The employment of fintech in banking and finance has constantly been on the rise for the past decade. The service provided by traditional banks was limited in its scope, not reaching every layer of society. Fintech banks have made financial services available to all at the convenience of their fingertips.
The use of advanced technology makes these financial services easily accessible and convenient to use. After the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, global investments in blockchain and cryptocurrency crossed 3.21 billion US dollars.
Here is a list of the 10 leading fintech banks and their services that are catching up in the finance race with traditional banks.
What is a fintech bank?
Financial technology, or fintech, involves using emerging technologies to provide improved financial services and products to independent consumers, businesses and industries. Fintech services cater to the needs of traditional and underserved banking customers, promoting a uniform experience for consumers. The most prominent technological tools of fintech are -
- Artificial intelligence
- Blockchain
- Cloud computing
- Bif data
Neobank, the term that is often used to denote fintech banks, are digital banks that offer banking services through a website or an app. These banks do not have any physical establishment. 70.8% of senior banking executives in 2018 reported that - a collaboration of banks with fintech companies and distribution of fintech products and services via the bank’s own maket platform is vital for the survival of banks.
The emergence of fintech banks in the 21st century has led to the use of technologically advanced tools in rendering financial services like -
- Mobile payments
- Crowdfunding
- Stock-trading
- Investment apps
- Robo advisors/ chatbots
- Peer-to-peer lending services (P2P)
10 of the most popular fintech banks leading the market
Fintech in the banking and finance industry is expanding rapidly with the emergence of technological innovation. Fintech institutions are constantly designing new financial products and services. As fintech platforms keep creating new ways to regulate how people manage their finances, these financial platforms become an indispensable part of daily life.
The leading fintech banks in the market today are -
SoFi - Founded in 2011, SoFi is a San Francisco-based fintech bank. Social Finance, also abbreviated as SoFi, provides financial services like student loans, mortgages, personal loans, investing and banking, amongst other services.
Chime - Chime is an America-based digital bank that provides free-fee online banking services. Chime offers credit cards with no interest, no annual fees, no credit checks, and debit cards with no overdraft fee or minimum balance criteria.
Nubank - In 2013, Nubank was established in Brazil by a trio of founders. Today, Nubank serves an estimated 70 million consumers and has an NPS rating of +87.
Revolut - Revolut is a British-Lithuanian bank founded in 2015 by Nicolay Storonsky and Vlad Yatsenko. Revolut offers regular mobile banking facilities and services like peer-to-peer payment and currency exchange.
Tinkoff - Tinkoff was founded by Oleg Tinkov in the year 2006. It is a Moscow-based fintech bank serving more than 10 million customers. Tinkoff is often rendered the world’s largest independent digital bank offering metal credit cards and high-value financial services.
Varo Bank - Varo is a digital bank that believes in giving a uniform banking experience to all consumers. Opening a Varo account is easy that has no hidden charges and equips the users with 44,000+ free-fee all-point ATMs.
Freo - Freo is an Indian nubank offering digital financial services in India and South-East Asia. It provides Freo Save, a zero-balance digital savings account, Freo Card, a credit/EMI card, Freo Pay, a buy-now-pay-later service and fully guaranteed transaction data security.
MoneyLion - MoneyLion is a technologically advanced digital bank founded in 2013. With its headquarters in New York, it provides financial services like point-earning credit card programmes and financial trackers, along with other basic investing and lending programmes.
Instantpay - Instantpay is an India-based fintech company headquartered in New Delhi. It is a one-stop destination for all online banking platforms for businesses. Instantpay offers banking services to businesses of all sizes.
N26 - Founded in 2013 through a Rocket Internet Incubator, it is a German-based digital bank which operates in about 24 European countries. It provides both normal and premium financial services to its consumers.
Conclusion
Fintech banks make financial services more affordable to consumers compared to traditional banking services. Another positive benefit of digital baking is the 24×7 customer support system. The consumers' relationship with digital banks is strong as the system is more transparent, and consumers can track their finances in real time.
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