Broctagon Protégé, a fintech incubator, joins the ranks of sandboxes worldwide to bridge ideas with reality while providing the resources and network to test innovative financial products in a safe environment.
Broctagon Protégé is a subsidiary of the Broctagon Fintech Group with a goal of nurturing the giants of tomorrow by leveraging on the combined resources, network and thought leadership of the Fintech Group. Regulatory sandboxes have provided aspiring fintech firms with more clarity in financial services rules, thereby spurring investor confidence, while still allowing experimentation within a well-defined space and duration.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the UK’s principal financial services regulator, recently published its findings after the first year of its regulatory sandbox. It says the aim of the programme is to help start-ups understand how the regulatory framework might apply to them eventually, and therefore avoid early mistakes in the regulatory context. Applicants for the sandbox must meet specific conditions before they can be authorised for the activities they wish to test.
Bloomberg
Promoting Competition in the Interest of Consumers
By challenging traditional business models, the FCA believes that sandbox testing has breathed new life into existing business models and created potential to better meet consumers’ needs and even reduce costs. It is clear that global authorities have been trying to set boundaries to these pits without stifling innovation – some with much success.
It said: "Feedback from sandbox firms indicates that taking part in the sandbox programme provides a degree of reassurance to investors through the oversight the FCA has of the firms' tests and the increased regulatory certainty participation provides."
The sandbox has been very popular with fintech start-ups, with each cohort being oversubscribed. Successful sandbox subscribers come from a variety of sectors, and due to the global nature of fintech, it also attracted companies founded overseas like Canada, Singapore and the United States, though majority are UK-based firms.
Meanwhile down under, as part of a push to position Australia as a fintech hub, Treasurer Scott Morrison has unveiled this year's plan to expand a regulatory sandbox. In Singapore, the country's financial regulator Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), has also launched a fintech regulatory sandbox in June 2016. It aims to focus on new technology that will improve the efficiency of capital markets.
A Catalyst for New Businesses
After Broctagon Fintech Group received Best Internet Financial VC Institution 2016 at the prestigious Golden Honor Awards 2017 in Shanghai, Broctagon Protégé was launched. The award is given to financial institutions, which showcase a wealth of asset management knowledge, expertise through experience and research, as well as the most ethical and cost-effective operational and funding practices.
Broctagon Protégé aims to be a catalyst to fintech brands' developmental process, providing a personalized approach and incorporating a mentorship element for existing and start-up fintech businesses alike.
The start-up incubator is just one segment that makes up the core vision of Broctagon Fintech Group—to provide a complete ecosystem for financial, technological and consultancy solutions. The group also provides services from trading platforms to Liquidity and entity setup for Forex brokers.
