(MENAFN- Mid-East.Info)
- Global fintech investment was US$ 105 billion in 2020 – the third highest annual total ever thanks to strong VC investment throughout the year
- US$71.9 billion in fintech investment (M & A, PE, and VC) in H2'20, compared to US$ 33.4 billion seen in H1′ 20
- US$ 42 billion in fintech-focused VC investment makes 2020 second best year ever
- Cybersecurity-focused investment quadruples in 2020 – to US$ 2 billion.
Manav Prakash, Partner, Advisory Services, KPMG in Bahrain
According to the Pulse of Fintech H2'20, a bi-annual report on global fintech investment trends published by KPMG, overall global fintech funding across M & A, PE and VC was US$ 105 billion across 2,861 deals in 2020: the third highest level of investment in fintech ever.
With the exception of M & A – which saw deal value drop over 50 percent (from US$ 130 billion in 2019 to US$ 61 billion in 2020) – the overall fintech market proved remarkably resilient in 2020 despite a broad array of uncertainties, from the global pandemic to the US presidential election. Following a short COVID-19 driven pause in H1′ 20, fintech investment bounced back strongly in H2′ 20, more than doubling from H1′ 20 (US$ 33.4 billion) to H2′ 20 (US$ 71.9 billion). The US was the dominant benefactor for fintech investment in 2020, while the payments space continued to dominate investment from a sector perspective.
Despite global uncertainty, VC investment was strong in all regions of the world. Global fintech-focused VC investment reached US$ 42 billion in 2020, including US$ 20.5 billion in H2. Both the Americas (US$ 23 billion) and EMEA (US$ 9.2 billion) regions saw record highs of annual fintech-focused VC investment. US-based wealthtech Robinhood raised the most VC funding in H2′ 20: US$ 1.3 billion across two rounds (US$ 600 million and US$ 668 million). Several digital banks also raised funding rounds greater than US$ 500 million, including Sweden-based digital bank Klarna (US$ 650 million), UK-based Revolut (US$ 580 million), and US-based Chime (US$ 533 million).
Manav Prakash, Partner, Advisory services, KPMG in Bahrain, commented on the report,
'Given the uncertain backdrop, Fintech Investments have been strong globally in H2. Overall, we see the pace of digitalization in the Financial Services Sector gather significant momentum wherein many players are bringing forward their digitalization plans, including in Bahrain. This also includes a serious evaluation of potential Fintech partners who can speed up entry into specific product segments or help reimagine the customer experience. We are also seeing a growing interest from Fintech firms wanting to establish partnerships with other institutions in Bahrain'
Mahesh Balasubramanian, Partner, Financial Services, KPMG in Bahrain stated that 'Bahrain offers an excellent ecosystem for Fintech players to establish their regional base and we are witnessing increasing interest from Fintech's wanting to expand their presence in the region. With the introduction of the Open Banking regulations and use cases, we believe this space will see more innovation and collaboration in the immediate future.'
2020 Key Highlights
- Global fintech investment was US$ 105 billion in 2020 – the third highest year on record despite a significant drop compared to US$165 billion in 2019.
- While M & A deal value dropped in the first half of 2020 (US$ 10.9 billion), it rebounded to over US$ 50 billion in H2′ 20, led by the US$ 22 billion acquisition of TD Ameritrade by Charles Schwab and the US$ 7.1 billion acquisition of Credit Karma by Intuit.
- VC investment in fintech globally rose year-over-year – from US$ 40 billion over 2,834 deals to over US$ 42 billion investment across 2,375 deals. Median VC deal sizes grew significantly for all deal stages between 2019 and 2020, including angel and seed (US$ 1.3 million to US$ 1.7 million), Early Stage (US$ 5 million to US$ 5.8 million), and Late Stage (US$ 10.5 million to US$ 15 million).
- Total fintech investment in the Americas was robust with over US$ 79 billion in investment, including US$ 58 billion in H2′ 20. The US accounted for US$ 76 billion of this total, including US$ 55 billion in H2′ 20. EMEA saw US$ 14.4 billion in fintech investment in 2020, including a record US$ 9.25 billion in VC funding. Meanwhile, fintech investment in the Asia-Pacific region dropped to the lowest level since 2014: US$ 11.6 billion.
- Corporate-participated venture investment in fintech was incredibly strong in 2020 at US$ 21 billion, with both the Americas (US$ 9.7 billion) and EMEA (US$ 4.8 billion) seeing record annual levels of CVC investment.
- Global investment in cybersecurity quadrupled – from US$ 500 million in 2019 to over US$ 2 billion in 2020.
About KPMG International :
KPMG is a global network of professional services firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. We operate in 147 countries and territories and have 219,000 people working in member firms around the world. The independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative ("KPMG International"), a Swiss entity. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such.
MENAFN11042021005446012082ID1101897259
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.