Mahi Sall, Advisor, Fintech-Bank Partnerships, Payments and Financial Inclusivity
January 25th, 2023
EY Canada | John La Place | June 4, 2019
Financial technology (FinTech) adoption among consumers has nearly doubled over the past 18 months, according to the latest EY Global FinTech Adoption Index, and the adoption rate is growing faster than anticipated. Globally, 64% of digitally-active consumers across 27 markets use FinTech, and awareness is even higher.
This year, the EY organization added the first-ever Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise (SME) FinTech Adoption Index given FinTech’s expansion beyond consumers. EY member firms surveyed more than 1,000 organizations in five countries and found that one-quarter of organizations have used at least one FinTech across the following four categories in the past six months: banking and payments, financial management, financing and insurance.
“FinTech organizations are no longer fringe disruptors and have grown into sophisticated competitors,” said Matt Hatch, Partner, Ernst & Young LLP and the EY Americas FinTech Leader.
“Now, financial incumbents are taking note and offering FinTech solutions, forming ecosystems that are replacing traditional partnerships. We fully expect this trend to accelerate as nonfinancial companies enter the space and leverage technology and innovation to provide frictionless, transparent and highly-personalized services.”
EY firms interviewed more than 27,000 people to better understand how consumers are interacting with FinTech, and the results are promising. Based on the survey results, money transfer and payments services continue to be the most popular in both awareness and adoption, as only 4% of global consumers are unaware of at least one money transfer and payment FinTech service. Adoption rates continue to lag in the US, while Europe’s investments in open banking have contributed to higher adoption rates in that region.
SMEs are further behind in their adoption journey compared to consumers. When an SME uses FinTech services, they have essentially selected this company as an approved vendor, so 25% is considered high, and the adoption rate is expected to climb. Over one-fifth (22%) of non-adopters already use FinTech services in three of the four categories defined in the survey methodology, which means they are on the verge of becoming FinTech adopters. By this measure, the global adoption rate could surge from 25% to 64%.
The survey indicates that trust plays a large role in FinTech adoption, as non-adopters choose to remain with traditional financial services because they trust them more than FinTech challengers. Many FinTech propositions rely on data sharing, which can present a barrier for adoption.
Nearly half (46%) of adopters are comfortable with their primary banking institution sharing their financial data with other organizations if it means better offers on products or services, but less than a quarter (23%) would share data with nonfinancial services companies.
This trust gap creates a huge opportunity for financial institutions and FinTech challengers, as 31% of adopters say they are willing to share data with FinTech challengers. Although nonfinancial services companies might lead innovation, they don’t have full confidence when it comes to providing financial services.
Still, 68% of surveyed consumers are willing to consider a financial services product offered by a nonfinancial services company.
The SME FinTech Adoption Index found similar trends. SME FinTech adopters are also more open to sharing data with FinTech companies (89%) and other financial services companies (70%) over nonfinancial services companies (63%).
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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