Historically underbanked and with insufficient financial inclusion, Southeast Asia is fertile soil for financial technology companies to grow and provide new solutions, in a market that is one of the fastest growing in the world. After initial projects and collaborations, with Difitek we now look to expand our physical presence in the region, with people and partners working in the area, to better assist new and existing clients.
In particular, we have identified Indonesia as our base in Southeast Asia. Indonesia has the largest population of all countries in the region, with over 265M people living there, but with less than half adults with a bank account and just a third of its small and medium-sized enterprises with access to loans or lines of credit.
Considered by someone as the new “tiger” of Southeast Asia, for its “huge population of young, mobile-savvy digital natives”. These are some of the key factors that make it quite unique: 1. 60% of the people are under 40 years old; 2. A massive consumer base, with 150 million people with internet access and 95% of those with mobile access; 3. A very high smartphone penetration, with 60% of all adults that have a smartphone. With a rapidly growing economy and middle class that is still underserved, the country is currently becoming a centre of Fintech innovation, with investments in the industry growing at impressive rates, thanks also to government’s vision of ‘Indonesia Digital Economy 2020’ and ‘National Movement of 1000 Digital Startups’, as well as with the help of the Indonesian Fintech Association, which is providing further support for entrepreneurs willing to bring innovation into the region.
At Difitek we still see a lot of room for growth, not just in Indonesia, but in the whole region, with the rural areas in particular, where most of the population is still unbanked, as a clear opportunity for the emergence of new fintech products and services.
We now look forward to hearing from you, to start building together, a better, more inclusive, financial ecosystem in Southeast Asia!
