APEC Financial Services: Increasing APEC’s FinTech and RegTech Capabilities Post-COVID-19

Within the highly diverse set of APEC economies, FinTech and RegTech are recognized as key disruptors and enablers for digital transformation and improving financial inclusion. In order to be in the best possible position to benefit from an increasingly innovation-friendly global landscape, individual economies can look towards implementing policies related to Regulatory and Institutional Reform and Balance, Consumer Protection and Law Enforcement, Improving Financial Literacy and Skills, and Ensuring Access to Financial Services, four key priority areas identified in 2018 by the APEC Finance Ministers’ Process. Based on research sourced from consultancies, governments, not-for-profit organizations, and international organizations, it is clear that FinTech and RegTech developments require economies to act on legal structures, regulatory frameworks, robust principles to suit an economy’s circumstances, collaborative systems within and across borders, and technical areas (Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, Data Governance, etc.). The research uncovered numerous high-quality programs around the world, planned and implemented by government agencies, industries, and international organizations, that can act as beacons for what can be achieved. Some of these are represented in this report by means of case studies. Underpinning the analysis are the FinTech and RegTech taxonomies, defined in the introduction of this report.