GlobalData : Internet and tech giants, not banks, are the darlings of Fintech experts, says GlobalData

In Q4, 2017, Google has emerged as the most frequently mentioned company amongst key FinTech influencers in all but one key category, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

According to GlobalData's Fintech Influencer platform, which tracks and categorises all content shared by the most influential FinTech thought leaders each day on Twitter, Google was the most frequently mentioned company in discussions about block chain, Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and big data, while the crown for payments went to Apple.

Mastercard and JP Morgan Chase, whose core businesses represent financial services, were featured in discussions about block chain and payments, but neither company made it to the overall top 10.

'To keep up with the Internet giants, the traditional technology vendors are gearing up their capabilities in areas which will drive value in the future. The challenge for banks is to ensure they are not left behind, whether through partnership, collaboration or in-house R&D' says Kit Carson, Head of Banking and Fintech at GlobalData'

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While the price of bitcoin continues to dominate mainstream media headlines, key influencers within the FinTech industry focused on a broader range of issues.

Drones, chatbots, wearables and data science were the other topics which featured, with as much intensity as bitcoin, in the discussions of FinTech key influencers, says GlobalData.

The topics discussed on Twitter differed across the globe, with chatbots taking center stage in Germany. There was significant discussion on smart cities in China and wearables were a more popular topic than bitcoin in the US.

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A deeper analysis of influencer discussions on Twitter provides a clear picture of the direction companies are heading in. GlobalData found that Google was mentioned in 32% of tweets about artificial intelligence. Surprisingly for a company synonymous with the internet however, the influencer tool found that Microsoft and IBM received more than double the amount of tweets than Google in discussions about the Internet of Things.

IBM also dominated discussions involving block chain. Much of the discussion was likely caused by the IBM-Maersk joint venture announced in January. Both companies have embarked on an effort to provide more 'efficient and secure methods' for organizing global trade using block chain technology.

*Percentages are based on the number of tweets a company is mentioned in a discussion about topic.

Analysts available for comment. Please contact the GlobalData Press Office at pr@globaldata.com.