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A different kind of ‘Fintech’

Deutsche Welle’s Lars Bevanger traveled to northern Finland and reports on the country’s booming gaming industry.

Technology June 4, 2026 Updated: June 7, 2026

In this file photo, people walk on the embankment of the South Harbour in the center of Helsinki, Finland, March 15, 2025.

Sergei Grits/AP/File photo

The word “fintech” has come to mean many things — from apps like Venmo and Square that allow us to use a smartphone to pay for things, to crypto, blockchains and online banking.

But there’s another very important Fintech at play: games. As in, those coming out of Finland’s booming gaming industry .

From our partners at Deutsche Welle , DW, Lars Bevanger went to northern Finland, where they’ve been teaching gaming for around 20 years.…