{"id":16558,"date":"2022-01-19T07:53:53","date_gmt":"2022-01-19T07:53:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bulletins.bfconsulting.com\/?p=16558"},"modified":"2022-01-20T10:57:45","modified_gmt":"2022-01-20T10:57:45","slug":"bfc-fintech-monitor-1st-18th-january-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bulletins.bfconsulting.com\/en\/bfc-fintech-monitor-1st-18th-january-2\/","title":{"rendered":"BFC FinTech Monitor (1st \u2013 19th January)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Stay up-to-date on all the latest FinTech news and information from around the world in the BFC FinTech Monitor.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Around the World<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>#Research<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>According to a new analytical report published on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfcw.com\/whats-new-in-payments\/banks-to-pilot-biometric-payment-cards-in-india-poland-iraq-mexico-lebanon-and-egypt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NFCW<\/a>, biometric cards will soon become a priority for financial institutions operating in Egypt, India, Iraq, Lebanon, Mexico and Poland due to agreements signed with Norwegian biometric solutions provider Zwipe.<\/li>\n<li>American analytical company\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biometricupdate.com\/202201\/biometric-payment-card-market-forecast-for-155-percent-cagr-through-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mordor Intelligence<\/a>\u00a0is predicting that the global market for biometric cards will reach USD 1.69 billion by 2026.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/thepaypers.com\/cards\/prepaid-card-transactions-to-exceed-usd-41-trillion-by-2026-globally--1253788\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Juniper Research<\/a>\u00a0expects that the volume of transactions on prepaid cards will exceed USD 4.1 trillion by 2026 due to prepaid cards starting to replace cash as a payment instrument as the digital payments ecosystem begins to include consumers who do not use financial services.<\/li>\n<li>A study by software developer\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/cloudcomputing-news.net\/news\/2022\/jan\/12\/majority-of-malware-downloads-come-from-cloud-apps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Netskope<\/a>\u00a0has found that more than 2\/3 of malware downloads in 2021 were cloud apps. Most such downloads were completed via Google Drive.<\/li>\n<li>The African\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/thepaypers.com\/cryptocurrencies\/blockchain-research-institute-partners-with-standard-bank--1253883\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Blockchain Research Institute<\/a>\u00a0is planning a study to identify the opportunities, challenges and implications of using blockchain in various aspects of life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>#Cryptocurrencies, Blockchain and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>American automaker Tesla has started accepting the cryptocurrency\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/business-60001144\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dogecoin<\/a>\u00a0as payment for merchandise (accessories, branded clothing, etc.). Following the announcement, the value of Dogecoin rose 30% in one day.<\/li>\n<li>According to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2022-01-07\/paypal-is-exploring-launch-of-own-stablecoin-in-crypto-push\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bloomberg<\/a>, PayPal\u2019s payment system is preparing to issue stablecoins; however, a potential release date remains unknown.<\/li>\n<li>Ex-Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has announced the creation of a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.engadget.com\/jack-dorsey-bitcoin-legal-defense-fund-142546580.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">non-profit legal defense fund<\/a>\u00a0for bitcoin developers.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/markets\/europe\/nft-sales-hit-25-billion-2021-growth-shows-signs-slowing-2022-01-10\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NFT<\/a>\u00a0sales reached USD 25 billion in 2021, up from just USD 94.9 million one year earlier.<\/li>\n<li>Eduardo Pais, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), has\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bnnbloomberg.ca\/rio-de-janeiro-wants-to-become-brazil-s-cryptocurrency-capital-1.1707791\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announced<\/a>\u00a0the creation of the city\u2019s own cryptocurrency, into which the city will invest 1% of its treasury.<\/li>\n<li>Users of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/voi.id\/en\/technology\/118131\/el-salvadorans-complain-about-lost-money-in-chivo-crypto-wallets-government-is-silent\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chivo<\/a>\u00a0(El Salvador&#8217;s national crypto wallet) lost at least USD 96,000 due to unapproved transactions.<\/li>\n<li>According to a joint report from the government and regulator of Pakistan, the country is\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coindesk.com\/policy\/2022\/01\/13\/pakistan-plans-to-ban-cryptocurrencies-as-stance-hardens-reports\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">planning to ban<\/a>\u00a0cryptocurrencies.<\/li>\n<li>Estonia\u2019s Ministry of Finance has\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coindesk.com\/policy\/2022\/01\/04\/estonia-regulator-says-no-plans-to-ban-crypto\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">denied rumors<\/a>\u00a0of a planned ban on cryptocurrencies in the country, stating: \u201cThe legislation does not contain any measures prohibiting consumers from owning or trading virtual assets.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/estonia-share-crypto-experience-with-us-identify-best-practices-digital-assets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Consumers<\/a>\u00a0also do not need to share keys to their wallets.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Staking and crypto lending in Japan will now be\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/cryptonews.com\/news\/japanese-tax-body-updates-crypto-guidelines-for-staking-lending-but-not-nfts.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">taxed<\/a>\u00a0the same way as cryptocurrency mining.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2022\/01\/12\/kim-kardashian-and-floyd-mayweather-sued-over-alleged-crypto-scam.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">EthereumMax<\/a>\u00a0investors have filed a lawsuit against Kim Kardashian. The suit alleges that the creators of EthereumMax and some celebrities artificially inflated the price of the cryptocurrency through \u201cfalse or misleading claims\u201d on social media.<\/li>\n<li>Swiss crypto bank\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WeAreSEBA\/status\/1481249654310416391?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1481249654310416391%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcoinpost.ru%2Fapi%2Fembed%2Ftwitter%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FWeAreSEBA%2Fstatus%2F1481249654310416391\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SEBA<\/a>\u00a0has raised USD 120 million in Series C funding.<\/li>\n<li>The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/news\/associated-press-to-launch-polygon-based-photography-nft-platform\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>\u00a0will start selling photos in an NFT format through the Polygon blockchain marketplace, which is scheduled to launch on January 31, 2022.<\/li>\n<li>Samsung\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2022\/1\/2\/22858698\/samsung-2022-tvs-nft-support-announced-cryptocurrency\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">plans<\/a>\u00a0to launch NFT-enabled smart TVs this year.<\/li>\n<li>A group of US banks has formed a consortium to issue a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/USDFConsortium\/status\/1481331324690436096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1481331324690436096%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fforklog.com%2Fgruppa-amerikanskih-bankov-sozdala-konsortsium-dlya-vypuska-stejblkoina%2F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USDF stablecoin<\/a>, which will be pegged to the US dollar at a ratio of 1:1. It will be possible to exchange the stablecoin for fiat currency at any consortium bank.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>#Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Visa will partner with blockchain company\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/usa.visa.com\/visa-everywhere\/blog\/bdp\/2022\/01\/13\/envisioning-a-future-1642034573970.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ConsenSys<\/a>\u00a0to develop a module that will help regulators and financial institutions test applications related to the use and implementation of CBDCs.<\/li>\n<li>The People&#8217;s Bank of China has launched a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.finextra.com\/newsarticle\/39461\/chinas-digital-yuan-wallet-arrives-in-android-and-apple-app-stores\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Digital Yuan<\/a>\u00a0Wallet on both Google Play and the App Store for digital yuan payments. In the future, support for the Chinese CBDC will also be added to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2022\/01\/06\/chinas-digital-currency-comes-to-tencents-wechat-in-expansion-push.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WeChat<\/a>\u00a0messenger. Chinese authorities have also\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2022-01-10\/china-offers-digital-yuan-at-olympics-to-test-overseas-appeal?hv98rebe034978ing867cry78pto00\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">banned<\/a>\u00a0competitors of the digital yuan (Alipay and WeChat) in the Olympic Village, where it is being tested.<\/li>\n<li>The Bank for International Settlements (BIS), in collaboration with the Swiss regulator, has successfully tested the integration of wholesale\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.finextra.com\/newsarticle\/39508\/core-banking-systems-get-cbdc-treatment-with-project-helvetia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CBDC<\/a>\u00a0settlements with the systems of five financial institutions.<\/li>\n<li>Jerome Powell, US Federal Reserve Chairman, has stated that CBDCs can coexist with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/blockworks.co\/fed-chair-powell-cbdc-and-stablecoins-can-coexist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">stablecoins<\/a>, promising a to submit a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/news\/jerome-powell-says-report-digital-185331389.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report<\/a>\u00a0on the digital dollar within the next few weeks.<\/li>\n<li>The UK Parliament has questioned the wisdom of issuing a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/committees.parliament.uk\/committee\/175\/economic-affairs-committee\/news\/160221\/central-bank-digital-currencies-a-solution-in-search-of-a-problem-report-published\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">digital pound<\/a>, with the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee concerned that a CBDC could pose serious problems for financial stability and privacy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>#Miscellaneous<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Singapore-based fintech startup\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.prnewswire.com\/news-releases\/thunes-partners-with-the-world-economic-forum-to-power-innovation-in-payments-infrastructure-301457787.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Thunes<\/a>\u00a0will partner with the World Economic Forum (WEF) to close systemic inequalities in access to financial services, particularly by introducing innovations to payment and market infrastructures.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.finextra.com\/newsarticle\/39492\/revolut-launches-as-a-bank-in-10-western-european-countries\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Revolut<\/a>\u00a0has launched deposit insurance up to EUR 100,000 in ten European countries following the issuance of a specialized banking license the company received in Lithuania.<\/li>\n<li>British fintech startup\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/fintech-startup-checkout-com-scores-40-billion-valuation-in-latest-share-sale-11641988805?mod=lead_feature_below_a_pos1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Checkout.com<\/a>, which allows companies to accept various types of payments from different countries via the internet, has been valued at USD40 billion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Russia<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Central Bank of Russia plans to start collecting data from from controlled entities on transfers between individuals within the Russian Federation. According to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bloomchain.ru\/newsfeed\/smi-bank-rossii-nashel-sposob-okazat-davlenie-na-kriptoobmenniki\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bloomchain<\/a>, this will allow the regulator to better deal with crypto exchangers. Additionally, Alexander Bastrykin, head of the state Investigative Committee, has called for the mandatory\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/rg.ru\/2022\/01\/13\/bastrykin-prizyvaet-vvesti-obiazatelnuiu-identifikaciiu-polzovatelej-kriptovaliut.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">identification<\/a>\u00a0of cryptocurrency owners.<\/li>\n<li>A\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vedomosti.ru\/economics\/articles\/2021\/12\/28\/903128-u-bankov-mogut-zabrat-biometriyu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">mechanism<\/a>\u00a0for transferring biometrics from financial institutions to the state system will be developed this year. It is worth noting that financial and other commercial organizations will not be able to keep copies of this data for themselves.<\/li>\n<li>Olga Skorobogatova, first deputy chairman of the Central Bank of Russia, has announced that a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.interfax.ru\/business\/810417\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">prototype for a digital ruble<\/a>\u00a0platform is now ready and that testing will begin on it sometime this month.<\/li>\n<li>Tinkoff Bank&#8217;s parent company TCS Group Holding has\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/thebell.io\/vladelets-tinkoff-banka-kupil-kriptobirzhu-v-shvejtsarii\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bought<\/a>\u00a0a stake in the Swiss cryptocurrency project\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/incrussia.ru\/news\/tinkoff-aximetria\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Aximetria<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Ukraine<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Alexander Bornyakov, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation for IT Development, has\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coindesk.com\/layer2\/2022\/01\/11\/the-mnuchin-files-new-documents-shed-light-on-trump-era-crypto-policy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">appealed<\/a>\u00a0to US authorities regarding the withdraw of a number of bitcoin exchanges from the Ukrainian market. The issue stems from issues in identifying users from Crimea.<\/li>\n<li>Fintech Farm, founded by Dmitry Dubilet (the co-founder of Monobank and Koto), has raised USD 7.4 million in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2022\/01\/13\/fintech-farm-nabs-7-4m-to-launch-neobanks-in-nigeria-and-other-emerging-markets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">investments<\/a>. Within two years, the company plans to launch neobanks in eight countries throughout Africa and Asia. The first country for a planned launch is Nigeria, which is expected within a few months.<\/li>\n<li>Monobank has\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/oleg.gorohovsky\/posts\/5279580395403909\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">introduced<\/a>\u00a0a new service interface that will allow its clients to trade on the stock market, which will be functional for users by the end of the month.<\/li>\n<li>Oleg Gorokhovsky, co-founder of Neobank,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/psm7.com\/security\/psevdoservisy-ot-monobank-goroxovskij-predupredil-o-novoj-sxeme-xishheniya-deneg.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recently warned<\/a>\u00a0about a new money theft scheme in which scammers launch various fake services on a network allegedly linked to Monobank.<\/li>\n<li>Internet-of-things (IoT) startup OMO, which offers smart home solutions, has entered the US market.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Kazakhstan<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Assel Urdabayeva, partner in KPMG&#8217;s auditing practice in Central Asia,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/kapital.kz\/finance\/101938\/kakiye-vyzovy-zhdut-finansovyy-sektor-kazakhstana-v-2022-godu.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">discusses<\/a>\u00a0the challenges Kazakhstan&#8217;s financial sector may face, including tax risks, cancel culture and cyber threats.<\/li>\n<li>Kazakhstan&#8217;s financial sector\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/kapital.kz\/finance\/101619\/v-2021-godu-bankovskiy-sektor-kazakhstana-lishilsya-chetyrekh-igrokov.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lost<\/a>\u00a04 players in 2021. As of January 1, 2022, only 22 banks are operating in the country, with 14 of them having foreign participation.<\/li>\n<li>In collaboration with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/kapital.kz\/finance\/101937\/btsk-zapustil-perevody-v-lyubyye-banki-po-nomeru-telefona.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Visa<\/a>, CenterCredit has become first Kazakhstani financial institution to launch fast transfers by phone number to any bank.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kapital.kz\/business\/100266\/superprilozheniye-zoodpay-poluchilo-38-mln-v-ramkakh-finansirovaniya-serii-b.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ZoodPay<\/a>&#8216;s super app has received USD 38 million in Series B funding, which will enable it to expand its presence in Kazakhstan by offering instant online installment payment solutions.<\/li>\n<li>The Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market has\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/kapital.kz\/finance\/101903\/banki-vozobnovlyayut-rabotu-svoikh-otdeleniy.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announced<\/a>\u00a0that banks can now reopen their branch locations and ATMs in Kazakhstan as they now have enough equity capital and liquidity to provide a full range of services.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/secretmag.ru\/news\/protesty-v-kazakhstane-obrushili-kurs-bitkoina-mainery-zadumalis-ob-ukhode-iz-strany-07-01-2022.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cryptocurrency miners<\/a>\u00a0may start leaving Kazakhstan following protests in the country, which shut down the internet and resulted in about 15% of the world\u2019s mining capacity ceasing temporarily.<\/li>\n<li>Tayyab, an Islamic fintech startup from Kazakhstan,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/kursiv.kz\/news\/kursiv-guide\/2021-12\/kazakhstanskiy-fintekh-tayyab-planiruet-vykhod-v-turciyu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">plans<\/a>\u00a0to enter the Turkish market.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Uzbekistan<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Central Bank of Uzbekistan has\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spot.uz\/ru\/2022\/01\/11\/fintech-guideline\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">adopted<\/a>\u00a0standards for protecting the rights of users of fintech services. In particular, the standards include the concept of \u201cdigital financial services\u201d and related key terms important for ensuring the protection of rights.<\/li>\n<li>Anorbank and Payme\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spot.uz\/ru\/2022\/01\/07\/anorbank\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">have signed<\/a>\u00a0a strategic partnership agreement aimed at sharing experiences in the development of digital financial services and products.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Azerbaijan<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Visa will finance the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/thepaypers.com\/cards\/visa-and-azerbaijan-collaborate-in-digital-banking-sector--1253726\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">introduction<\/a>\u00a0of innovative payment technologies among Azerbaijani small- and medium-sized businesses, with both Kapital Bank and Expressbank already having confirmed their participation in the project.<\/li>\n<li>Kristina Dorosh, vice president and regional manager of Visa in Central Asia and Azerbaijan, has\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.trend.az\/business\/3530601.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">stated<\/a>\u00a0that the payment system is open to cooperation in the field of neobanking within Azerbaijan.<\/li>\n<li>Experts have\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/report.az\/ru\/finansy\/nazvany-osnovnye-finansovye-trendy-azerbajdzhana-v-2022-godu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">identified<\/a>\u00a0the main financial trends expected in Azerbaijan in 2022, including a change in loan interest rates, an increase in the use of bank cards and an increase in the number of available online banking services.<\/li>\n<li>The Central Bank of Azerbaijan\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.trend.az\/business\/finance\/3534889.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">plans<\/a>\u00a0on expanding its policy for introducing non-cash payments in Azerbaijan this year.<\/li>\n<li>Igor Bychek, a former top manager of the Belarusian MTBank, has\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/vc.ru\/services\/340867-on-stoyal-u-istokov-halvy-a-teper-razvivaet-superapp-v-azerbaydzhane\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">launched<\/a>\u00a0the Umico super app in Azerbaijan, which combines a number of services such as cashback, marketplace and mobile banking services.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Moldova<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>For EUR 1.7 million,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/seenews.com\/news\/estonian-fintech-co-iutecredit-buys-10-of-moldovas-energbank-768973\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IuteCredit<\/a>\u00a0has acquired a 9.9% stake in the Moldovan Energbank. IuteCredit, which also operates in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria and North Macedonia, is specialized in offering consumer loans.<\/li>\n<li>Romanian startup studio\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/start-up.ro\/fintech-ul-din-r-moldova-fagura-100-000-de-euro-investitie-de-la-v7-capital\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">V7 Capital<\/a>\u00a0has invested EUR 100,000 in the Moldovan fintech Fagura, which was previously included in Global Banking &amp; Finance Review\u2019s list of\u00a0<em>Top 100 Most Innovative and Promising Companies<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"rpbt_shortcode\">\n\n<div id='rpbt-related-gallery-1' class='gallery related-gallery related-galleryid-16558 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item' role='group' aria-label='How to identify a phishing site'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/bulletins.bfconsulting.com\/en\/how-to-identify-a-phishing-site\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/bulletins.bfconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/how-to-identify-a-phishing-site-150x150.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"rpbt-related-gallery-1-11368\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='rpbt-related-gallery-1-11368'>\n\t\t\t\tHow to identify a phishing site\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item' role='group' aria-label='Top Fintech Trends for the Second Half of 2022 (Infographic)'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/bulletins.bfconsulting.com\/en\/top-fintech-trends-for-the-second-half-of-2022-infographic\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/bulletins.bfconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/88efd819-6444-0a28-de37-4a8260eab1c41-150x150.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"rpbt-related-gallery-1-16825\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='rpbt-related-gallery-1-16825'>\n\t\t\t\tTop Fintech Trends for the Second Half of 2022 (Infographic)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item' role='group' aria-label='BFC FinTech Monitor 5th \u2013 12th July'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/bulletins.bfconsulting.com\/en\/bfc-fintech-monitor-5th-12th-july\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/bulletins.bfconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/ed446276-d3ab-4276-a5bc-3377a9203ea11-150x150.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"rpbt-related-gallery-1-15142\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='rpbt-related-gallery-1-15142'>\n\t\t\t\tBFC FinTech Monitor 5th \u2013 12th July\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stay up-to-date on all the latest FinTech news and information from around the world in the BFC FinTech Monitor. Around the World #Research According to a new analytical report published on\u00a0NFCW, biometric cards will soon become a priority for financial institutions operating in Egypt, India, Iraq, Lebanon, Mexico and Poland due to agreements signed with &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":16559,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[473],"tags":[80,399,184,35,30,70,75],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bulletins.bfconsulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16558"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bulletins.bfconsulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bulletins.bfconsulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bulletins.bfconsulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bulletins.bfconsulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16558"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bulletins.bfconsulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16558\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16576,"href":"https:\/\/bulletins.bfconsulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16558\/revisions\/16576"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bulletins.bfconsulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bulletins.bfconsulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bulletins.bfconsulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bulletins.bfconsulting.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}