Finovate Global is our weekly look at fintech innovation in developing economies in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Central and Eastern Europe.
Middle East and Northern Africa
- UAE-based payments company Finablr prepares for a $200 million IPO.
- Emirates NBD launches its WhatsApp Business Solution.
- Awok.com, a mass market ecommerce platform based in the UAE, raised $30 million in Series A funding.
Central and South Asia
- Indian fintech BharatPe secures $15.5 million in Series A round to help provide UPI QR codes to merchants.
- TechCrunch: PayU’s $70 million acquisition of Wibmo signals the company’s interest in the Indian market.
- Entrepreneur India takes a look at what investors like about Indian fintech.
Latin America and the Caribbean
- Brazilian SME lender Weel raises $30 million courtesy of investment from Franklin Templeton.
- Mexico’s Banco BASE partners with Volante Technologies for end-to-end payment processing solutions.
- PaymentsJournal reviews the surge in the number of new unicorns among Latin American fintech startups.
Asia-Pacific
- TurnKey Lender receives accreditation from the Singapore government’s IMDA, a certification that enables companies to expand into international markets easier.
- WeLab, a Hong Kong based mobile lender, earns virtual banking license.
- Fintech Singapore features its list of the top 10 fintech firms in Thailand for 2019.
Sub-Saharan Africa
- The ecommerce marketplace known as the “African Amazon,” Jumia, begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
- Top African finance app Branch lands $170 million in financing led by Foundation Capital and Visa.
- Nigeria-based bank agent network Kudi raises $5 million in Series A.
Central and Eastern Europe
- Microblink introduces new document scanning app, BlinkCard.
- Estonia to bid for developing national ID system, PhilSys, in the Philippines.
- Fiserv helps Hellenic Bank streamline payments.