2018 was an exciting year for fintech around the world with many developments across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Worldwide, fintech companies raised a whopping US$57.9 billion through 875 deals in the first six months of 2018 alone, already surpassing 2017’s results.

From Switzerland to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Singapore, the following 12 infographics showcase the state of fintech around the world.

The Evolution of Fintech

Usually, when we talk about fintech, the first things that come to mind are the cutting edge technologies poised to transform the financial landscape such artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain. But actually, fintech can be traced back to as far as 1865 with the birth of the pantelegraph, a system used to verify signatures in banking transactions.

In this infographic/animation, we sum up this detailed Dealbook/New York Times article covering the evolution of fintech from the creation of the pantelegraph in France, the launch of the global telex network and the first automated teller machine (ATM), to the first online brokerage, online banking and cryptocurrencies.

 

Swiss Fintech Startups Map – 2018 Christmas Edition

Every month, Swisscom publishes its Swiss Fintech Startup Map which lists all of Switzerland’s fintech companies.

For this 2018 Christmas edition, the firm identified 293 ventures, highlighting the rapid growth the Swiss fintech ecosystem, and most particularly the cryptocurrency and blockchain space with 84 companies making it the most popular segment of fintech in Switzerland.

 

 

Swiss Fintechpoly 2018

Monopoly, one of the world’s favorite board games and part of international popular culture, has seen many variants and versions emerge since its creation in 1903, including our very own Swiss Fintechpoly where instead of buying properties like the original version, you get to acquire Swiss fintech startups and banks.

This version of the popular board game, targeted at fintech nerds, features some of Switzerland’s hottest fintechs such as as wealthtech startup Additiv, crowdlending platform CreditGate24, and online factoring platform Advanon, but also some of the most active banks in the space including Hypothekarbank Lenzburg, Glarner Kantonalbank, Credit Suisse, and UBS.

 

Swiss Fintech World Cup Football Team 2018

During the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia in June and July, we determined what we thought would make the perfect football team but turn it into a fintech version. Because why not!

Swiss fintech players we selected include Crypto Finance, Bexio, and NetGuardians. Our substitute team consisted of Apiax, PriceHubble and TrueWealth.

 

Top Funded Fintechs in Asia by Country 2018

Asia has emerged in the past years as a fintech powerhouse as the region is poised for technology transformation across many different sectors including the financial sector.

Home to two of the largest and fastest growing economies and a young, digitally-savvy population, the region has many things going on for it and many investors have taken notice.

In this infographic dated November 2018, we showcase Asia’s most well-funded fintech companies by country. These include Ant Financial in China, PolicyBazaar in India, and Viva Republica in South Korea.

 

Hong Kong Fintech Map 2018

Hong Kong boasts a huge network of customers, funding opportunities, is an easy market for doing business and is home to a supportive government working towards establishing the city into a leading fintech hub.

Thanks to a great number of government initiatives such as the Virtual Banking license, the Open API Framework and the several regulatory sandboxes allowing firms test innovative products in controlled environments, the Hong Kong fintech ecosystem has grown tremendously these past years, attracting both foreign startups and investors.

The Hong Kong Fintech 2018 infographic by Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), a government body tasked to facilitate inward investment, compiles the city’s fintech ecosystem including the startups, financial institutions, regulators, venture capital firms, and innovation labs.

 

Singapore Fintech Startups Map 2017

In Southeast Asia, Singapore is undoubtedly the fintech leader supported by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) which has been busy establishing a favorable environment for fintech innovation that fosters collaboration.

In this infographic, we showcase Singapore’s fintech startups ecosystem as of November 2017. The ecosystem comprises companies operating in varied segments from payments, wealthtech and lending, to blockchain, personal finance and crowdfunding.

 

Malaysia Fintech Startups Map 2018

Healthy economic fundamentals, high penetration for both Internet and smartphones, and the presence of a growing fintech startups ecosystem have fueled the growth of the Malaysian fintech industry.

As of July 2018, Malaysia had 166 fintech companies operating across the payments, cryptocurrency, blockchain, crowdfunding, wealthtech, and insurtech segments, among others.

 

Fintech in Singapore vs. Fintech in Malaysia 2017

Singapore and Malaysia share a common history but also a certain sense of rivalry. When it comes to fintech, both countries have been actively working towards establishing a healthy ecosystem, launching favorable regulations and initiatives, and both have witnessed significant fintech developments in the past years.

In this infographic, we take a look at the fintech landscape in Singapore and the fintech landscape in Malaysia, and objectively compare both ecosystems:

 

Indonesia Fintech Startups Map 2018

Indonesia, the largest economy in Southeast Asia with an estimated population of over 260 million people and growing mobile phone and Internet penetration rates, has a booming fintech sector with digital payments and peer-to-peer lending as its top two sectors.

According to the Indonesian Fintech Association, there were 31 licensed digital payment services providers and more than 60 P2P lending companies registered with the Financial Services Authority as of August 2018.

In this infographic, we provide an overview of the Indonesian fintech startups ecosystem.

 

Vietnam Fintech Ecosystem 2017

Though not as developed as its ASEAN counterparts, Vietnam’s fintech industry is rapidly evolving. One area in particular that’s witnessed significant growth is digital and mobile payments.

In the first three quarters of 2018, cashless payments more than doubled in value, with transactions over mobile apps and digital wallets rising by an impressive 126% and 161% respectively, according to the Department of Payments at the State Bank of Vietnam.

As of 2017, Vietnam was home to about 70 fintech companies. This infographic gives an overview of the Vietnamese fintech landscape as of June 2017.

 

 

UAE Fintech Startups Map 2018

In the Middle East, the UAE has emerged as a fintech nexus, aided by government agencies and regulators working together to turn the country into a global fintech powerhouse.

These are driving a range of initiatives aimed at fostering a burgeoning fintech ecosystem including regulatory sandbox the RegLab, fintech accelerator the Fintech Hive, and Dubai’s 2020 blockchain ambition.

The following infographic looks at the UAE’s fintech startups scene.

 

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