Funding for fintechs: patterns and drivers

This special feature examines trends in equity funding for financial technology firms (fintechs) and the underlying country-specific drivers. Fintechs have raised over $1 trillion in equity globally since 2010. While the investment landscape was initially quite concentrated, it has become more diverse, both geographically and across market segments. Equity funding for fintechs is higher in countries with more innovation capacity and better regulatory quality. It also increases after the introduction of regulatory sandboxes. Early-stage venture capital investment is higher after merger and acquisition activity by large banks, but not after that by big techs.