Author: Wamala Sipirian

Introduction Georgia’s central bank has coordinated a shared-infrastructure agreement under which the country’s five largest commercial banks will jointly deploy Nasdaq’s Calypso treasury and capital markets platform. The National Bank of Georgia (NBG) is overseeing the initiative, which brings Bank of Georgia, TBC Bank, Liberty Bank, Terabank, and Basisbank onto a single centralized instance of the system rather than requiring each institution to procure and operate the platform independently. The initiative matters because it represents a departure from how banking technology is typically deployed. Instead of each institution bearing the full capital and operational cost of enterprise-grade treasury infrastructure, the…

Introduction Wealth management is a form of financial advisory service that combines investment management with a broader range of financial planning services, primarily targeted at affluent and high-net-worth individuals. Rather than addressing investments in isolation, wealth management typically integrates estate planning, tax strategy, retirement planning, insurance, and, in some cases, banking services into a single coordinated advisory relationship. The scale of the industry is substantial. According to industry estimates, global wealth management assets under management (AUM) exceeded $128.9 trillion in 2024, with projections placing that figure at approximately $145.4 trillion by 2025. This growth has implications not only for high-net-worth…

Introduction A capital markets group is a specialized division within a financial institution that provides companies with services related to raising capital, executing securities transactions, and managing complex corporate financial activity. These groups operate at the intersection of investment banking, equity and debt markets, and advisory services, and they play a central role in how companies fund growth, restructure operations, and execute mergers and acquisitions. Understanding how capital markets groups function matters for a wide range of stakeholders, including corporate executives evaluating financing options, investors assessing how companies raise funds, and professionals considering careers in investment banking or corporate finance.…

Introduction Wealth management technology is undergoing a structural shift, moving from tools that report past financial activity toward systems designed to anticipate future financial behavior. Industry executives and research organizations point to artificial intelligence (AI) as the driver of this transition, arguing that conventional budgeting apps, investment platforms, and digital banking tools have expanded access to financial services without necessarily improving the quality of individual financial decisions. The shift matters for a broad population of consumers and financial institutions alike. As digital financial services generate increasingly detailed behavioral data, the question facing the wealth management sector is no longer how…

Introduction Togo, a West African nation of approximately 10 million people, is emerging as a notable case study in fintech development driven less by market size and more by regional financial infrastructure. According to International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates, Togo’s real gross domestic product (GDP) is projected to grow by around 5% this year, even as GDP per capita remains near $1,340, placing the country among the region’s lower-income economies. This combination of steady economic growth and constrained household income has made low-cost digital financial services a central component of the country’s economic development strategy. Mobile money adoption, government-led digitalization,…

Introduction Elliptic, the London-headquartered blockchain analytics firm, has launched an upgraded version of its Continuous Monitoring product aimed at crypto compliance teams. According to the company, the release expands the range of risk-changing events the system can detect and introduces configurable alerting controls designed to reduce alert fatigue, which Elliptic states can cut manual rescreening and alert triage by up to 75%. The upgrade addresses an operational challenge facing money laundering reporting officers (MLROs) at exchanges, custodians, and digital asset firms. Customer risk profiles are not static following onboarding: wallets that score low at the point of initial screening can…

Introduction Timor-Leste’s fintech sector is developing within a new regional context following the country’s accession to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in October 2025, after a 14-year accession process. Membership places Timor-Leste inside an economic bloc of more than 680 million people, many of whom already rely on QR payments, digital wallets, and instant bank transfers as routine financial tools. This shift matters because Timor-Leste enters the regional market from a markedly different starting point than most ASEAN members. Cash remains deeply embedded in daily economic life, formal financial inclusion is comparatively low outside the capital, Dili, and…

Introduction Most early-stage fintech companies seeking to move, hold, or manage customer funds in the United States do not require a bank charter to reach the market, according to an analysis by Taft’s FinTech Practice. Instead, the majority begin with federal Money Services Business (MSB) registration and state money transmitter licenses, a regulatory pathway that industry analysts describe as the fastest realistic route to launching payments, remittance, or wallet-based products. This distinction matters because the choice between pursuing a full bank charter and operating under an MSB and money transmitter license framework materially affects a company’s time to market, capital…

Introduction Money20/20 Middle East, a regional financial services industry conference, is scheduled to take place in Riyadh from 14 to 16 September 2026 at the Riyadh Exhibition & Convention Centre. According to organisers, the event will bring together policymakers, banking executives, technology companies, and institutional investors to address developments across global financial services. The 2026 edition is backed jointly by Saudi Arabia’s principal financial regulators and policy bodies, including the Financial Sector Development Program (FSDP), the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), the Capital Market Authority (CMA), and the Insurance Authority (IA). The event is co-organised by Tahaluf and Fintech Saudi. This…

Introduction Monzo has partnered with the Centre for Inclusive Money at Nest to examine whether digital banking tools and behavioural design can increase retirement saving among the UK’s 4.4 million self-employed workers. According to the organisations, the project will run a live customer initiative through Monzo Business, with findings submitted to the UK Government’s Pensions Commission ahead of its review of retirement outcomes in 2027. This initiative addresses a substantial gap in UK retirement provision. Only 17% of self-employed people in the UK are actively saving into a pension, compared with nearly 90% of eligible employees covered by automatic enrolment,…