Future of Global Fintech Second Edition 2025

Recognizing the importance of perspectives on the future of the global fintech market, this study concluded with views from fintechs on topics that may shape the industry in the next five years. Fintechs’ perceptions on fintech industry development in the next five years FIGURE 34 CBDC74% 23% 3% Regional interoperability 53% 37% 10% Embedded finance 52% 39% 9% Open banking/ open finance49% 44% 7% Big data and cloud solutions 46% 40% 14% Blockchain technology and DeFi32% 48% 20% Sustainable and green finance/climate finance31% 39% 30% 23% 42% 35% Most relevant Relevant Less importantAI in finance As in the first study, AI was the top issue, with 74% of fintechs deeming it “most relevant”. This  trend was consistent across all regions and verticals. This is unsurprising given the sustained attention the technology commands and recent advancements in the field. The second most relevant topic reported was regional interoperability, with 53% of fintechs rating it as most relevant and another 37% as relevant. Embedded finance followed closely, with 52% considering it most relevant and 39% deeming it relevant. At the bottom, the ranking remained unchanged from the last study, with central bank digital currency (CBDC), sustainable and green finance, blockchain technology and decentralized finance (DeFi) remaining the least important topics at 35%, 30% and 20%, respectively. Figure 35 shows the top three most relevant topics by vertical, with interesting differences. AI ranked first across most verticals, except digital capital raising, where regional interoperability was found to be most relevant. Digital banking and savings, digital payments and insurtech firms had above- average recognition of AI’s relevance at 86%, 81% and 76%, respectively. Embedded finance and open banking/open finance ranked among the top three most relevant topics in digital banking and savings and digital lending, reflecting these verticals’ reliance on API integrations and embedded features. Meanwhile, regional interoperability was more relevant to digital capital raising (67%), digital payments (78%) and wealthtech (57%) firms. Finally, sustainable and green finance was among the most relevant topics for insurtechs (48%), while big data and cloud solutions and blockchain technology and DeFi completed the top three across various segments. AI ranked first across most verticals, except digital capital raising, where regional interoperability was found to be most relevant.Key industry issues in the next five years The Future of Global Fintech: From Rapid Expansion to Sustainable Growth 46