A total of $12.7bn was invested in global fintech during the first half of 2015, which equates to 25% of the total invested since 2010, research from consulting firm William Garrity Associates has found.
Investment forecasting platform nVest Ventures attributed the surge to changing consumer behaviour. For instance, in the UK the number of people using mobile payments has risen from 12% in 2014 to 14% this year.
The investment in Europe stands at $9.8bn with 55% of that ($5.4bn) being pumped into the UK alone, which accounts for 11% of the overall global investment.
The biggest player globally when it comes to fintech is the US, accounting for 64% ($31.6bn) of the overall global investment. India, China and the rest of the world make up 16% ($8bn) of the total investment, however they are quickly catching up as smartphone and internet access increase.
The three main investment areas, representing 60% of the total investment figure ($29.8bn), are payments, loans (peer-to-peer and direct) and cyber security (including identity and fraud prevention).
Ian Dowson, principal at William Garrity Associates Ltd., said: “Fintech companies are now entering mainstream capital markets and are quoted on the London and New York’s stock exchanges.
“However, the impact of fintech is not limited to advanced economies, even in its first evolution it has been instrumental in bringing financial services to many tens of millions that were previously unbanked in sub-Saharan Africa using mobile banking and money transfer services such as M-PESA and M-Shwari (Smartloan).”