c2c #7: Franklin Templeton, growth hacks, digital insurance, going Dutch

Welcome to Cowries2Crypto, my LinkedIn newsletter on innovation in finance and capital. In here you will find:

1.????Work from the Week: aspects of the original work I do at DigFin and AMTD Digital covering digital finance, fintech, and digital assets

2.????Talk of the Town: thought-provoking (or at least funny) hot takes on fintech and finance from around the internet

3.????Weekly c2c (comment2critique): my review, experience, opinion, or other commentary

If you enjoy original insights into fintech and other aspects of financial innovation (particularly from an Asia-based perspective), you should definitely subscribe or share this newsletter with a friend.

You can find out more by getting the free newsletter from the DigFin website, and from the YouTube video libraries of DigFin and AMTD Digital.

1. Work from the Week of Feb. 13 to 19: Franklin Templeton, Home Credit, Blue, fintech growth hacks

Franklin Templeton seeks fintech partners in Asia: And they tell DigFin exactly what kinds of fintechs from the region they wish to incubate.

Home Credit adds insurance to its consumer finance business: Or, how to position yourself against the onslaught of buy-now, pay-later fintechs.

Digital insurance: Charles Hung, Blue, DigFin VOX Ep 23: The CEO of Hong Kong digital insurer talks to me in DigFin’s video podcast.

Some short clips from the discussion:

• Data-driven insurance
• Challenges of digital adoption

Fintech CEOs discuss growth hacks for Asia: A taster for Wednesday’s webinar featuring high-level fintech execs. Be sure to register!

2. Talk of the Town

Chinese tech, Super Bowl, metaversy

Chinese technology

A good thread from the ever-insightful Rui Ma on China in Southeast Asia. Southeast Asia's development path appears to be the most similar to China's, as opposed to India, Africa or Latin America. At a time when domestic regulation is making conditions for Chinese internet companies more difficult, Southeast Asia beckons as an easy source of growth.

So if more people will be dealing with Chinese tech companies - or even working for them – here's some insight into what that's like.

China continues to innovate in fintech, at all levels.

As Chinese tech companies become even more influential, however, navigating China's recent spate of data-related regulations is getting trickier.

And Kendra Schaefer responds: "If it succeeds, China will be well-positioned to become the next global nexus of the data economy." Her thoughtful thread:

The environment at home is getting difficult for Chinese tech giants. Another reason why they're so keen to expand into Southeast Asia.

Super Bowl

America's biggest televised sporting event turned into the Crypto Bowl.

Not everyone was a fan.

Metaversy

Who isn't totally excited about the metaverse?

Jokes aside, JP Morgan has earned its seat at the innovation table.

There are also some tech companies that are now eliciting a lot more skepticism than big banks...

If I sum it up, from China to the US to Southeast Asia, it's clear to me that technology and innovation are wonderful things. But they cannot be left to the raw, brute forces of companies, banks or fintechs. It's natural that private firms seek an advantage. But some basic rules of the game are necessary. Too often, fintech comes off as just unregulated, unlicensed actors who use the language of "financial inclusion", "democratization of finance", and other tropes.

These complicated issues will not be resolved through a bunch of tweets. However I would like to leave you with one sound piece of advice, suitable to all business interactions:

3. Weekly c2c: Going Dutch

I had the opportunity in December to do a talk about one period of financial history that I think is relevant to today’s discussion around money, crypto, and credit.

The backstory: I wrote “Cowries to Crypto” more than two years ago, and it came out in hardback just in time for Covid. I had been looking forward to some boozy junkets with the publisher, forex-platform company OANDA, to schmooze their clients in fashionable cities. Oh well!

By the time the electronic version was out, a year later, I was busy with “Block Kong” and other things. Then late last year the woman who had commissioned “Cowries to Crypto” moved to a new employer and sent me her stash of hardcovers. I reached out to a friend in the local VC community (who has a gorgeous office space) and we turned it into a holiday party.

Since then, Hong Kong’s gone back into lockdown (don’t get me started on that topic) but for a while we enjoyed an open environment in which private gatherings were permitted. Our party drew a terrific audience of people from across finance, investment and crypto, and I got to sign a lot of books. I sold out!

I thought I’d show you the recording of the talk I made on my iPhone. (It's missing the best part, however: the Q&A!) Hit me up if you want me to come in and share something with your network – once we’re on the other side of the latest Covid wave. There’s no shortage of history to draw from!

See you next week

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Cowries2Crypto will be back next week!

About Jame

Jame DiBiasio is a book author, financial journalist, media entrepreneur, and a speaker/moderator. In 2015 he launched DigFin, a website media brand covering digital finance, fintech and digital assets. The business was acquired in 2021 by AMTD Digital, part of Hong Kong-based AMTD Group. Jame is also a member of the board of the Hong Kong Fintech Association.

He is author of “Block Kong” (co-authored with Charles D’Haussy) profiling 21 blockchain entrepreneurs in Hong Kong; and “Cowries to Crypto: The History of Money, Currency and Wealth”. He is currently working on a book about the venture capital industry.

Jame has also written books about Asian history, including “Who Killed the King of Bagan?” and “The Story of Angkor”. He writes thrillers too. You can find all of Jame’s published books on Amazon.

A native of the United States, Jame has been based in Hong Kong since 1997. Follow him on LinkedIn and Twitter.