27.4 billion dollars invested in fintech startups during 2017

[The Number Of The Day] Forbes Magazine's Fintech 50 list highlights a vibrant entrepreneurial niche that is shaking up the $8.5 trillion U.S. financial services industry. Fintech (financial technology) startups drew in $27.4 billion in investments during 2017. That’s up 18% from the year before.[1]( The vitality of this emerging industry is highlighted by the fact that 22 of the top 50 firms on the Forbes list are new entries this year. In my book, [Politics Has Failed: America Will Not]( I explain how these emerging technologies will shape the future of finance far more than the policy debates in Washington. More than a trillion dollars will be paid through mobile devices by next year. As Forbes puts it, “Cash might not be dead yet, but the world of digital payments -- both from consumers to businesses and between businesses -- is evolving faster than ever before."[2]( Nine of the 50 fintech firms on the Forbes list are in the blockchain and cryptocurrency world. Among the most disruptive of all new technologies, this field offers the potential of a currency and monetary system that is free from political and government control.[3]( [Click to view the Number of the Day online]( Each weekday, [Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day]( explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author. - [February 22, 2018 – 24 issues that Amazon lobbied on in 2017]( - [February 21, 2018 – 146 current vacancies on the federal judiciary]( - [February 20, 2018 – 8 million Apple Watches sold in 4th Quarter 2017, topping sale of Swiss watches]( - [February 19, 2018 – 3 ways online video is changing what it means to be a sports fan]( - [February 16, 2018 – 94 percent of IT professionals expect increase in mobile security attacks]( - To see other recent numbers, check out the [archive](.   Was this email forwarded to you? [Click here to subscribe to Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day.]( Scott Rasmussen is an editor-at-large for Ballotpedia, the Encyclopedia of American Politics. He is a senior fellow for the study of self-governance at the King’s College in New York. His most recent book, [Politics Has Failed: America Will Not]( was published by the Sutherland Institute in May. Decide which emails you want from Ballotpedia. [Unsubscribe]( or [adjust your preferences→](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Google+](