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.
Central and South Asia
- India-based investment app Groww picks up $6.2 million in BBVA-led Series A funding.
- Uzbekistan’s Digital Trust Fund inks deal with tokenization and securitization service provider BANKEX to bring blockchain technology to government agencies.
- Entrepreneur.com India interviews Razorpay CTO and co-founder Shashank Kumar.
Latin America and the Caribbean
- Jamaica Stock Exchange announces successful digital asset trading pilot with Canadian fintech Blockstation.
- Bolsa de Valores de Panamá goes live with new trading system from Nasdaq.
- Private equity firm Advent buys $1.42 billion majority stake in Prisma Medios de Pago, an Argentina-based payments firm.
- Mexican challenger bank Albo raises $7.4 million Series A.
Asia-Pacific
- IBM announces $250 million partnership with the Bank of the Philippine Islands.
- UNPay founder Zhang Zhenghua named as 2018 Golden Shell Award’s inaugural “Payment Industry Pioneer.”
- Hong Kong’s Atom cryptocurrency exchange, AAX, prepares for Hong Kong launch in the first half of this year.
Sub-Saharan Africa
- Absa to deploy AI to help customers in South Africa switch bank accounts.
- Nigeria’s Nairametrics lists its Fintech companies to watch out for in 2019.
- The first online insurance distribution solution in Mozambique, Askari Fintech, opens for business.
Central and Eastern Europe
- Bankart wins final approval from Slovenian Central Bank to go live with Net’s instant payment solution.
- CryptoNews looks at the rise in interest in fintech and blockchain technology in Lithuania.
- Czech fintech Twisto to launch operations in Romania.