The COVID-19 pandemic has driven a step-change across the European payments industry. We’ve seen an acceleration of cashless payments across markets where cash has historically been dominant. And an exponential increase in e-commerce activity as consumers were forced to stay at home during national lockdowns
Technology has soared during the COVID crisis, but the outlook for fintech funding has been mixed, as investors prioritized surety, especially during the pandemic’s early days. Although fintech funding experienced a pronounced drop during the first half of 2020 across VC, PE and M&A, it has recovered impressively, auguring well for 2021.
Cryptocurrencies have circulated for a while but are still plagued by scepticism. Recently, cryptos have received endorsements from high-profile advocates, and the credibility of this asset class is growing—along with its prices. What are the top cryptos, where are their prices heading, and are they worth serious investor consideration?
Some people and business owners still do not have bank accounts, most in rural communities of developing nations. But the situation is improving as technology opens doors to financial inclusion for the previously excluded. In what specific ways is increased banking access being achieved, with governments working alongside financial firms?
COVID-19 has strained every part of India’s society, including its financial sector. Small businesses are suffering, but banks (many owned by the government) are hesitant to lend. For India to get back on the road to recovery, institutional finance is crucial. Policy steps in the right direction are being made, but more needs to be done.
Crises inspire metamorphic change, and that’s happening in banking as we trudge through a pandemic. Can banks do more than boost their digital transformations—and bottom lines? Can they be the foundation of building back better? It starts in the community, providing services to everyone, without regard to race, gender, economic status.
Banking and baking have much in common: They both require the right ingredients combined perfectly to achieve success. In their quest to realize the full potential of automation technology to manage data, banks face a vast selection of ingredients. What specific innovations should they employ when creating integrated platforms that work?
If further evidence was needed, the successful £322m fundraising by UK’s Starling Bank is a clear signal that digital-first newcomers will continue to force change in the banking industry, impacting long-established banking brands. To find their way back to the surface of this maelstrom of change, a step-change in traditional banks’ revamping of legacy technologies must be a priority.
With useful data and information piling up in the financial realm, firms can use all the help they can get to more efficiently compile and employ it. Automation, which manifests itself in many forms, is a must for financial institutions. Natural language processing translates words into useful tools and applications that enable financial companies to be more compliant, profitable and sustainable and is experiencing increasing adoption in the financial industry.
Silicon Valley, London and Beijing come to mind in response to the phrase tech hub, but around the world, promising and trailblazing tech hubs are springing up in a number of locales, especially in Asia and Africa. This article examines three emerging, highly competitive tech hotspots—Singapore, Bengaluru and Kenya—that are drawing start-ups and talent and giving the leading tech mega-centres a run for the money, including venture-capital investment.