The first-quarter of 2016 has seen global fintech investment surging to 67 percent year-over-year to $5.3 billion. The majority of investments were allocated to ventures in Europe and Asia.
In their latest report on the fintech sector, professional services company Accenture stated that in Asia-Pacific, fintech investment more than quadrupled in 2015 to $4.3 billion. The lion’s share of those investments took place in China ($1.97 billion) and India ($1.65 billion).
In the first three months of 2016, APAC investments increased by 517 percent compared to the same period last year – $445 million to $2.7 billion – driven almost entirely by Chinese fintech investments.
Fintech Maturing
The report also identified a growing number of “big ticket” deals in the global fintech sector, as it begins to mature. In 2015, there were 94 fintech deals larger than $50 million, compared to 52 in 2014 and just 15 in 2013.
«The drive for fintech innovation is spreading well beyond traditional tech hubs, the so-called «Fourth Industrial Revolution» is a global phenomenon that brings new innovation and digital companies that compete and collaborate with traditional financial services. Bank customers stand to gain from this.» said Richard Lumb, Accenture’s group Chief Executive, Financial Services.
Disruptive vs. Collaborative
According to the report, collaborative fintech ventures, those primarily targeting financial institutions as customers, are gaining ground over so-called «disruptive» players that enter the market to compete against those institutions.
The report found that while the disruptors may compete against banks at first, they often end up aligning with them through investments, acquisitions and alliances.
Global Fintech Investment Grew 75 percent in 2015, exceeding $22 Billion.
