Finance and technology, now dubbed fintech, presents opportunities for entrepreneurs with innovative solutions.

Technology and finance have always been intertwined, from the invention of the abacus to make financial calculations easier to the mammoth supercomputers that are used to drive complex financial models today. The fintech industry was born out of that merger, and now the majority of financial activity is carried out on mobile phones, enabling more people to have access to financial services.

Apart from increasing access, technology has also driven a variety of drastic changes to financial systems around the world and in some cases, upturning entire sectors as in the case of mobile investment apps and stockbrokers. The fintech revolution is continuous, however, and the following are some of the most pivotal trends which will shape the future of finance, driven by savvy entrepreneurs.

Far from the initial days when cryptocurrencies were on the fringes, 2020 saw increasing adoption among mainstream financial services companies. For instance, in November, PayPal announced it would begin allowing all U.S.-based users to buy, hold and sell cryptocurrencies on its platform.

As more people begin to use cryptocurrencies, more businesses will begin to accept them. As cryptocurrencies are not without their drawbacks (such as security and volatility), companies that can provide solutions to those drawbacks will be rewarded by the market.