Tag: Techs & Fintechs Insights

tech fintech insights

The Asia-Pacific Circle publishes timely Asia-Pacific Fintech Insights and Thought Leadership. This page regroups all the thinking and food for thought published by our expert contributors in relation to APAC Fintech developments. Are you looking for more general Asia-Pacific Financial Insights? Have a look at our contributors’ thoughts!

Do you have an opinion, analysis or insight to publish? Please get in touch!

Read our Asia-Pacific Tech & Fintech Insights:

Snapshot of the Hong Kong consumer payments industry – 2019

In this Asia-Pacific Insight, new technologies expert Warwick Pearmund provides a snapshot of the Hong Kong Consumer payments industry for the year 2019. Pearmund's analysis shows an important competition between major actors. "Whilst Hong Kong may lag in mobile payments adoption versus China", he writes, the growth of mobile solution versus cash and card, will increase at pace.

Open Banking Won’t Bring Financial Inclusion to Hong Kong unless…

In this Asia-Pacific Insight, Fintech & transformation expert Nick Grenham explores recent developments related to open banking, virtual banks, Open API policy and financial inclusion in Hong Kong. While Hong Kong has made significant efforts lately to further develop its fintech policy framework, indeed questions remain as to whether recent initiatives will have enough teeth to change the lives of the many who still have limited access to finance in one of Asia's major financial cities. Open banking won't bring financial inclusion to Hong Kong, Grenham writes, unless...

Technology & China: Where do we stand?

In this Insight, Fargo Group Managing Director and French External Trade Advisor Paul Clerc-Renaud analyzes the current technology landscape of China. Paul explores the issue through various lenses, starting with the idea that the microchip and semiconductors sector currently are China's greatest technological weakness. He considers the related strategic, market control and future development aspects of the issue, and he elaborates on those sectors in which China is at the forefront: Telecoms, ICT & Internet services or Fintechs, Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing. Not to forget new energies, transportation or aeronautics. He concludes, overall, on the idea that R&D and Education represent the nexus of the current technological war.

Hong Kong SFC’s regulatory framework for virtual assets & cryptos?

In this Asia Financial Insight, Jack Chia and Antoine Martin comment on the recent release by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of a framework on the regulation of virtual Assets. Understand, cryptocurrencies and related investments. The initiative goes in the right direction, they conclude, and might help position Hong Kong as a moving-forward financial place. Considering the complexity currently surrounding Digital Assets and cryptos, indeed, regulating portfolio managers and fund distributors could bring certainty and trust to the market. The challenge, however, will consist in building a framework applicable to crypto exchanges, which remain the unregulated actor in the industry.

The South Korean Crypto Industry Ties Asia Together

In this Asia-Pacific Insight, Daniil Danchenko and Bitnewstoday.com explore the influence of South Korean technology on the cryptocurrencies market. While Asia as a whole plays a major leadership role when it comes to crypto and blockchain development, insights on which parts of Asia are the most productive and forward-moving have a weight. In the author's opinions, in fact, South Korea is a real leader in the field, to the extent that if there are innovations to be found out there, South Korean technology is most likely to be involved. And the reason for this is clear: the Koreans know that they need to keep innovating if they want to stay …

Digital transformation talks: “China is the future of digital technology”

Ashley Galina Dudarenok is one of the key experts and opinion leaders on digital marketing strategy and social media in China. In this Asia-Pacific Insight, she explores the question of digital transformation in China, from technology developments to marketing strategy, she explains how she sees change happening. Ashley is very optimistic about digital developments and has lots to say about digital marketing developments, but her key take is very simple: "China is the future of digital technology". Read the interview for more.

HKMA Open API Framework: What it means for Hong Kong Banks

On July 18th, 2018, the HKMA released its Open API Framework as a means to promote the development of Hong Kong's Fintech, banking and financial services industry. The initiative has been commented widely, and the idea that new applications will now be made available is often used as a conclusion. In this Asia-Pacific financial insight, Antoine Martin goes through the HKMA's Open API Framework document to explain its ins and outs. After a careful analysis of the document, he concludes that the stakes are much higher than mere flexibility. Especially considering the regulatory and financial burden to be imposed on banks.

Blockchain and Quantum Computing Transformation: New Paths for China?

In this Asia-Pacific Business Insight, Gilbert Réveillon, Christophe Granier and Paul Clerc-Renaud explore the idea that new technologies have the power to impact us in ways we have not yet considered... especially as far as China is concerned. As of today, China is at the forefront. China invests heavily in supporting the development of Blockchain and quantum computing know-how, and in the field, the Chinese BATXHJs (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, Xiaomi, Huawei, JD) are already competing with the American GAFAs (Google s, Apple, Facebook, Amazon) when it comes to technological domination… fighting for supremacy. The question, in other words, is not to figure out whether China is making progress. It is to …

Virtual banks in Hong Kong: HKMA Guideline seeks Smart Virtual Banking

Asia-Pacific Financial Markets Insights: Antoine Martin analyses the recent release of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's (HKMA) Revised Guideline on Authorization of Virtual Banks. Hong Kong is one of the world's leading financial places, yet the city's banking offer is limited for many. This move by the HKMA creates a significant new potential from a financial services perspective, but there is more. The Revised Virtual Banks Guideline has several objectives. First, opening access to financial services to non-banks. Second, solving a market deficiency which so far has left many citizens un-banked. Third, pushing Hong Kong's Fintech policy a little further. Keep reading for more.

Are Governments Perverting the Spirit of Cryptos?

In this Asia-Pacific financial Insight, Antoine Martin analyzes recent regional cryptocurrency developments and asks why governments seem so keen on developing their own sovereign digital currencies lately. He concludes that, somehow, the original spirit of cryptocurrencies - avoiding state interference - is being distorted by a variety of initiatives aimed at creating sovereign digital currencies.

China bans ICOs & Crypto-currency exchanges: some trends.

In this Asia-Pacific financial insight, Antoine Martin comments on recent moves against Bitcoins, Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) and crypto exchanges by China's financial authorities. From speculation controls to ambitious political projects, the relationship between China, Bitcoins and cryptocurrencies in general is complex. This Insight aims at bringing some clarity to the debate.

The Future of Fintech in Hong Kong: the FSDC’s fintech hub business plan

Asia-Pacific Fintech Insights: In may 2017 the FSDC released a Report named The Future of Fintech in Hong Kong as a means to help promoting the development of Hong Kong Fintech industry. The report has been commented widely, but it was mainly interpreted as pointing to the limits of Hong Kong's Fintech policy. In reality, however, this document is more like a business plan and roadmap on, as its title suggests, the future of Fintechs in Hong Kong. Hence, it deserves more attention.