The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is working with the Japanese government to develop a database that will measure the creditworthiness of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country.
News via Manila Times.
 

After the 2008 financial crisis, FinTech leveraged the opportunity to address the needs of SMEs when banks could not. The solutions and innovations presented by FinTechs were crucial and came from digital-only neobanks/digital banks. 

Read more here via Medici.

The #agriculture sector plays a critical role in the livelihoods of people around the world – yet it’s facing an uncertain future. mall- and medium-sized enterprises (#SMEs) in the agriculture sector will be an essential part of any solutions to these challenges. 
Article via Next Billion.

Binance To Launch Regional “Libra-Like” Currency; Coinbase Left 3K User Passwords Unprotected. The company announced its plans to initiate an open blockchain project, Venus, an initiative to develop localized stablecoins and digital assets pegged to fiat currencies across the globe. 

News via Pymnts.com

Women in Africa are more likely to be in the labor force than women in other regions. But female-owned businesses typically operate in more crowded markets, they have fewer employees, lower average sales, and less value-added. New research shows that female entrepreneurs can build larger and more profitable companies when they operate in male-dominated sectors. Meet some of these African women who are breaking the mold and venturing into construction and manufacturing.

Ridesharing giant DiDi Chuxing will expand its presence in the Chinese financial and fintech sectors with the launch of its own private bank in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin, according to a report from Xinliu Caijing.

Anglo-Gulf Trade Bank is a collaborative venture between AGTB Holdings Limited, a Rowland family-controlled company, and Mubadala Investment Company.  It’s headquartered in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and facilitates trade between the Middle East, Asia, and the UK.  AGTB partnered with Publicis Sapient and Microsoft to design a digital trade bank. Microsoft provided the infrastructure and digital tools and Publicis Sapient provided the strategic digital transformation expertise and integration.

P2P lending and fintech companies are subjected to strict regulations holding back the creative disruption of financial services. Article via Financial Post.

 

Despite all the hype around fintech and cryptocurrencies, financial innovation still generates a particular degree of skepticism. Nonetheless, financial innovation has brought both the investing world and the broader financial services sector to generate products and innovations designed to deliver positive impacts for both society and the planet. Read more in this article via Next Billion.