Key fintech trends for 2023 in Singapore

Traditional banks are no longer the only institutions that could offer banking-like services. Other companies that provide their customer base with these services are referred to as embedded banking solutions.

More and more companies are beginning to provide services like e-wallets and payment solutions.

With the growth that embedded banking is seeing, theoretically, your company could offer embedded banking solutions and be considered a fintech company.

One of the fintech industry trends that you will be seeing rise in 2023 is embedded banking solutions in more businesses.

One of the popular embedded banking solutions that are seeing a huge rise is BNPL, which is short for Buy Now, Pay Later.

While the pay later model has garnered a lot of criticism for encouraging people to make reckless purchases that could put them in debt, it’s still growing in popularity.

BNPL in the retail and e-commerce sectors, particularly, is enticing for many potential customers. With its often interest-free model, BNPL is set to be part of the fintech future trends in 2023.

With the pandemic, contactless payments have been increasingly becoming more popular. Many businesses now go as far as no longer accepting cash payments, preferring the contactless method instead.

Instead of paying in cash, you’re more likely to see people paying on their smartphones by scanning a code and entering the amount that is due.

Fintech industry trends suggest that contactless technology will only grow even more, with Singapore being one of the countries seeing a high adoption rate of contactless payments.

One of the biggest trends in fintech that keeps on growing is digital banks, which are often referred to as neo-banks. Digital banks don’t have a physical presence and only exist in virtual spaces.

The lack of assets needed to grow means that they can achieve growth faster, often offering out loans at low-interest rates or allowing you to gain high-interest rates for your savings.

In Singapore, neo-banks are looking to target segments that are deemed underserved, such as gig economy workers or micro businesses.

The fact that the fintech industry is always growing and evolving means that regulations surrounding fintech will also evolve at a similar pace to keep up.

Regulations change and grow to reduce the number of financial crimes related to fintech industry trends that were previously not regulated.

However, the downside of regulations always evolving is that it becomes difficult for businesses to always stay in compliance with the new regulations.

RegTech, or Regulation Technology, is one of the B2B fintech trends that offer tech-driven solutions to help your business navigate the regulations and stay in compliance with them. 

Fintech growth means that banking and other financial services are being revolutionized and shifting toward a more technological approach.

While this can be a good thing for many, there are people who are being left behind in this shift, namely the senior population and in more rural areas where people may not be as familiar and well-versed in tech.

Many government institutions and companies are trying to mitigate this and get as many people as possible on board. As a global financial hub, Singapore is prioritizing financial inclusion for everyone.

With Singapore being one of the top countries when it comes to this initiative, you are sure to see more growth in financial inclusion in the midst of fintech industry trends in 2023.

SaaS fintech products have been multiplying in Singapore in recent years. It is one of the fintech industry trends with some of the fastest growth.

Many SaaS products don’t just stick to becoming payment services but have instead expanded into entire operating systems and platforms that offer financial services like loans, cards, and even expense management.

In the B2B space, SaaS products have enabled other businesses to grow faster. Given its significance, this trend will continue to grow as one of the B2B fintech trends in 2023. 

The growth of contactless payments has popularized a particular payment method in the form of mobile payments. Many companies have come up with applications that enable peer-to-peer payments without cash or cards.

With mobile payments, you can pay for rides, food, and even send money to other people all through your smartphone. Payments both online and in-store becoming hassle-free are surely going to be one of the biggest trends in fintech.

In the modern age, you can no longer deny that blockchain companies are growing increasingly fast.

At the moment, cryptocurrencies are seen as high-risk investments, but as the risks go down and it becomes safer to invest in, blockchain companies will only continue to grow.

Many Singaporean youths regard cryptocurrencies positively, which shows that it is likely that blockchain will not only continue to grow but also eventually drive the Singapore fintech scene. 

Considering that Singapore is a global financial hub, many Singaporean fintech firms are well-connected with partners and customers who operate globally.

With many international partners having regional offices in Singapore, the Singaporean fintech industry is looking at cross-regional accessibility to connect with more markets around the world.

In 2023, fintech industry trends in Singapore are likely to include more access to global customers and partners.

Funding isn’t always easily accessible for every fintech firm, even with the growth in investment that the fintech industry has seen in 2022.

For many startups, especially, approaching funding can be tough in the beginning. However, fintech firms can still look for funding opportunities in several places to mitigate this challenge.

If you are a fintech startup, for example, you can try secure funding from venture capitalists, or apply for a government-led initiative that could provide funding for fintech businesses.

There are also programs where your business can apply for mentorship to help grow your business in the midst of all the fintech industry trends. 

As the fintech market grows, local regulations regarding the industry and the technology being used will grow along with it. Regulators will start to familiarize themselves with the kind of businesses that are popping up within the fintech market.

Where these types of businesses might have had more lax regulations previously due to the novelty of it all, this may eventually not be the case anymore.

If you wish to follow the fintech industry trends for your business, you’ll also have to make sure that you are aware of all the regulations regarding it and comply with them.