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March 9, 2020 • Issue 20:03:01

Prosper and scale with

professional investors

and consumers alike both in developed and developing
markets, which is why we keep seeing an increase in
fintech activity."

The Accenture study also found an uptick in the 2018 deal
count. "The number of fintech deals also grew significantly,
to 3,251 globally ‒ up approximately 19 percent from
2017 ‒ as venture capital investors, private equity firms,
traditional banks and insurers combed the world for the
newest technologies in payments, banking and wealth
management," researchers wrote.

A crowded stage
Global thirst for investment capital has inspired Shark Tank-
style competitions for tech startups that present solutions
to judging panels and prospective investors, partners and
customers. The Finovate conference series, launched in
New York in 2007, features seven-minute fintech demos on
a big stage. The conference has expanded internationally,

By Dale S. Laszig with events in London, San Francisco, Berlin, Cape Town,
as well as locations in Dubai and Asia.
he race to make digital commerce faster, safer
and easier takes money, talent and technology.
Accenture reported global fintech investments
T rose to $55.3 billion in 2018, doubling 2017 Contributed articles inside by:
activities. Researchers attributed growth to escalating
valuations in China, which accounted for $26.7 billion of
overall funding, and growing demand for digital banking Brandes Elitch ........................................................................................20
and payment solutions.
Dee and Emily Karawadra .................................................................32
"Even if you discount the massive [$14 billion dollar] Ant Connie Spencer-Adams ......................................................................36
Financial transaction, we'd still have a record year for global
fintech fundraising, with strong activity in many corners Nicholas Cucci ........................................................................................38
of the world, so these are broad-based gains," said Piyush Max Miller ................................................................................................39
Singh, managing director, financial services in Asia-Pacific
and Africa at Accenture. "It's hard to tell whether we'll be Adam Atlas ..............................................................................................40
able to keep up with this pace of torrid growth, but one
thing is for sure: Many investors have woken up to the fact TOC on page 3
financial technology can add a lot of benefits to businesses

Continued on page 30