INTRODUCTION Contributed by: Adrian Ang, Allen & Gledhill LLP
Seven Years of FinTech Global Practice Guides 2025 marks seven years since Chambers and Partners first introduced their Global Practice Guide for Fintech, and I am humbled and hon - oured to be its second contributing editor. When I was first approached by Chambers in 2024 to succeed Lee Schneider in this post, I thought back to each previous iteration of this Guide. I have always been struck by the Guide’s ability to incisively capture the flavour of the market in each year. In particular, I have found these Guides invaluable in providing an overview of the key developments in the fintech world, and their ability to identify and expound on key global trends. In keeping with this excellent tradition, I set out in this introduction some key global trends I believe will shape the landscape of fin - tech this year. Increased Adoption of Artificial Intelligence Fintech businesses have capitalised on the boom in AI to integrate it into many products and services. AI models are being used, for exam - ple, to detect if a customer is being scammed in real time, mitigate the occurrence of e-com - merce fraud, analyse and predict spending pat - terns, and even offer personalised stock trading recommendations. Generative AI is also being used to conduct detailed and well-referenced research on investment themes or strategies. Moving into 2025, we can expect to see various AI models continue to work their way into main - stream fintech offerings. For example, Genera - tive AI can be integrated into brokerage appli - cations and used to summarise relevant news about a particular stock. As “agentic AI” grows in sophistication, they can be used to prepare and execute trading or investment strategies. This could represent the next stage in the evolu -
tion of “algorithmic trading” and “robo-advisory” products. Fintech players would have to balance the ease of AI adoption against the need to ensure these models deliver accurate information. In addi - tion, regulators will need to consider how best to achieve consumer protection and data pro - tection objectives, given the speed of innovation and the novelty of the business models which arise. The Growth of Embedded Finance and Super Apps Embedded Finance – or the bundling of financial products and services alongside non-financial products and services – is not a new trend in and of itself. Insurance products have long been sold alongside flight bookings. However, the fintech scene has observed the increasing occurrence of “Embedded Finance” integrations, particularly in the context of Super Apps, which integrate a wide variety of services into one platform. As an example, we have observed ride-hailing and delivery services being bundled alongside financial products such as buy-now-pay-later facilities and e-wallets. The concept of Embed - ded Finance takes this further, by allowing these financial products to be used not just to make payments to the Super App platform operator (for rides or delivery services), but also to third- party merchants that may sell other goods and services on the platform, not related to transport or food. In particular, Super Apps that are centred around e-wallets allow customers to make payments and transfer money domestically and interna - tionally, and more quickly and inexpensively. Some Super Apps might also allow moneys held in their e-wallets to fund the purchases of
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