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What are fintech companies and which banks are investing in them?

What is fintech? Banks are investing in it, but what companies are fintechs?

By Pauline BoudonPublished 2 years ago 3 min read
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What are fintech companies and which banks are investing in them?
Photo by Jonas Leupe on Unsplash

Let's talk about fintech companies and their relationship to banks. This is a very fascinating subject where I'm going to answer questions such as what is a fintech company, why do bigger banks invest in them, which banks are investing in them, and which fintech companies have already been acquired.

Financial technology, or fintech, is a broad term referring to the application of technology in the financial services industry.

Fintech is a broad term referring to the application of technology in the financial services industry. It includes, but is not limited to:

Financial technology (fintech) is a broad term referring to the application of technology in the financial services industry.

Fintech companies offer services such as mobile payments and peer-to-peer loans.

What is fintech? Fintech is the short version of financial technology. It refers to technology-enabled companies that offer consumers and businesses financial services. Examples of fintech companies include startups such as TransferWise and Funding Circle, as well as big banks like Barclays and Lloyds Banking Group. What are fintech companies? Fintech companies offer services such as mobile payments and peer-to-peer loans.

They tend to be smaller than traditional banks, but they can still make a big impact on the industry. For example, TransferWise allows users to send money abroad at a cheaper rate than banks do; Funding Circle provides peer-to-peer loans for small businesses in Europe; and Monzo offers mobile banking services for UK customers.

Which banks have invested in fintech companies? Many major banks have invested in fintech startups over the past few years — both directly through acquisitions or indirectly through venture capital funds.

Traditional banks are investing in fintech companies.

Banks are investing in fintech companies. What is a fintech company? A fintech company is a business or startup that uses technology to provide financial services. Fintech companies can offer everything from mobile wallets to investment management and peer-to-peer lending. Traditional banks are increasingly investing in fintech companies, both as an opportunity to expand their reach into new markets and as a way to gain access to new technologies that can help them cut costs and improve customer service.

Why are banks investing in fintech companies? Banks have been steadily losing market share over the past decade due to competition from nonbank lenders and other traditional financial institutions, like credit unions and insurance companies. At the same time, customers have become more comfortable with using mobile applications for all kinds of transactions — from paying bills, transferring money or buying groceries — which has put pressure on traditional banks to integrate new technologies into their operations in order to remain competitive.

By partnering with fintech companies, traditional banks can expand their reach into new markets without having to build out infrastructure or hire new employees themselves.

Investors are also funding fintech startups.

Fintech is a broad term that covers a range of financial services, from peer-to-peer lending to mobile payments. But the term specifically refers to start-ups that use technology to offer financial services in new ways. Fintech companies are often funded by venture capital and angel investors who hope to profit from the company's success.

Some fintechs have even managed to raise billions of dollars from major banks themselves, including Barclays and Santander. Here are some of the most successful fintech companies in the world: Lending Club - Lending Club is a peer-to-peer lender based in San Francisco. It helps people borrow money from other individuals, rather than banks or other financial institutions.

Robinhood - Robinhood lets users trade stocks for free, which has made it popular among young people who don't have much money but want to invest in the stock market anyway. The company also offers other investment services like options and cryptocurrency trading. Stash - Stash is an app that helps you invest your spare change as well as your paycheck into low-fee index funds.

You can sign up with as little as $5 and choose what percentage of your paycheck goes toward investing each month (or opt out entirely).

To Sum Up

This question is as difficult to answer as it is simple. Much like banks are using fintech in order to reinvent themselves, fintech is also constantly evolving. New products and services are emerging every day that redefine what fintech actually is. At best, you could say that fintech is a hybrid variant of "banks" and "non-banks" that use technology to either offer new services or improve the efficiency of already existing but outdated financial products.

In this sense, there's no clear cut answer to whether or not fintech companies are banks.

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About the Creator

Pauline Boudon

👋 I'm a Finance afficionado and happy writer. I love Finance and technology. I hope so much you will enjoy my posts & articles!

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