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.
Latin America and the Caribbean
- Cross-border digital payments company PPRO acquires Latin American payments provider allpago.
- Executives from financial cooperatives in Latin America meet with Denver, Colorado-area credit union leaders as part of immersion program sponsored by the World Council of Credit Unions’ Pasantia Tecnica.
- Brazilian government and bank and insurance regulators agree to establish a regulatory sandbox to support fintech and insurtech development.
Asia-Pacific
- Vietnam-based payments firms Vimo Technology and Vietnam MPOS Technology merge to become NextPay.
- Learn more about Vietnam’s fintech ecosystem in this Fintech Startup Vietnam Map.
- Indonesian fintech provider Achiko announces plans for direct listing on the SIX Swiss Exchange.
Sub-Saharan Africa
- African Development Bank launches £100 million fintech fund focused on growing financial inclusion.
- Ventureburn takes a look at the Nigerian fintech startup scene.
- African payment service provider (PSP), DPO Group, introduces Africa’s first B2B prepaid, virtual and physical payment card: the DumaCard.
Central and Eastern Europe
- “Hi Oleg!” Russia’s Tinkoff launches new voice assistant for its banking app.
- Fintech Futures features Poland’s Braintri in a discussion of how fintechs are leveraging real-time data to help banks improve the customer experience.
- Are regulations in Hungary an obstacle to fintech innovation? BNE Intellinews considers the case of Hungarian payments company Barion.
Middle East and Northern Africa
- S&P Global Ratings gives Gulf Cooperation Council countries the edge over their neighbors in the Middle East and Africa when it comes to the fintech adoption rates.
- PayU acquires Turkish fintech Iyzico for $165 million.
- Citi launches its MENA 2019 Challenge.
Central and Southern Asia
- Indian challenger bank, Payzello, goes live.
- Tez, a digital, non-bank microfinance startup based in Pakistan, took home $100,000 in prize money after winning the FinTech Challenge at the inaugural Visa Everywhere Initiative for Women.
- Inc42 looks at the how India’s current fintech boom is contributing to financial inclusion.