2024 got off to a challenging start for the fintech market globally, driven by ongoing concerns related to geopolitical uncertainty π and high interest rates π. Total global investment declined from $62.3 billion to $51.9 billion between H2β23 and H1β24 β the lowest six months of fintech investment since H1β20. All regions experienced a noticeable drop in fintech investment, with the EMEA region experiencing the sharpest drop β from $19.4 billion to $11.4 billion between H2β23 and H1β24.
Globally, only five $1 billion+ deals occurred in the fintech space during the first half of 2024 β all buyouts. The Americas accounted for four of these deals, including Worldpay ($12.5 billion) and EngageSmart ($4 billion) in the US πΊπΈ and Nuvei ($6.3 billion) and Plusgrade ($1 billion) in Canada π¨π¦. The UK π¬π§ accounted for the fifth deal β the $4 billion buyout of IRIS Software Group. The UK also saw the largest fintech-focused venture capital deal of H1β24 β a $999 million raise by Abound.
While fintech investment remained suppressed, deal volume offered a hint of optimism π for the fintech market; both the Americas β including the US β and the ASPAC region saw deal volumes increase between H2β23 and H1β24.
At a sector level, payments continued to draw the largest share of fintech funding globally, attracting $21.4 billion in H1β24. REGTECH, however, was the only major fintech subsector to see investment increase in the first half of 2024 β with the $5.3 billion in investment already surpassing 2023βs total. At a technology level, artificial intelligence (AI) π€ continued to be a very hot area of interest for investors, particularly in the US.