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.
LATAM
- Startupbootcamp FinTech Mexico City scouts for promising fintech startups in Latin America for next incoming cohort.
- HID Global to support biometrics adoption throughout Latin America.
- Partnership with Itaú Unibanco brings Apple Pay to consumers in Brazil.
CEE
- Digital gaming marketplace Kinguin and mobile operator Play launch direct carrier billing in Poland via Fortumo.
- Revolut announces plans to expand its services to Romania in May.
- Kyiv Post celebrates diversity and achievement in fintech with its 8 Ukranian Women in Fintech: The Stories of Success feature.
Asia
- Singapore-based peer to peer lending marketplace Funding Societies scores $25 million in Series C, the largest amount raised by a P2P lender from Southeast Asia.
- South Korea’s third-largest cryptocurrency exchange slated to go live in Indonesia in June.
- Singapore startup Silot raises $2.8 million in Pre-Series A funding.
MENA
- Is the decline in correspondent banking activity hurting Islamic financial institutions? A report from the General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions says “yes.”
- BBVA-backed Garanti Bank sponsors the first blockchain workshop in Turkey.
- ADGM and Plug and Play open for business with new office in Abu Dhabi.
- Checkout becomes the first PSP to accept payments via Saudi Arabia’s billion-transactions per year domestic network, mada.
