99 Fintech Companies and Startups to Know

The fintech category is no longer one category

Built In’s list points to a market that has sprawled well beyond the old “neobank versus bank” frame. The companies mentioned in its material cover payment processing, point-of-sale hardware, inventory management, subscriptions, billing, fraud prevention, peer-to-peer transfers, business payments, payroll, bookings, lending, debt management and tax or compliance services.

That matters because consumers often experience all of this as one smooth word: fintech. But the user journey is very different depending on the product. Sending money through a peer-to-peer app is not the same cognitive task as consolidating debt, accepting card payments as a merchant, or using a digital account with an AI assistant. The friction is different. The risk is different. The moment when the user needs clarity is different.

Square is described as offering payment processing and business management tools for merchants, including card acceptance, inventory, in-store and online syncing, payroll and bookings. Stripe is presented as a platform for accepting payments, managing subscriptions and automating billing across online and in-person channels, with fraud prevention and flexible billing models. Venmo, owned by PayPal, is positioned around mobile peer-to-peer transfers and merchant payments, including tap-to-pay features for Android merchants. Cash App is described as a mobile money management platform with instant transfers, direct deposit, customizable debit cards, equity and Bitcoin investing, and Afterpay integration.

That is a lot of choice architecture in one market. The question for users is not “Which fintech is most modern?” It is: where does this product sit in my financial life, and what behavior is it nudging me toward?

Latin America is still drawing serious fintech bets

BNamericas reports that fintech remains one of Latin America’s main venture-capital success stories in technology, with both local and global funds backing companies in the region. The examples are spread across Brazil, Chile and Colombia — and they are not all chasing the same use case.

In Brazil, Jota completed a US$30 million Series A round with Haun Ventures, which BNamericas says is the fund’s first investment in a Brazilian startup. The transaction values Jota at US$185 million. The stated goal is to expand Jota’s digital account, known for a financial assistant based on artificial intelligence.

Also in Brazil, U.S. fintech Tilt, formerly Empower Finance, acquired Blipay, a salary-advance company with more than 6 million registered users. The amount was not disclosed. Tilt said the deal gives it immediate presence in Latin America’s largest consumer credit market and marks its fourth market outside the United States, after Mexico, the Philippines and India. Tilt is headquartered in San Francisco, and its Tilt Line of Credit is provided by FinWise Bank.

In Chile, Blanco raised US$5.2 million in a seed round led by Krealo, the innovation and corporate venture capital arm of Credicorp Group. Blanco focuses on digital financial services and factoring for small and medium-sized businesses, automating credit analysis and receivables anticipation using AI, with transactions carried out directly via WhatsApp.

In Colombia, Addi raised US$86 million in a Series D round. BNamericas reports the round marked BTG Pactual’s debut in international growth equity investment and was co-led by Citius, with participation from GIC and Monashees. Addi, which operates in buy now, pay later, reached a valuation close to US$1 billion.

What to check before trusting the next shiny account

For bankingwith.com readers, the practical takeaway is not that every funded fintech is safe, useful or user-friendly. Funding is a signal of investor appetite, not a substitute for product diligence.

If you are comparing a digital account, payment app or neobank-like service, start with the boring questions. Who provides the underlying account, credit line or payment infrastructure? What happens when the app is not just moving money, but extending credit, advancing salary or encouraging pay-over-time behavior? Does the interface reduce cognitive load, or does it simply make borrowing feel like tapping “continue”?

The Latin American examples are especially instructive because they show where fintech energy is concentrating: digital accounts, AI-assisted finance, salary advances, SME credit workflows, factoring, instant payments, open finance and buy now, pay later. BNamericas cites a Fitch report saying instant payments and open finance are becoming central pillars of fintech expansion in the region, especially in Brazil, described as having Latin America’s most advanced ecosystem.

That is where the next layer of consumer trust will be won or lost. Not in the press release language, and not in the size of a list. It will be in the small moments: a clear fee disclosure, a reversible mistake, a credit product that does not hide its consequences, an AI assistant that explains rather than flatters. Fintech keeps getting broader. Our patience, sensibly, should get narrower.