Finalists for Fintech Finals 2018 unveiled

Twenty-four startups from around the world will be competing for the chance to win a cash prize of US$10,000 at Fintech Finals 2018 in Hong Kong at the end of January, 2018. The event is part of the StartmeupHK Festival, organised by InvestHK to celebrate and showcase the startup ecosystem.

Six of the startups were winners of regional semifinal competitions that took place in fintech centres across Asia and Latin America. Each semifinal winner received US$2,000 for travel expenses alongside a place in January’s Fintech Finals. There were also three wildcards awarded to standout semifinalists who will be taking up a bonus place at the Finals.

Source: Fintech Finals 2018 website. Scenes from Fintech Finals 2017.

Each startup will have four minutes to pitch their business in front of a live audience to a panel of judges drawn from across the fintech community. As well as the Best in Show prize, awards will be given to the best performer in the following categories: Best Early Stage Startup, Best Growth Stage Startup and Best Mature Stage Startup.

In addition to the cash prize, the Best in Show winner will receive an exclusive invitation to Visa’s Innovation Center in Singapore where they will get to explore and create ideas and opportunities with a team of Visa subject matter experts.

Fintech Finals 2018 is run by global fintech community Next Money. Rob Findlay, Next Money’s founder, commented, “The third edition of Fintech Finals looks set to be bigger than ever before. We’ve seen some of the brightest startups pitch to us around the world and are now bringing the best to Hong Kong to battle it out on stage.”

Caroline Ada, Country Manager of Visa Hong Kong and Macau, said, “Innovation is at the core of what we do, which is why we’re proud to be supporting the startup community through Fintech Finals 2018. This is a great way to highlight the innovation and creativity that are helping the financial industry serve its customers better.”

The finalists competing at Fintech Finals 2018 in Hong Kong from Asia Pacific and the Middle East include six - the largest number - from Singapore. They include:

Australia

Checkbox

Identitii

TradeLedger -  a digital platform for funding

Mainland China

Xencio - cashflow management

Hong Kong

BluePool

Chekk 

Lattice

SearchInk - machine learning-based file categorisation and content mapping

Japan

Caulis

Malaysia

Fundaztic - peer-to-peer (P2P) financing

Singapore

AgUnity 

Baasis  

Bluzelle

Jumper - virtual sales employees

PortFolioQuest

Scalend - advanced analytics

UAE

Beehive 

Sales Arm - digital sales software

Other finalists include Ablepay from Norway, UK's Fingopay and US-based NoPassword.

Details:

Fintech Finals 2018 is on 30 and 31 January at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Tickets are sold in the startup, investor and corporate categories, and begin at US$459 for startups.

The StartmeupHK Festival runs from 29 January to 2 February 2018. The week will feature keynotes, interactive how-to-sessions, hackathons, powerful lessons from founders and investors in sectors such as fintech, digital health, smart city technologies, the Internet of Things (IoT), and retail innovation.