury, allowing liquidity to be repositioned outside conventional banking hours. Transaction volumes have not been disclosed.

3. EIB and Santander mobilise EUR 300 million for European defence suppliers

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Santander signed a guarantee agreement on 8 October intended to mobilise approximately EUR 300 million (about $335 million) in new financing for European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-cap companies operating in security and defence supply chains. The guarantee is designed to support Santander’s lending to smaller companies supplying the European defence industrial base.

Financing may cover working capital arising from new contracts, increased production capacity and investment in technologies. Santander’s second EIB operation in the sector forms part of a wider EUR 3 billion (about $3.35 billion) pan-European intermediated financing initiative addressing suppliers’ financing constraints. The EUR 300 million represents expected new lending under the guarantee.

4. DBS Bank India integrates customs payments into corporate banking

DBS Bank India introduced customs duty, central excise and service tax payment capabilities through India’s ICEGATE 2.0 platform on 8 October, adding them to its existing goods and services tax (GST) and direct-tax payment services. Businesses can initiate, authorise and track payments through DBS IDEAL using existing approval workflows and transaction-monitoring capabilities. The service operates daily from 4am to 11pm Indian Standard Time, including weekends.

ICEGATE, the Indian Customs Electronic Gateway, is the government’s digital interface with the trading community. The integration brings customs-related obligations into the same corporate banking platform DBS customers already use for other statutory payments. Existing IDEAL customers with the required tax-payment entitlement can access the facility without additional documentation and download payment records.

5. KFH Bahrain activates supply chain finance programme with Beyon

Kuwait Finance House (KFH) Bahrain and telecommunications group Beyon activated a supply chain finance programme on 8 October, giving Beyon’s local and international suppliers access to digital financing through KFH Bahrain’s corporate banking platform. The programme covers transaction initiation through deal booking and provides automated reporting and analytics.

Beyon’s suppliers can obtain early payment through KFH, helping them meet working-capital needs before receiving payment through the normal cycle. Automated reporting gives the bank visibility over transactions and programme performance. The parties said transactions could be processed within minutes, although financing capacity and supplier participation have not been disclosed.

6. Ecobank and CIPS agree to expand China–Africa RMB payment connectivity

Ecobank Group signed a memorandum of understanding with China’s Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS) on 10 October to expand renminbi (RMB) payment and clearing connectivity between China and Africa. The collaboration is intended to connect businesses and financial institutions in China more closely with Ecobank’s banking network across 34 African markets.

The agreement adds an RMB infrastructure relationship to Ecobank’s established China–Africa business. The bank has maintained a presence in China since 2012 and operates Chinese desks across West, Central and East Africa, supporting trade finance, payments, cash management and investment. CIPS cooperation could broaden the payment channels available to those customers, but Ecobank has not announced an operational launch date or identified the subsidiaries that will initially participate.

7. Standard Chartered plans digital-asset custody in Singapore

Standard Chartered Bank (Singapore) Limited announced on 8 October plans to provide custody services for selected cryptoassets, stablecoins and tokenised real-world assets to institutional clients and accredited-investor corporate clients, subject to applicable regulatory requirements. The proposed service would sit alongside the bank’s existing Financing & Securities Services capabilities in Singapore, which cover conventional asset servicing and tokenisation.

The plans extend Standard Chartered’s digital-asset custody presence beyond markets including the UAE, Luxembourg and Hong Kong. For eligible corporate clients, the proposed service would broaden the assets they can hold within a bank custody relationship. A launch date has not been disclosed.

8. OakNorth integrates Wise Platform for international SME payments

OakNorth selected Wise Platform on 7 October to provide international payments for UK business customers with annual turnover of GBP 1 million (about $1.3 million) to GBP 100 million (about $132 million). Customers will be able to make payments in more than 20 currencies through their existing banking relationship. Wise said 77% of payments across its network were completed in under 20 seconds.

The partnership broadens OakNorth’s business-banking offering for companies paying overseas suppliers and partners. Wise supplies international payment connectivity through a network with more than 80 licences and direct access to domestic payment systems in nine markets. OakNorth can incorporate that infrastructure into its offering, giving SME customers access to international payments.

9. Citi and Credendo close $328 million aircraft financing for IndiGo

Citi and Credendo, Belgium’s export credit agency (ECA), announced on 13 October the closing of $328 million in financing for eight Airbus aircraft for IndiGo, comprising six A321s and two A320s. Citi acted as sole mandated arranger, ECA coordinator and sole lender, with the financing backed by Credendo’s credit insurance. Executed through IndiGo subsidiary InterGlobe Aviation Financial Services IFSC, the transaction was described by the parties as the first Credendo-insured aviation financing globally and the first ECA-backed aircraft financing through a GIFT IFSC leasing structure.

GIFT IFSC, the international financial services centre in Gujarat’s GIFT City, is part of India’s effort to develop an aircraft-leasing industry. The transaction uses IndiGo’s subsidiary there to combine international bank lending with Belgian export-credit insurance. The parties described the facility as an additional long-term funding source for IndiGo’s fleet and network expansion. Credendo also identified it as the start of a broader initiative supporting Belgian aviation-industry stakeholders.

10. WEX and Mastercard develop Asia-Pacific fleet payments network

WEX and Mastercard announced on 12 October a strategic partnership to develop a unified fleet payments network across Asia-Pacific, bringing fuel, vehicle maintenance, tolling and parking payments into a single payment experience. The companies estimate regional fleet-card transaction volumes at approximately $310 billion in 2025 and project the programme to process billions of dollars annually as it expands.

The proposition combines WEX’s fleet payments expertise with Mastercard’s acceptance network. Fleet operators often manage expenses through separate systems, creating additional reconciliation work and limiting visibility over total spending. Bringing payment and expense data together could simplify spending oversight and reconciliation as the partnership expands across regional markets.