As Finovate goes increasingly global, so does our coverage of financial technology. Finovate Global: Fintech News from Around the World is our weekly look at fintech innovation in developing economies in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Central and Eastern Europe.
Africa
- Block Commodities, Walla, Dala, and FinComEco partner in new initiative to leverage cryptocurrencies to fund loans to African farmers.
- Standard Chartered opens fully licensed bank in Côte d’Ivoire.
- Nigerian fintech startups to compete for annual mCash Prize for Innovation in Fintech, sponsored by the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NBSS).
LATAM
- Santander unveils new blockchain-based international wire transfer service for Brazilian consumers.
- Digital bank Wanap goes live in Argentina (in Spanish).
- El Financiero looks at the potential impact of a Mexico-like fintech law on fintech innovation in Costa Rica (in Spanish).
CEE
- OTP Bank in Hungary partners with ACI Worldwide to power its digital transformation.
- Sberbank and SAP team up to complete cloud-based digital transformation project.
- Efigence powers concept, UX, and design for BGŻOptima Bank’s new portal.
Asia
- Fintech Malaysia lists its 14 Names You Should Know to “highlight some of the movers and shakers within the fintech space in Malaysia.”
- Ernest & Young executive predicts sharp rise in number of Vietnamese fintechs and “heightened investor interest.”
- Research agency BMI says infrastructure, growing affluence, and high mobile and broadband use suggest Malaysia could be world leader in Islamic financial technology.
MENA
- MENA Research Partners estimates the value of the MENA Fintech market at $2 billion, with an annual growth of $125 million over the next four years.
- Daily News Egypt discussed Egypt’s commitment to digitize its economy with Visa CEO Alfred Kelly.
- Emirates NBD integrates blockchain technology into cheques to fight fraud and forgery.