Europe experienced a 50% fall in fintech investments in the first half of 2023.
In the midst of the global fintech market downturn, the crypto and blockchain sector managed to become a leader in investments in a number of major European markets.
According to the report “State of European FinTech”, released by the Amsterdam-based fintech venture fund Finch Capital, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region experienced a 50% drop in fintech investments in the first half of 2023. The total amount of funding fell from $27.3 billion in H1 2022 to $11.2 billion in H1 2023.
However, crypto businesses stand out in the overall picture, gaining a leading position in investments attracted across several large markets. In the United Kingdom, the blockchain and crypto sector grabbed a 28% share of all the deals, struck in fintech in H1 2023. This number is even higher in the Netherlands — 35% of all deals. In Germany and France, the crypto’s share constitutes 27% and 29% respectively.
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The main competitor of crypto is the lending sector, which appeared to be the leader in market share in Ireland and overall across the region in terms of deal volume.
Despite the bearish tendencies in fintech as a whole, the interest of investors in the digital economy appears solid. According to another recent report, 24% of asset management firms have adopted a digital assets strategy, with an extra 13% planning to do so in the next two years.
Moreover, some crypto companies still report significant gains. For example, European digital asset manager CoinShares revealed a total revenue of 20.3 million pounds ($25.9 million) in Q2 2023, a 33% increase compared with the prior year’s quarter.
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