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.
Asia-Pacific
- Chinese fintech solutions provider Pintec files $70 million IPO.
- Shwe Rural and Urban Development Bank in Myanmar partners with JMR Infotech to better scale its online services.
- Hong Kong banks team up to launch blockchain-based trade finance platform.
Sub-Saharan Africa
- The Fintech Association of Nigeria celebrates its first anniversary.
- Disrupt Africa looks at a pair of investments in Nigerian fintechs: CowryWise and Bitcoin Africa.
- SophiaTX and South Africa’s ArkTree announce new strategic alliance to expand the global reach of blockchain technology
Central and Eastern Europe
- Hungarian bank MKB, the fourth largest commercial bank in the country, deploys Oracle Flexcube to streamline operations.
- Open banking platform innovator Token announces that its technology has been implemented by Sberbank in Slovenia.
- Israel-based cashless payments solution and management platform Nayax opens office in Lithuania.
Middle East and Northern Africa
- Jihad Azour, Director of IMF Middle East and Central Asia, delivers a speech at the Arab Economic Forum in Lebanon: Promoting the Inclusive Growth Agenda in the Arab Region.
- Saudi Arabia grants its first set of fintech licenses to a pair of Saudi crowdfunding platforms, Manafa Capital and Scopeer.
- Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) notes a strong start in 2018 with the number of active registered companies climbing by 8%.
Central and South Asia
- Study from JP Morgan looks at the untapped opportunities in the Indian fintech space.
- FSS introduces FSS eFinclusiv, a financial inclusion solution geared toward serving the underbanked in India.
- Russia’s National Settlement Depository to connect Kyrgyzstan’s Bank of Asia to SWIFT.
Latin America and the Caribbean
- El Cronista interviews Rafael Hernandez, senior partner of fintech at Village Capital, on business opportunities in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In Spanish.
- Brazilian online broker Toro Investmentos begins operation this week.
- Bank of Asia goes live as the first digital bank in the British Virgin Islands.