Fintech is one of the fastest-growing markets in the private sector, and for good reason. Fintech, short for financial technology, describes businesses at the frontline of innovation in tech-centered products and services related to the handling of finances, from transfers and transactions to banking solutions. There are many standout organizations in the fintech sphere, but these four are particularly renowned for their approach and success.
EML
EML is an open banking platform that enables businesses to transact safely and seamlessly, with a global reach. They offer a wide range of banking solutions, from internal banking and B2B payments to intuitive, customizable client-side experiences – such as bespoke apps that administrate online payments from multiple currencies.
For internal business resources, they can produce individual payment cards for business expenses as well as promotional gift cards. The sheer expanse of EML’s offering puts it at the forefront in e-commerce spaces, being a full-service global banking solution that can handle the front end and associated peripherals just as much as the back end.
Monzo
Monzo is by now a well-established banking company, largely thanks to a successful word-of-mouth campaign at launch in 2015 which led to widespread adoption by the ‘smartphone generation’.As an app-based alternative banking service with an emphasis on short-term saving, its accessible functionality, and budget data analysis put it well ahead of the major banks’ online banking offerings.
But Monzo isn’t purely a consumer banking solution. It has a powerful business banking arm too, with useful tools for accepting customer payments and 24/7 support on top of the USP of Monzo as a whole: transparent banking with easy transfers and functional ways to compartmentalize funds.
PayPal
PayPal is a veteran of the fintech sphere, and arguably one of the most recognizable fintech brands in the world for that reason. PayPal has gone from strength to strength since its modest beginnings in the late 1990s, becoming a primary method of online payments following its acquisition by eBay in 2002. Today it stands as a separate organization, having staked itself as a central player in the online transactions space through the growth and acquisition of innovative companies like Honey. Despite facing strong competition by other payment solutions platforms with their own USPs, PayPal remains a safe bet in fintech.
Klarna
Klarna is a relatively recent and rapidly-expanding phenomenon in fintech, having innovated in credit-based payment solutions and disrupted the payment financing market. Klarna is an app that allows consumers to ‘buy now, pay later; it is essentially a third-party purchase financing scheme – through Klarna’s ace in the hole is interest-free re-payments under six months, allowing consumers to offset purchases with ease.
Klarna makes its money from partnerships with businesses, that pay a retailer fee to partner with the app. Sales made through the app are paid in full, while Klarna handles the financing end. The company is promising for its breakthrough business model, offering a win-win for businesses and consumers.