To say it straight away: Fintech is not playing the big role nowadays. For this purpose, blockchain and crypto currency topics are increasing and people may be caring more about success in those areas.
Fintech maturing in context
Fintech does not appear as a Topic on the first Agencies level. And also the famous startup competition does not have its own fintech pitch, unlike the previous years.
Nevertheless, or even more so, the SXSW is and remains a reliable gauge of where the development of fintech and finance is in the context of global digital development lines. Especially if you broaden the focus a bit and also look at the subject of Blockchain & Crypto Currencies, which occupies a substantial, broad space in Austin. There is both a separate conference track and its own pitch competition on crypto technologies. In addition, they are dedicated to some key notes, whose speakers fill the largest halls.
Fintech… slipping out?
The fact that fintech is slipping out of the direct focus of the conference has a lot to do with the fact that the industry is growing up and embedding itself in the contexts of other spheres of life. In the real world, the trend can be observed in the context of context banking. Technology startups and innovative banks integrate their financial products and services directly into the life contexts and business processes of people and companies.
At the SXSW this development is reflected in the sense that Fintech disappears as a “label”, but reappears in the contexts of the overarching themes and plays an important role there.
Also published on Medium.