Pinda has appointed Ahn Joong-hyun (안중현), a former vice president at Nexthurs, as its first chief product officer, the company said on Wednesday. Ahn has about 20 years of experience in the finance and IT industries, spanning commerce, internet-only banks, financial platforms and blockchain. Pinda plans to use financial data accumulated through its loan comparison service and AI to enhance services from product search to execution and management.

Viva Republica, the operator of South Korean fintech app Toss, is partnering with online investment-linked finance (P2P) firm Cocktail Funding to expand loan options for financially underserved groups, including low credit borrowers. Toss said on Tuesday it signed a strategic business partnership MOU aimed at financial inclusion. Under the deal, Cocktail Funding\'s mortgage and credit loans will be listed on Toss\' loan comparison service, allowing users to check products and undergo screening in the app.