Global fintech investment remains robust on back of strong VC funding: KPMG Pulse of Fintech Report

US accounts for US$5 billion of global fintech investment, Asia exceeds US$1billion

TORONTO, Nov. 7, 2017 /CNW/ - Total global fintech funding  continues to remain strong, with US$8.2 billion invested in Q3'17, after more than doubling to US$9.3 billion in Q2., according to the KPMG Pulse of Fintech report.  Although deal volume declined, Q3'17 investment stood well above the US$6.3 billion raised in Q3'16. Venture capital (VC) investment in fintech in Q3'17 saw a five quarter high of US$3.3 billion, although the total was well shy of the record US$7.4 billion raised in Q3'15.

The US led global fintech investment in Q3'17, with US$5 billion deployed across 142 deals. Europe and Asia lagged considerably behind the US, with Europe fintech deals accounting for US$1.66 billion of investment across 73 deals, and Asia accounting for US$1.21 billion across 41 deals.

Despite healthy investment activity, the volume of VC fintech deals dropped dramatically in Q3'17, particularly at the earlier deal stage. The number of angel and seed stage fintech deals plummeted to 67 for the quarter, a low not seen since Q1'13. This reflects the trend of investors focusing on larger deals and higher quality companies with proven business models.

"The fintech market continues to rapidly evolve with an increasing diversity of funding participation and sources, geographic spread and areas of interest," says Ian Pollari, Global Co-Lead, KPMG Fintech. "We are seeing the emergence of fintech leaders who are looking to expand internationally to scale their platforms, as well as large technology giants moving into adjacencies to create new value for their customers.  This is a trend that is expected to continue and could force incumbent financial institutions to take bolder steps in response."

Key Q3'17 Highlights

• Global fintech investment was US$8.2 billion in Q3'17, down from US$9.3 billion in Q2'17.
• VC funding increased to US$3.3 billion invested across 211 deals, up from US$3.01 billion in Q2.
• The median deal size for angel/seed stage deals at the end of Q3'17 stood at US$1.4 million – up from US$1 million in 2016, while the median deal size for early stage rounds was also up to US$5.5 million from US$5.1 million in 2016. The median deal size of late stage deals was even year over year at US$16 million.
• While overall corporate VC funding has declined so far this year, the participation rate remains high. Corporates have participated in 18 percent of all fintech VC deals globally (YTD).
• Fintech venture-backed exit activity skyrocketed in Q3'17, almost tripling quarter over quarter from US$270 million to US$940 million. This reflects the second-best quarter on record for fintech exits.
• Insurtech VC deals and investment are on track to reach record highs by end of the year. By the end of Q3'17, more than US$1.5 billion had been invested by VCs in insurtech across 179 deals, compared to US$1.8 billion across 203 deals in all of 2016.

US accounts for vast majority of fintech investment in Americas during Q3'17

While total fintech investment in the Americas dropped in Q3'17, it is important to note that Q2'17 included a significant outlier deal in the US$3.6 billion buy-out of Canada-based DH Corp.

The US drove the majority of investment in Q3'17, with US$5 billion invested, including six of the quarter's top global deals. Unlike in Europe and Asia, first time financings in the US appear to be relatively strong, with the amount invested on track to potentially exceed 2016's totals despite a drop in the number of deals.  Canada also saw a significant level of direct fintech investment activity, with US$312 million invested.

Asia fintech investment rises to over $1 billion for first time in 2017

Asia experienced a solid increase in fintech investment in Q3'17, with US$1.21 billion raised across 41 deals. VC funding was up considerably - accounting for just over US$1 billion in investment. China accounted for over half of Asia fintech investment at US$745 million. India investment dropped for the third straight quarter, with only US$87.7 million in VC invested.

Corporate participation in Asia fintech VC deals remained high at 22 percent of overall round counts, although actual direct investment has been quite minimal in 2017 with just US$840 million invested YTD in associated deal value.

Europe continues to make strong gains in the fintech space in Q3'17

Total fintech investment in Europe dipped in Q3'17 to US$1.66 billion, from US$2 billion in Q2. VC funding was particularly strong in Q3 at over US$700 million. Median late stage fintech deal size for the quarter sat at US$17.3 million, well above 2016's US$10.2 million.  Corporate VC investment in Europe has skyrocketed compared to 2016, with a record setting US$647 million already invested with CVC participation YTD. Corporate participation in fintech VC deals is also up dramatically – from 13 percent in 2016 to 20 percent in 2017 YTD.

Germany accounted for the largest share of fintech investment this quarter buoyed by the US$806 million secondary buyout of ConCardis. The UK, meanwhile, accounted for seven of Europe's largest deals, including US$100 million+ rounds to Prodigy Finance and Neyber.

"Investors globally are becoming more mature about their investments in fintech, even as the startups themselves mature," explains Jonathan Lavender, Global Chairman, KPMG Enterprise. "Moving forward, we are going to see investors increasingly looking for companies to deliver value, and to demonstrate their ability to achieve results."

*Data for the Pulse of Fintech report provided by PitchBook.

About KPMG Fintech

The Financial Services industry is transforming with the emergence of innovative new products, channels and business models. This wave of change is driven by evolving customer expectations, digitalization, as well as continued regulatory and cost pressures. KPMG is passionate about supporting clients to successfully navigate this transformation, mitigating the threats and capitalizing on the opportunities.  KPMG Global Fintech comprises professionals in over 35 fintech hubs around the world, working closely with financial institutions and fintech companies, to help them understand the signals of change, identify the growth opportunities and to develop and execute on their strategic plans. 

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SOURCE KPMG International

Kevin Dove, Corporate Communications, KPMG Management Services LP, 416-777-8026 (T), 416-931-3683 (M), [email protected]