Global fintech funding in 2017 represented continued excitement for the sector, with Q4 funding of $8.7 billion providing the propulsion to surpass the $31 billion mark.
With the sector raking in this significant sum in 2017 it has attracted a global investment of $122 billion in the past three years alone, and there is no sign of interests waning.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, blockchain specifically was a major driver of VC investment in the space in 2017, also supported by strong investment in insurtech. These insights have been provided in the latest KPMG Pulse of Fintech report.
“The global fintech market has advanced considerably over the past few years,” says Ian Pollari, Global Co-Lead, KPMG Fintech. “As the sector matures, investors have shifted from experimenting with fintech to seeking out value-driven opportunities. This is particularly true for corporates who continue to invest and see fintech as a strategic play that will help accelerate their digital transformation agendas.”
Investment was found to flow most heavily into the United States, taking in two-thirds of the global investment in Q4 2017, a conclusion to the year that left the U.S. responsible for half of the 2017 global investment in the sector.
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“The fintech market is continuing to expand and evolve,” says Murray Raisbeck, Global Co-Lead, KPMG Fintech. “So much is happening – from the increasing focus on insurtech and blockchain, to the ramifications of maturing companies, such as challenger banks, looking to expand and grow. With regulations changing, particularly in Europe – 2018 will likely be an exciting year.”
A recent study from London & Partners found that the UK is also making great strides in contributing to the global total, gaining record VC investments in 2017. Some feared Brexit would have an impact on emerging sectors in the UK, but investments between the first and third quarter of last year eclipsed those of the year prior to the EU Referendum by 100 per cent.
