‘The Pulse of Fintech’ is a quarterly report created by KPMG Enterprise and KPMG Fintech along with CB Insights (the ‘go to’ name for insights related to venture capital investment). Given the significant interest in fintech globally, and its ongoing evolution in terms of market drivers, technologies and potential use-cases, KPMG and CB Insights are partnering to bring you the pulse of fintech on VC investment globally. Each quarter, we’ll highlight key fintech deals, issues and challenges around the world, in addition to key trends and insights related to fintech in key regions, including the North America, Asia and Europe.

The Q1 report saw a big rebound in quarterly funding to the fintech sector, with total investment in fintech companies hitting US$5.7 billion. Globally, VC-backed fintech companies drew $4.9 billion in funding, rising from just $1.9 billion in Q4’15. Larger deals also spurred fintech funding growth in Q1’16. Q1’16 saw 13 $50 million+ rounds to VC-backed fintech companies, a slight rise from the 10 $50 million+ rounds in Q4’15.

This quarter, we examinie key global trends along with what’s happening in fintech within key regions, as well as an investigation into robo advisory – a key area of fintech that has been gaining momentum in recent months.

We also examine the following questions:

• The extent to which China is driving fintech investment in the region?
• What’s driving the ongoing strength of VC investment in fintech?
• Why is Europe lagging behind the US and Asia when it comes to investment in fintech?
• How is InsuranceTech evolving and how is it expected to evolve over the next few quarters?
• How is the definition of fintech changing and expanding in different regions?

See the full report for details.