IPOS launch of Fintech Fast Track initiative

Published

May 14 2018

Written By

Senior Patent Attorney
Singapore

I work as a senior patent attorney in Bird & Bird's Intellectual Property and Tech & Comms groups based in Singapore. I am a registered Singapore patent agent with over ten years' experience practising in the electrical, electronic, ICT and mechanical fields.

In line with Singapore's status as a regional financial hub, the Intellectual Property of Singapore (IPOS) has launched an initiative to shorten grant of patent applications in the field of financial technology (FinTech) to as fast as 6 months. A non-exhaustive list of FinTech eligible content is provided in an IPOS circular on this FinTech initiative, found on the website here.

The eligible content is not only directed at infrastructure that facilitates electronic payment, but also inventions that support such payment (e.g. blockchain, security and authentication).

Encouragingly, this FinTech Fast Track (FTFT) initiative does not require additional official fees. However, certain criteria apply, such as the application having to be first filed in Singapore, with a simultaneous request for search and examination and a…