Fintech 2.0. What is driving the massive evolution in global financial technology?

Today’s fintech sector is worth billions, if not trillions, of dollars with a growth that sees no signs of slowing down. Its global penetration has continued to disrupt the way traditional finance services operate, and many now consider us to be entering a period dubbed Fintech 2:0. But what are the drivers of this growth? A new report from Money 20/20, a fintech networking platform, outlines the following:

Macro-environment

There is a consensus that the slowdown in the past year’s economy will turn around and enter a fierce growth period enabled by fintech. Regulations will act as a driver for stability and growth and authenticity will be vital for success.

Technology

Instead of distribution of services, technology will be used in new use cases to build digitally native financial services. Technology developments will continue to accelerate, and combined with market timing, offer a unique opportunity. Cloud and decentralized architectures combined with powerful APIs will initiate a revolution, hidden from the eyes. Product or service efficiency will be a requirement from investors and user experience will be the main differentiator.

Information

Improvements in information technology such as bandwidth and edge computing have enabled information to be executed in real-time. These changing computers and data architectures will allow real-time decisions.  It will provide a great opportunity for companies to create more efficient and enjoyable user experiences. Data quality over quantity will be driven by control and privacy efforts.

Applications

Applications will provide the opportunity to challenge existing ways of offering financial services and get inspired by other industries to offer seamless experiences. Finance will develop its own digitally native finance infrastructure which will substantially influence treasury, wholesale payments, and ID and fraud management. Adapting products and services to fit customers’ needs across the supply chain will be crucial, and new product value propositions will be communicated via phone screens or smart speakers.