-
Can ‘fintech’ innovations impact financial inclusion in developing countries?
May 15, 2017 Editor 0
Financial technology, “fintech,” has been reshaping the financial services industry with the level and speed of innovation that’s simply fascinating.
A month ago, my colleagues and I attended the 5th Annual Lendit USA conference to check out about the latest innovations and thinking in this field and see how we can apply it to our work.
There is growing interest in trying to figure out this new industry and take advantage of the opportunity. Now billed as the largest Fintech industry meeting in the world, Lendit organizers started this event four years ago with about 200 participants. This year’s event attracted more than 5,000 people.
We work on various areas of financial inclusion and are interested in new ways that can help expand access to financial services to hard-to-reach populations and small businesses in developing countries.
We returned with a new appreciation for the magnitude of change that is coming, and how quickly it could occur – and already is in some instances. Some innovations will help developing countries leapfrog into this new tech era. This could have a significant – and potentially highly positive – impact on financial inclusion, and fundamentally change the nature of financial infrastructure.
However, these opportunities come with potential risks, such as those related to (un)fair lending practices related to unmonitored use and analysis of big data or increased systemic vulnerabilities due to threats to cybersecurity.
Related Posts
Key lessons for policymakers from China’s financial inclusion experience
Building deposit insurance systems in developing countries
Leveraging ‘suptech’ for financial inclusion in Rwanda
Human Capital as Source of Innovativeness in Subsistence Small Businesses
Championing interoperability for financial inclusion: carrot or stick?
New G20 White Paper explores the fast-evolving role of standard-setting bodies for financial inclusion
Categories: World Bank PSD
The impact of OFDI on firm innovation in an emerging country Emerging market multinationals, international knowledge flows and innovation
Subscribe to our stories
Recent Posts
- Entrepreneurial Alertness, Innovation Modes, And Business Models in Small- And Medium-Sized Enterprises December 30, 2021
- The Strategic Role of Design in Driving Digital Innovation June 10, 2021
- Correction to: Hybrid mosquitoes? Evidence from rural Tanzania on how local communities conceptualize and respond to modified mosquitoes as a tool for malaria control June 10, 2021
- BRIEF FOCUS: Optimal spacing for groundnuts in smallholder farming systems June 9, 2021
- COVID-19 pandemic: impacts on the achievements of Sustainable Development Goals in Africa June 9, 2021
Categories
Archives
Popular Post-All time
- A review on biomass-based... 1k views
- Can blockchain disrupt ge... 795 views
- Apply Now: $500,000 for Y... 791 views
- Test Your Value Propositi... 749 views
- Prize-winning projects pr... 721 views