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
- Flywire and UnionPay International partner to provide Chinese customers with better rates on cross-border payments.
- Leading southeast Asian digital cross border money transfer firm InstaReM goes live in Europe with new London office.
- South Korean payments app Toss raises $40 million in funding.
Middle East and Northern Africa
- Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) teams up with Startupbootcamp as part of an effort to boost Dubai’s status as a regional fintech hub.
- AME Info asks if Saudi women and UAE crypto can alleviate Bahrain’s debt crisis.
- VentureBurn features Egyptian savings startup Money Fellows.
Africa
- Elizabeth Rossiello, CEO and founder of Nairobi, Kenya-based BitPesa, talks about leveraging cryptocurrencies to improve global payments in Africa.
- South Africa’s ITWeb features features Richard Marsden, co-founder of Johannesburg-based FinChatBot on the rise of chatbot technology in the insurance industry.
- Branch International reports N1 billion ($2.78 million) in loans facilitated to users in Nigeria.
Latin America
- Brazil’s Nubank reaches milestone of 1.5 million digital account openings in six months.
- Latin American Regional Conference sponsored by Swift sees collaboration as fundamental for growth of financial services in Latin America.
- Brazilian insurtech startup Kakau partners with insurance companies American Life and Generali.
Central and Eastern Europe
- Kontomatik appoints CEO Piotr Warsicki as its new CEO.
- Poland’s Alior Bank partners with solarisBank, Raisin, and Mastercard to launch pan-EU digital bank later this year.
- The largest bank in the Czech Republic, Česká spořitelna introduces voice biometrics courtesy of partnership with Nuance Communications.
