Fintech, Open Source, and Emerging Markets

Technological innovation is disrupting many venerable institutions but nowhere is the impact more striking than digital and mobile technology in financial services. This report examines the multifaceted role of FinTech in emerging economies, where billions of people live at the lower tier of the economic pyramid—especially in Africa. You’ll discover why countries such as Kenya and Tanzania offer incredible market opportunities for FinTech investors, startups, and developers right now.

In emerging economies, where 80% of adults are unbanked and lack access to formal banking services, FinTech enables financial inclusion and creates a world of social good through financial education and entrepreneurial activity. While cash still reigns supreme as an exchange medium, mobile devices are ubiquitous. Digital services such as M-Pesa enable users to send and store money, run businesses from their phones, and connect to expanded horizons.

This report reveals why:

• The explosive growth of FinTech and mobile platforms, coupled with receptive populations, makes emerging markets a hot opportunity
• M-Pesa is currently the world’s most widely used mobile-money transfer and financial network
• FinTech has a socially transformative impact on previously unbanked adults in Africa—especially women
• The use of APIs by banks, in partnership with fintech firms and telecoms, will change the industry model
• Mobile data is the silent engine driving financial inclusion and will spark innovation and new use cases to reshape the financial industry