Tagged: fintech adoption

December 24, 2020 @ 5:50 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) has teamed up with a platform managed by Naver’s Cloud affiliate for digital innovation and development of Fintech-related services, the state-run bank confirmed on December 23, 2020. Through the partnership, both organizations will aim to enhance their Cloud and artificial… Read More

December 24, 2020 @ 8:37 am By Omar Faridi  |  

North American and European Fintech firms experienced a 17% year-over-year (YoY) growth during Q3 2020, which brings the total to $8.9 billion raised in venture capital investments, compared to $7.6 billion secured in Q2 2020. Although these are solid gains, there were just 414 deals… Read More

December 23, 2020 @ 11:38 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Brunei’s Fintech sector continues to grow steadily due to the rising demand for digital financial services and its government’s push to encourage its residents to use modern payment methods. Brunei has the second-highest (after Singapore) human development index or HDI (which measures the overall quality… Read More

December 23, 2020 @ 10:30 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Despite the socio-economic uncertainty and other challenges created by COVID-19 in 2020, the technology sector was actually “a net beneficiary” of the accelerated shift to digital platforms and services which have become more critical than ever. This year is notably on track to set an… Read More

December 23, 2020 @ 8:10 am By Omar Faridi  |  

A new regulatory policy has reportedly been introduced by Mexico’s financial industry regulator CNBV and it’s being referred to as “a death sentence” for firms that are providing Fintech-as-a-Service (FaaS) businesses, according to analysts. Carlos David Valderrama Narvaéz and Diego Montes Serralde from Legal Paradox,… Read More

December 23, 2020 @ 8:06 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Fintech sector in Switzerland has been growing steadily and has been consolidating this year, a trend highlighted by the rising number of later-stage funding rounds and some of the first Fintech-related exits, according to the IFZ Fintech Study 2020. In 2019, Series B rounds… Read More

December 22, 2020 @ 11:40 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital payments firm Pine Labs has reportedly secured $75-100 million through an investment round that was led by US-headquartered hedge fund Lone Pine Capital, which is known for financing established US businesses like Uber. Pine Labs is now valued at approimately $2 billion — a… Read More

December 22, 2020 @ 10:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Fintech has transitioned from the innovation and early development stages of OneConnect’s financial services offering to becoming its catalyst of business growth, according to Ye Wangchun, Chairperson and CEO of OneConnect Financial Technology Co., Ltd. (NYSE: OCFT). Ye‘s recent comments came during the fourth annual… Read More

December 22, 2020 @ 8:08 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The neo-banking sector might be more likely to get negatively impacted by the socioeconomic uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic than incumbents. Digital banks like Xinja have been forced to shut down while certain Fintech segments such as lending service providers have also been adversely… Read More

December 21, 2020 @ 10:21 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Mobile payments wallet provider GCash has reportedly been chosen by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in the Philippines to distribute funding for training to local residents. TESDA has joined many other businesses and organizations that are using the GCash platform to carry… Read More

December 21, 2020 @ 8:20 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The long lines in front of ATM machines have now become a rare sight as Chinese consumers are increasingly using their smartphones to complete transactions, instead of making cash payments, according to a report from China Daily. Many people claim they can’t even recall when… Read More

December 20, 2020 @ 4:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Chinese authorities may consider further tightening control over large Fintech companies by restricting or limiting the number of banking institutions they can work with, according to the Securities Times which cited recent statements from a former Chinese finance minister. As first reported by Bloomberg, bad… Read More

December 19, 2020 @ 7:13 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Citi (NYSE:C) is developing a new marketplace of third-party Fintech platforms and services. The bank has reportedly signed data access agreements to customer-approved accounts with 8 startups and data aggregators. Citi’s clients will be offered a secure way to share their account details with various… Read More

December 19, 2020 @ 5:59 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Brazilian lending firm Creditas has secured $255 million in capital as Fintech startups across Latin and South America continue to attract large investments. Creditas’ credit portfolio has reportedly surpassed 1 billion reals (appr. $196.66 million) and this latest funding round will value the firm at… Read More

December 19, 2020 @ 3:59 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Indonesian tech giant has reportedly paid around $159.5 million for shares in an Indonesian bank (PT Bank Jago) – which is part of a major Fintech deal. Gojek is competing with ride-hailing app provider Grab which is also focused on establishing regional Fintech services. Gojek… Read More

December 19, 2020 @ 1:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Fintech-focused venture capital mega-rounds ($100 million+) reached a record high this year, according to a report from research firm CBInsights. With just a couple of weeks left in Q4 2020, the CBInsights team took an early look at the global Fintech investment trends taking place… Read More

December 17, 2020 @ 12:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Fintech is expected to play an important role in Saudi Arabia’s efforts to further diversify its economy, according to commentary from the nation’s Budget 2021 report. Padmini Gupta from Fintech Rise notes in an update published by Arab News that sustained support this year from… Read More

December 14, 2020 @ 10:49 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The US-Qatar Business Council (USQBC), the Silicon Valley Forum and the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Washington DC recently held a discussion during a virtual event on December 8, 2020, titled “Qatar in Focus: Smarter Countries & Thriving Communities in the Digital Age.”… Read More

December 14, 2020 @ 9:23 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Four in five or 80% of Fintech companies in the ASEAN region are focused on expanding their operations following the COVID-19 outbreak. ASEAN member countries include Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. A report from UOB, PwC… Read More

December 14, 2020 @ 8:28 am By Omar Faridi  |  

  The year 2020 has seen a dramatic shift towards all-digital platforms and services following the COVID-19 outbreak. Many businesses across the globe have accelerated their digital transformation strategies in order to maintain operations in a post-COVID environment. By necessity and also by design, companies… Read More