According to the Global FinTech Hub Report 2026, published on Wednesday at the Financial Street Forum 2026, Global South countries are increasingly participating in the global financial technology (FinTech) sphere.
Ben Shenglin, president of the Beijing Frontier Institute of Regulation and Supervision Technology, who prepared this report, stated that the results are based on an analysis of five hundred leading FinTech companies worldwide. Payment systems remain the most saturated area, reflecting their fundamental role in finance and critical infrastructure for Global South countries.
The report presents a division of fifty cities into three categories: comprehensive global hubs, which include Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Hangzhou, London, New York, and Singapore; specialized hubs, such as Frankfurt, São Paulo, and some Indian cities; and regional centers, including Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Lagos.
Technology is gaining increasing importance in the assessment system. Ben emphasized that 'there is no finance without technology, and there is no entrepreneurship without technology,' noting that technological competence is necessary for companies striving for scaling, influence, and sustainability.
Cooperation is also crucial. In the age of artificial intelligence (AI), ensuring data usability while maintaining privacy and security—especially for cross-border data—is not just a technical issue. Ben noted that Europe and the US can provide lessons in governance, model certification, and bias handling, whereas China's advantage lies in the more direct application of FinTech and AI to the real economy, with deep integration into supply chains and consumption scenarios.
He added that strengthening cooperation between China and the US, as well as between China and Europe, could unlock even greater potential in the global integration of finance and artificial intelligence.