Digital identity may be the defining factor driving fintech adoption in 2024. It is also central to efforts aimed at reducing fraud and improving national security. Arguably, these efforts are long overdue. The earliest known recorded name of a person occurred during the early bronze age (4000 to 3100 BC).…

Startup M&A and roll-ups are predicted to rise in fintech and this already seems to be manifesting. Yet, recent events like Thrasio’s impending bankruptcy offer a cautionary tale. The opportunities, pitfalls and risks of technology M&A are real. When does it make sense to execute M&A as a technology startup?…

Over the past decade, fintechs have brought accessible, user-focused, and cost-effective financial products and services to a broader audience. This is especially true in the retail investment sector, where the pace and depth of innovation have been remarkable. A decade ago, the idea of offering digital, affordable investment platforms and…

Startup banks in the U.S. have made some impressive changes to the banking world — an end to NSF fees, access to payroll direct deposits two days early, sometimes an end to all fees and even small interest-free, short-term loans to cover overdrafts. Chime, the largest neo bank in the…

More than four years after the financial centers of Hong Kong and Singapore announced they would allow digital banks, the online lenders have failed to disrupt those respective markets. They have opened plenty of customer accounts, but their deposit bases remain modest, as does their addressable market. Elsewhere in the…

A recent Economist article highlighted the recent growth of local supermarket chains across the African continent. Today, a staggering 70% of Africans buy their consumer staples from local vendors. What is driving this specialized, locally-focused retail on the continent? Three primary trends have been working hard behind the scenes to…

With just 15 employees, these 29-year-old founders are creating a financial supermarket for startups and small businesses. By Emily Mason and Jeff Kauflin In June 2022, five months before cryptocurrency exchange FTX collapsed, Brandon Arvanaghi and Bryce Crawford began returning funds to the customers of Meow, the neobank they had…

During a challenging year for startups and financial institutions, these entrepreneurs, traders and investors are navigating tough terrain and making an outsized impact. By Jeff Kauflin, Maneet Ahuja, Nina Bambysheva, and Emily Mason When Silicon Valley Bank collapsed in early March, some panicked entrepreneurs found refuge in Brandon Arvanaghi’s fledgling…

Are hundreds of European fintech start-ups heading for a dramatic blow-up? New research suggests they could be, with the authors claiming there is a significant risk of systemic contagion following such a crash. Fintechs across Europe had by this year raised more than $12 billion to lend to small and…

For the past eight years, we’ve published our annual Fintech 50 list, covering the top private companies that are transforming finance through technology. (Here’s last year’s Fintech 50.) From digital banks and payments startups to fraud prevention firms and cryptocurrency businesses trying to build a new financial system, these companies…