How Thailand could become Southeast Asia’s next Fintech Hub
Increased adoption of blockchain technologies, Big Data and artificial intelligence would enable Thai fintechs to enhance the products and services available to existing customers but also to serve the country’s under- and unbanked consumers as well. Omise, a payment management platform founded by Jun Hasegawa and Ezra Don Harinsut, is Thai fintech’s greatest success story to date. In 2016, it raised a $17.5 million Series B round and currently operates in Thailand, Japan, Indonesia and Singapore. It’s an aspirational story that is indicative of the possibilities for other fintech startups in Thailand, given the right conditions. “Fintech startups have the potential [to] stimulate innovation across not just the Thai financial services […]
HK, Singapore rivalry hobbling Asia in $100b Fintech race
Asia’s competitiveness in fintech is being undermined by the rivalry among the region’s financial centers that has created regulatory complexity and uncertainty, a financial lobby group has warned. Governments across Asia—most notably Hong Kong and Singapore—have launched a raft of initiatives to grab a slice of the $100 billion invested in financial technology globally but the regulatory hotch-potch is making it tough for firms to scale up, the Asia Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association said in a report on Friday, PTI reported. “The regulatory landscape is very fragmented and a lot of the initiatives, though well-intentioned, are not necessarily well thought through,” said Mark Austen, CEO of ASIFMA. The […]
Addepar raises $140 million in Series D funding
Addepar, a technology provider and operating system designed to cater to financial firms, announced that it has managed to raise $140 million in a series D round co-led by 8VC, Valor Equity Partners, and QuantRes founder Harald McPike. The significant amount of funding follows the developer’s increased growth, as in under a year and a half it has more than doubled the value of assets on its platform, from $300 billion to $650 billion. A correlation has been noted, with valued wealth managers adopting the software. The new funding will assist the company in investing in R&D, the expansion of the platform and technology oriented services in order to be […]
Kasikorn Bank creates $30 million Fintech Fund
Kasikorn Bank has opened up a $30 million fund to invest in to Fintech startups, thus exemplifying the banks attitude to embrace disruptive technologies. The rapid technological developments within the financial industry has opened up new dimensions in the market, changing how customers think. People are moving towards more digital options in an attempt to improve both the quality and ease of different services. Governments are moving to acclimate laws to better encompass these new methods for business. As a result, consumers are now experiencing faster, cheaper, more secure, and more convenient services than ever before. Kasikorn Bank realizes that in order to survive in this new market, they must […]
Bitcoin price crosses $3,000 milestone to set new all-time high
The price of bitcoin topped $3,000 for the first time in history today, according to the CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index (BPI). After spending much of the last week seeking direction in the $2,700 to $2,900-range, the average price of bitcoin across major international exchanges edged up over this threshold finally at roughly 17:00 UTC. The new record comes at a time when alternative digital assets are seeing robust inflows, with ethereum’s ether token setting a new all-time high of more than $300 today as well. Indeed, analysts spoke to the ongoing broadening of the cryptocurrency market as a tide that is benefitting bitcoin. “The inflows into ‘alts’ are greater than […]
Here is the FinTech50 2017
2017’s full FinTech50 list, in alphabetical order: · Action.ai (London, UK) · Advice Robo (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · Aire (London, UK) · Algomi (London, UK) · AQMetrics (Kildare, Ireland) · Atom Bank (London, UK) · Azimo (London, UK) · Behaviosec (Stockholm, Sweden) · Bonify (Berlin, Germany) · Clearmatics (London, UK) · Clearscore (London, UK) · ComplyAdvantage (London, UK) · Contego (London, UK) · Credit Benchmark (London, UK) · Curve (London, UK) · Cuvva (Scotland, UK) · DarkTrace (Cambridge, UK) · Digital Shadows (London, UK) · Ethereum (worldwide) · FeatureSpace (London, UK) · Fenergo (Dublin, Ireland) · Figo (Hamburg, Germany) · FundApps (London, UK) · Iwoca (London, UK) · Kantox […]
UK dominates FinTech50 list of innovative financial technology firms
British FinTech firms have dominated this year’s FinTech50, a list of Europe’s most innovative financial technology companies. Some 33 of this year’s top 50 firms are based in London, cementing the UK’s position as the leader in European FinTech. The list is compiled by a panel of “industry experts” – including venture capital investors, startup founders, and European politicians – and aims to recognise firms that are “transforming financial services” at all stages of growth. 11 UK tech entrepreneurs make it on to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 listBritish firms included on the list include challenger banks Atom Bank and Monzo, InsurTech app Cuvva, and investment app LendInvest. This year’s list […]
How Credit Simple is disrupting the fintech marketing landscape
The credit industry is fiercely competitive, and major banks have strong and deeply established roots offering credit scores and advice. But New Zealand fintech startup, Credit Simple, is fast making inroads across the Tasman as well as in Australia thanks to its ability to engage customers in a more agile way. First launched in New Zealand in September 2016 and following fast success, Credit Simple debuted in the Australian market in February 2017. While the startup is a very new and relatively small fish in a big pond, its CMO, Emily Stevenson, said it’s enjoying an exciting, fast-growth trajectory. “It’s all very new,” she told CMO. “Last year, I was […]
