What's all this talk about fintech?

After gathering firsthand experience in the fintech (financial technology) ecosystem of Hong Kong during the summer of 2016, the author became interested in understanding the extent to which fintech is a trending topic and which implications its trending nature could entail. Observing the effervescence of abundant public relations efforts was certainly exciting for the author, but it also opened an opportunity for academic analysis: what is the current stage of the trending topic of fintech? The central argument of the present white paper is that fintech is a trending topic and it is no longer perceived as a threat to the established (or incumbent) financial industry. To support the argument, the author analyzed media discussions on fintech from The Wall Street Journal and American Banker, two well-established financial media outlets.