6
Chapter
LEVERAGING GLOBAL INNOVATIONS IN FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY IN AFRICA

Financial technology (fintech) refers to a broad range of technological innovations that enhance or change the way financial services are provided. The inno­vations typically include crowdfunding, insurance, budgeting software, blockchain (and cryptocurren­cies), electronic payments and transfers, and robo-advisors and trading applications. Fintech development has been fuelled by breakthroughs in mobile networks, big data, trust manage­ment, mobile embedded systems, cloud computing and data analytic techniques, which have changed service delivery for both personal and commercial finance (Gai et al., 2018).