Mexico FinTech Landscape

This document describes the Mexico FinTech landscape, approaching the analysis from a FinTech, regulatory, Investment and talent standpoint. This document serves as a snapshot of the key pillars of a FinTech ecosystem in a country and provides a good overall view of the state of FinTech at a glance. Mexico’s FinTech ecosystem has been expanding, particularly the Enterprise Technologies for Financial Institutions and Trading and Capital Markets segments. Mexico presents a considerable opportunity for FinTech to further financial inclusion as bank account ownership of those aged above 15 years is only 35% in 2017, in contrast with high levels of digital penetration - more than 60% of Mexicans possess access to the internet in 2017 and smartphones account for almost 90% of internet connections. Key Findings: - As of August 2018, Mexico hosts 334 Fintech startups. The major areas of operations of FinTechs in Mexico are Lending, Payments and Remittances, Enterprise Financial Management, Personal Financial Management, Crowdfunding and Enterprise Technologies for Financial Institutions. - Enterprise Technologies for Financial Institutions and Trading and Capital Markets segment are the fastest growing sub-sectors at 130% and 100% y-o-y growth respectively. FinTech Mexico, the country’s FinTech association, offers a collaboration space for companies with the aim to improve financial services for all. - Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores (CNBV) supervises and regulates all financial institutions including banks, non-bank finance companies, stockbrokerage houses and mutual fund companies, among others. - In 2010, it launched a three-prong strategy to promote financial inclusion: 1. New products: low transactional and mobile accounts; 2. Increasing availability of channels: introduction of banking agents; 3. Innovative risk-based regulation: mobile payment regulation - On March 10, 2018, the Law regulating Financial Technology Institutions ("FinTech Law") became effective. The law creates a regulatory framework applicable to persons who, through IT platforms or tools, facilitate the execution of financial transactions and services, whether through FinTech institutions ("FTI"), entities authorized to operate through regulatory sandbox models, or any authorized Mexican financial entities ("Financial Entities"). - Mexican FinTechs have attracted investment from local and global investors alike. Most well-known deals include the US$89 million round raised by the lending platform Konfio, led by Vostok Emerging Finance; the US$7 million raised by Curu, led by QED Investors; or the US$6 million round raised by ePesos, led by Santander Innoventures. Banks have set up funds to invest in FinTech. For example, Santander launched the $100 million fund Innoventures in July 2014 to get closer to the wave of disruptive innovation in the FinTech space.Read less