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 Eastern Europe
- Revolut announces recruitment initiative in Kraków, Poland to hire 100 new workers in a single day employment in its offices in Eastern Europe.
- Forbes features Tinkoff Bank in look at Russia’s efforts to develop its digital economy.
- Polish financial group Aforti Holdings to launch non-bank lender for SMEs and startups in Romania.
Asia
- Banks in South Korea to introduce blockchain based identity verification for mobile and online logins. The technology is reportedly built on a private blockchain system developed by Samsung SDS.
- Daon Partners with Tradelink to Bring Biometrics to Dah Sing Bank.
- Bank of Thailand is developing and testing blockchain apps in its regulatory sandbox.
Middle East and Northern Africa
- Financial technology services firm, One Global, discusses plans for expansion into Egyptian market.
- ADGM Reglab reports record number of fintech applications for its third cohort.
- Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange turns to Equifax for advice on development of new technologies to improve operational efficiency.
Africa
- TransferTo, Orange Money Botswana, and EcoCash partner to support digital money transfers between Zimbabwe and Botswana.
- IMF review of South Africa suggests “increased focus on the role fintech …” could access to credit for SMEs and promotion broader financial inclusion.
- Nigerian startup, Piggybank.ng, raises $1.1 million to further develop its online savings platform.
Latin America
- Diario Financiero interviews Ángel Sierra, executive director of La Asociación Fintech Chile, on digital innovation (video in Spanish).
- TransferWise initiates service in Argentina.
- PayU goes live in Colombia with its PayU te fía (PayU You Trust) solution that enables borrowers to extend repayment terms (in Spanish).