HONG KONG, Jan. 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Semi-finals held in six Asian cities; Bangalore, Mumbai, Singapore, Seoul, Sydney and Kuala Lumpur, have determined the final six teams to compete in the Hong Kong FF16 on 26th January. The semi-finalists were selected from 60 shortlisted teams invited to pitch their business models before live audiences and judges to see who would get the coveted opportunity to go on to Hong Kong for the opportunity to win the Fintech Finals 2016. 24 start-ups from across APAC are now vying to be 'Best in Show', but only one lucky winner will receive USD$10K, as well as a range of partnership offerings.
The regional semi-finalist winners are:
CurrenSeek co-founder, Hakim Karim said about being chosen to compete in the FF16, "It's exciting and somewhat unexpected, to be honest, to be selected. It's an honour and we hope we can do Malaysia proud."
The 24 teams are consist of the six winning regional semi-finalists. Six teams will join from regional incubators and accelerators. Startupbootcamp Fintech, Accenture Fintech Innovation Lab, Innotribe, BBVA Open Talent, Nest and Visa are each sponsoring a start-up competitor. Out of the hundreds of fintech start-up applicants to apply through the Fintech Finals 2016 website, only the top 12, vetted by 50 fintech experts, are part of the final 24 to demo live at FF16.
In addition to the final competition, the two-day schedule of FF16, part of the StartmeupHK Festival, will bring together a host of global fintech luminaries to speak and moderate panel discussions. The Keynote address on the 25th will be Chris Skinner, Chairman of Financial Services Club, and other speakers include:
The FF16 is being co-organised by Next Bank and FinTech Hong Kong with support by Visa for the competition and Startup Village. Next Bank founder, Rob Findlay, comments, "The Fintech Finals are going to be the fintech event of this year in Asia, and perhaps beyond. Between the amazing line-up of global speakers, the incredible burgeoning talent within each of these start-ups, and the support and enthusiasm from all the sponsors such as Visa, FF16 is sure to be a fantastic event not to be missed."
Matt Dill, Senior Vice President, Innovation & Strategic Partnerships, Visa said, "It is great to be able to shine a light on interesting Fintech activity in the region and develop a support network for Asia-based entrepreneurs. Visa's strategic partner programs and venture activities help companies at different stages of growth connect with thousands of banks and millions of customers worldwide."
In addition to the FF16, Next Bank and Visa will continue their work together throughout Asia to support city chapters to promote discussion, innovation and entrepreneurship in the finance industry. To find out more about the Fintech Finals 2016 and purchase tickets go to http://www.fintechfinals.com/#about.
About Next Bank
Next Bank, founded by Rob Findlay, is a global fintech community that fosters the reinvention of finance through design, innovation and entrepreneurship. Next Bank brings together peers from across disciplines including start-ups, banking, technology and design. Through meet-ups and events, hosting speakers and panellists, Next Bankers come together to discuss, learn and discover new ways to transform the finance industry for the better. Originating in Singapore, Next Bank has grown over the past 4 years into a global brand represented by city chapters of like-minded people all over the world and continues to expand. Learn more at www.nextbank.org. To learn more about the Fintech Finals 2016 go to www.fintechfinals.com.
About Visa
Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable electronic payments. We operate one of the world's most advanced processing networks -- VisaNet -- that is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and assured payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa's innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid or later with credit products.
About StartmeupHK Festival
The first-of-its-kind StartmeupHK Festival will be held on 23-30 January 2016 to provide overseas and local participants a unique experience for delving into the future of entrepreneurship and disruptive innovation. The week will feature keynote talks, interactive how-to sessions, and powerful lessons from seasoned founders and investors.
The exciting week-long programme will feature four industry verticals where Hong Kong has a distinct advantage, namely Consumer Internet of Things (IoT), Fintech, HealthTech, Data Analytics and E-commerce.
Sign up at http://www.startmeup.hk/ for more details.
