Ah, financial technology – better known as FinTech. A very booming sector, and there are many thoughts and perceptions about it. Unsurprisingly, there are misconceptions about the industry ever since it shook up the financial world.

We can’t deny that FinTech is indeed disruptive and revolutionary, but is it truly going to destroy traditional financial institutions? We don’t think so, thus we invite you to take a look at these four common myths and misconceptions about FinTech.

It’s stuck in a bubble and will burst

The concept of “bubbles” in markets was introduced during the “dotcom” era, when growth and funding in startup websites were climbing steeply. The rise of FinTech has been compared to the dotcom bubble. Yet there are now more than 45 FinTech unicorns (each valued at more than $1 billion) worldwide. Five of them have gone public, proving that the industry is not going anywhere. Not only do the numbers speak for themselves, the FinTech industry has given the world new business models. For example, companies like StudentFunder enables access to education for students who can’t find proper funding elsewhere.

FinTech is not secure

FinTech may be relatively new to the financial world; that doesn’t mean it’s not secure. Yes, new technology is never completely safe from the possibility of cyberattacks, but FinTech is no more exposed to these threats than any other sector. Besides, any reliable FinTech company will have security and identity checks in place.

Trying to learn more about how to protect your business from hackers? Read “How to Protect Your SME from Cybercrime”

It’s only about lending and payments

In the US, lending and payments dominate the FinTech industry by 80%. However, other areas like insurance, market provisioning, investment management, and capital raising are also making significant progress in FinTech. In fact, The World Economic reported that insurance is one of the biggest disruptors in FinTech, as advanced algorithms and computing power are changing the industry. There are also new financial management systems that are able to help people save money and time, boost credit scores, and detect fraud all in the same place. FinTech can also provide superior data analytics. Thereby the assumption that FinTech is a limited sector is simply false.

It’s waging a neverending battle with banks

Some conventional banks feel threatened by the rise of FinTech, since FinTech is always seen as the “disruptive” one. In reality, banks and FinTechs are getting along quite well – fintech and banks have recently been making collaborative partnerships for the financial industry. Why? FinTech builds products and services with cutting-edge technology that people need but platforms often lack distribution capabilities. Which party has large distribution capabilities? That’s right: banks.

Because fintech is online-based, eventually they can reach prospective clients more widely and more quickly. According to CB Insights data, six major banks in the US have made strategic investments in more than 30 FinTech companies since 2009. So much for enemies!

The world, especially advances in financial technology, is moving fast. Watching the journey and further innovations of FinTech will be an exciting ride.

This article was written by Funding Societies, Singapore’s leading peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platform. We provide working capital loans for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), along with attractive investment opportunities to the broader public. To learn more about us, click on our website here.

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