FOR all the sophistication of some of its financial centres, and despite the ubiquity of smartphones, the Middle East has been a late adopter of financial technology, or fintech. Of more than $50bn in fintech investment globally since 2010, according to Accenture, a consultancy, only 1% has gone to the Middle East and north Africa.

由于一些金融中心的复杂性，智能手机虽然无处不在，中东地区对金融科技的接受落后其他地区。咨询机构埃森哲称，自2010年以来，全球金融科技产业共获得500多亿美元投资，其中流入了中东和北非地区的不足1%。

Khalid Al Rumaihi, head of Bahrain’s Economic Development Board, blames institutional foot-dragging and a lack of infrastructure and venture capital. Yet he insists innovation is inherent to Islamic financial tradition. The modern cheque derives from an Arabic instrument, a written vow to pay for goods on delivery, to avoid carrying money on dangerous journeys. “In the 9th century”, he says, “a Muslim businessman could cash a cheque in China drawn on his bank in Baghdad.”

巴林经济发展委员会首席执行官哈立德·艾勒·鲁迈希将其归咎于制度性拖延，缺乏基础设施和风投资本。然而，他坚信创新是伊斯兰金融传统的本质特征。现代的支票就源于阿拉伯的一种金融工具，即一种书面誓言，承诺交货时付款，以避免在危险旅程中携带现金。他说：“在九世纪，一位穆斯林商人能在中国兑现巴格达银行的支票。”

Several cities are now jockeying to establish themselves as fintech hubs. Last year Cairo launched two “accelerators”—schools to nurture startups. Abu Dhabi has created the region’s first “regulatory sandbox”, allowing new products to be tested for two years without full regulatory compliance. In March, the city’s financial centre signed an agreement with the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the island-state’s central bank, to undertake joint fintech projects, for example in mobile payments and the blockchain. Dubai’s new fintech accelerator, the first in the Gulf region, has begun accepting applications.

现在，一些城市都在争相将自己打造为金融科技中心。去年，开罗创建了两个“创业加速器”，即来培育创业公司的机构。阿布扎比建立了中东地区第一个“监管沙盒”，允许新产品在不完全符合监管规定的情况下进行两年测试。三月，阿布扎比金融中心与新加坡中央银行——新加坡金融管理局签署协议，共同开发金融科技项目，如移动支付和区块链。作为海湾地区第一个金融科技加速器，迪拜新的金融科技加速器开始接受申请。

Not to be outdone, Qatar and Bahrain have held fintech conferences. Bahrain, too, has teamed up with Singapore to develop a fintech ecosystem. In 2010 there were fewer than 20 fintech startups in the Middle East and north Africa, according to Wamda, a website devoted to regional entrepreneurship. By 2015 there were 105.

卡塔尔和巴林不甘落后，举办几镒金融科技会议。巴林也与新加坡开展合作，开发金融科技生态系统。 Wamda是一家致力于区域创业的网站，其数据显示，2010年，中东和北非的金融科技创业企业不到20家。到2015年，其数目达到105家。

Their market includes the masses of migrant workers in need of remittance services. But Chris Skinner, a financial commentator, says it also encompasses the region’s many expatriates accustomed to high-quality services, and the local ultra-rich. At the other end of the scale, fintech can also bring cheaper services to the unbanked: over four-fifths of the population in the region—a higher proportion than anywhere else in the world, according to the World Bank.

他们的市场包括需要汇款服务的大批外来务工人员。不过，财经评论员克里斯·斯金纳表示，其市场还包括该地区那些习惯高质量服务的外籍人士，以及当地的超级富豪。据世界银行数据显示，该地区超过五分之四的人口无银行账户，比例远高于世界其他地区，而金融科技可以为这些无银行账户的人提供更便宜的服务。

Islamic banks are enthusiastic about the prospects. A recent report by EY, a consultancy, says 40 of the biggest have approved investment of $15m-50m for digital initiatives. The industry reaches nearly 100m customers worldwide but the potential market is six times that. Fintech, especially blockchain technologies, ought to be a boon for Islamic finance, because it can streamline transactions between institutions that apply different versions of Sharia law. Islamic-banking users are keen: three out of four say they are ready to look elsewhere for a better digital experience.

各家伊斯兰银行对金融科技的发展前景充满热情。咨询机构EY最近发布的一份报告指出，40家规模最大的银行为数字倡议批准投资1500万到5000万美元。该银行业在全球拥有接近1亿客户，面，而潜在市场是其六倍。金融科技，尤其是区块链技术，应该是伊斯兰金融的福音，因为它可以简化适用于不同伊斯兰教法规定的机构之间的交易。伊斯兰银行用户对此很感兴趣：有四分之三的人表示准备好去其他地方寻找更好的数字体验。

Mr Skinner is sure these cities can become fintech hubs. Dubai, he notes, was barely on the map 20 years ago; now it is, by one ranking, the world’s 18th-largest financial centre, above Frankfurt. Others will find their niche, perhaps as hubs linking economies in Asia and Africa or servicing wealthy Saudis next-door. Saudi Arabia is not so global in perspective, he notes, and in Bahrain you can have a drink.

斯金纳确信这些城市会成为金融科技中心。他指出，20年前，在地图上几乎找不到迪拜的影子，然而现在迪拜却是世界第18大金融中心，排在法兰克福之前。其它城市也将发现各自的利基市场，可以是成为连接亚洲和非洲经济的中心，也可以是成为其富裕邻国沙特阿拉伯的服务中心。他指出，沙特阿拉伯并不是那么全球化，还建议大家在巴林喝上一杯。

编译：刘晨菲

编辑：翻译君

英文来源：经济学人