https://www.scmp.com/rss/512284/feed Pamela Mar is executive vice-president, Knowledge and Applications, at the Fung Group. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Pamela Mar,Barbara Meynert Pamela Mar,Barbara Meynert Not a week goes by without more news about fintech as a driver of financial inclusion. Google reports around 1,000 news items about “fintech and financial inclusion” in the past 24 hours, and over 12,000 in the past seven days alone. Fintech mergers and acquisitions reached a new high of US$348.5 billion in 2021, while private equity investment in fintech reached new highs as well. Banks are among the key players, often through dedicated venture or sandbox arms. In 2018, 92 per cent of people in... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3177341/fintech-asia-must-go-beyond-mobile-payments-be-inclusive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3177341/fintech-asia-must-go-beyond-mobile-payments-be-inclusive?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 May 2022 01:45:11 +0000 No one would claim that global finance is democratic. Markets are networks that tend towards concentration, to an extent never seen before. Google has 4.3 billion users, accounting for over 90 per cent of internet users, with a market value of US$1.7 trillion. Of the US$117.3 trillion in assets held by the world’s top 100 banks at the end of 2021, 62 per cent belonged to the top 30. The top two stock exchanges (the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq) account for 45 per cent of the total market... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3175066/how-technology-can-help-democratise-access-finance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3175066/how-technology-can-help-democratise-access-finance?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Apr 2022 19:30:15 +0000 Last year was a banner year for sustainable finance, with the creation of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), managing over US$130 trillion in assets, sustainability bond issuance up to US$1 trillion, and record inflows of more than US$120 billion to environmental, social and governance targeted funds. Indeed, there seems no shortage of cash for ESG. Does this mean the global transition to a low-carbon economy is on track? Yes and no. For sure, mobilising finance to reward... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3173220/how-ensure-small-businesses-get-funding-needed-green-development?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3173220/how-ensure-small-businesses-get-funding-needed-green-development?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Apr 2022 19:30:19 +0000