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Asia-Pacific fintech market to reach US$72 billion by 2020, finds Frost & Sullivan
Active support and initiatives by financial regulators such as the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Bank Negara Malaysia and Bank Indonesia has enabled the Asia-Pacific Fintech ecosystem to grow significantly in 2017.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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China’s Ant plans equity fundraising at potential $100 billion valuation – sources
Ant’s last fundraising in 2016 valued the owner of Alipay, China’s top online payment platform, at about $60 billion. The new round should start with a valuation of between $80 billion to $100 billion, the people said.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Asia Pacific
- Tags
- digital payments, fintech
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What Blocks The Success Runway For Fintech Startups In India?
Despite adequate funding and an unprecedented growth of 135% in just two years, most fintech startups are grappling with inefficiencies in multiple operations. However, with India slowly but surely making the transition towards a cashless economy, access to internet services, and increasing transparency in transactions, the outlook for the future is most certainly robust.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- fintech, regulations, startups
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Is Mobile Money Killing Off the Group Microfinance Model (And Would That Be Such a Bad Thing)?
SAJIDA Foundation, an NGO and microfinance provider in Bangladesh, recently took the bold step of going cashless. But shifting to mobile money meant the end of group meetings – the locus of traditional microcredit for decades. The NGO was betting on clients embracing this new approach, but after the initial rollout, it noted some troubling downsides along with the expected benefits. Ashirul Amin of BFA explores the pros and cons SAJIDA has encountered in its cashless journey, and how it is responding with a hybrid method that blends old and new.
- Categories
- Finance, Impact Assessment
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Apple brings Alibaba-linked payment system into China stores amid market push
Apple Inc will accept Chinese mobile payment app Alipay in its local stores, boosting its ties with giant e-commerce firm Alibaba Group Holding Ltd amid a push by the iPhone maker to revive growth in the world’s No.2 economy.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Asia Pacific
- Tags
- digital payments, fintech
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What’s Ailing Sri Lanka’s Microfinance Industry – And Could Fintech Provide a Solution?
In Sri Lanka, microfinance interest rates can be as high as 72 percent – outpacing even loan sharks, whose rates average around 40 percent. This often traps clients in severe debt and perpetuates cycles of poverty – while MFIs themselves often enjoy high profits, low expenses and lack of competitive pressure. Suthaharan Perampalam and Mithula Guganeshan of Sparkwinn explore the potential of fintech (and better regulations) in changing this dynamic.
- Categories
- Finance, Impact Assessment
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Harnessing the Potential of Digital Finance for Women
Sixty-two percent of the world’s adult population now has access to a bank account. But in spite of this progress, gender gaps in digital and overall financial inclusion are increasing, and there's a growing awareness that access alone doesn't equal empowerment. Madji Sock and Katrina Kwan of Dalberg Advisors discuss strategies to close this growing gap and ensure that women are not left behind by the digital revolution in financial services.
- Categories
- Finance
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WhatsApp is hurting mobile revenue growth in Africa—and telcos want to fight back
Unlike in more advanced markets, phone operators in sub-Saharan Africa are still investing in adding voice users which along with SMS text messages drives the majority of revenue. The region is expected to add another 100 million subscribers in the next three years. This is all happening as smartphone penetration and mobile-data networks also grow—and with more users starting to use apps like WhatsApp, Messenger and Skype.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa