Actual Agency Fintech 50 Awards 2025

Recognizing the Best in Fintech Innovation

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At Actual Agency, we keep a vigilant eye on fintech trends to stay ahead of the market's most transformative developments. The Fintech 50 Awards return for 2025 to celebrate the companies—and the people behind them—who are reshaping how the world interacts with money, credit, and commerce.

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From real-time payments and AI-powered lending to embedded finance, fraud prevention, and financial inclusion, this year’s honorees reflect the breadth of innovation redefining financial services. Many are repeat selections, recognized again for building trust, momentum, and market-leading solutions. Others are rising disruptors, introducing bold technologies and targeting underserved markets in meaningful and lasting ways.

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These 53 visionary companies are paving the way toward a more inclusive, secure, and intelligent financial ecosystem. We invite you to explore the complete list below, organized by category with expanded descriptions, milestones, and leadership spotlights—and follow these trailblazers as they shape the future of financial technology.

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Fintech Innovation

Recognizing companies redefining financial technology with groundbreaking AI, blockchain, and embedded finance solutions.

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Figure

Founded by former SoFi CEO Mike Cagney, Figure is re-architecting financial infrastructure using blockchain. Known for pioneering real-world applications of decentralized ledger technology, Figure has simplified complex financial services—from home equity lines to private fund operations and cap table management. In 2025, the company doubled down on blockchain-based lending infrastructure and expanded into digital asset securitization, positioning itself at the intersection of decentralized finance (DeFi) and traditional finance.

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Kiavi

LendingHome, now Kiavi, is revolutionizing real estate lending by offering a seamless, tech-first borrowing experience for property investors. Since 2013, it has funded over $3.5 billion across more than 15,000 fix-and-flip projects. In 2025, Kiavi strengthened its market leadership with the launch of more innovative borrower dashboards and next-generation automated underwriting tools, providing real estate investors with faster, data-driven access to capital in a competitive housing landscape.

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Morty

Led by CEO Nora Apsel, Morty is an all-in-one mortgage platform that enables loan officers and mortgage brokerages to simplify their operations, unlock new revenue opportunities, and grow their mortgage business like never before. Leveraging the technology and infrastructure built as a DTC mortgage broker and the first-ever, fully digital marketplace, Morty removes the complexity and cost of running a mortgage business while providing the tools to help our partners grow and increase profits.

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Securitize

CEO Carlos Domingo leads Securitize with a bold vision: transforming private capital markets through the tokenization of securities. The company enables compliant, end-to-end digital asset issuance and trading, making previously illiquid assets tradable in real time. In 2025, Securitize launched a regulated alternative trading system (ATS) for digital assets and forged institutional partnerships aimed at modernizing fund administration through blockchain, setting a new precedent for transparency and access in capital markets.

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Supernova Technology

Supernova Technology brings institutional-grade efficiency to securities-based lending (SBL), a niche yet powerful form of credit for high-net-worth clients and financial institutions. Its cloud-native, modular platform supports banks, broker-dealers, RIAs, and fintech providers seeking to digitize and scale SBL offerings. In 2025, Supernova introduced advanced client portal features with real-time transparency and customizable risk dashboards, further solidifying its reputation as the backbone of modern wealth-backed lending infrastructure.

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Upstart (Repeat Honoree)

Upstart, led by CEO Dave Girouard, continues to set the standard for AI-driven credit innovation. Unlike traditional credit scoring models, Upstart’s underwriting leverages machine learning to identify creditworthy borrowers often overlooked by legacy systems, particularly among younger and underserved populations. In 2025, the company expanded its partner network across regional banks and credit unions, reinforcing its mission to drive more inclusive lending. Its performance-based model and commitment to mitigating bias in credit decisions underscore why Upstart remains a trusted disruptor in the consumer finance industry.

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Wealthfront

Under the leadership of CEO David Fortunato, Wealthfront remains a vanguard in automated investing, with a focus on long-term financial empowerment for digital-native generations. In 2025, the company introduced new tools for tax-optimized investing and launched automated home-buying planning capabilities, integrating real estate readiness into its platform. Wealthfront continues to raise the bar for how robo-advisors can deliver holistic financial planning with ease, intelligence, and personalization.

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Cybersecurity & Fraud Prevention in Fintech

Highlighting fintech leaders advancing digital security, fraud detection, and data protection.

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Alloy

Alloy enables banks and fintechs to make smarter identity and risk decisions through a powerful combination of automation and data orchestration. In 2025, Alloy launched an AI-enhanced fraud engine that dynamically adjusts to suspicious behaviors during onboarding and ongoing transactions, improving real-time fraud prevention while preserving a frictionless customer experience. Its platform has become foundational for fintechs prioritizing secure, scalable growth.

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Deduce

Deduce maintains the largest independent identity graph in the U.S., enabling real-time detection of anomalous login behavior and identity misuse. Its risk signals power fraud prevention for some of the most widely used fintech applications. In 2025, Deduce scaled its Identity Network to 500 M+ unique profiles and introduced a frictionless login feature, enabling passwordless authentication that combines conversion-friendly UX with robust account security.

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Navan (Repeat Honoree)

Navan, formerly TripActions, has evolved into a business spend management platform that blends travel, procurement, and expense control with embedded security. Under the leadership of CEO Ariel Cohen, Navan made significant strides in 2025 by introducing real-time spend analytics, proactive fraud controls, and expanded benefits management—all accessible through a unified platform. Its enterprise-grade tools empower finance leaders to identify anomalous behavior and policy violations before they impact the bottom line.

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Sardine

Sardine is a fraud prevention and compliance platform engineered for the unique needs of high-velocity fintechs, crypto apps, and neobanks. CEO Soups Ranjan, a former security leader at Coinbase, has positioned the company at the nexus of behavioral biometrics, device intelligence, and instant fraud detection. In 2025, Sardine launched SardineX, a generative AI-powered assistant that helps fraud teams identify root causes and dynamically optimize detection rules, cutting investigation time by 60%.

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SentiLink

SentiLink, led by co-founder and CEO Naftali Harris, is at the forefront of the battle against synthetic identity fraud—one of the fastest-growing and most challenging-to-detect financial crimes. In 2025, SentiLink expanded its ID Complete platform with real-time fraud ring alerts and a consortium data model, providing financial institutions with a broader view of emerging threats. Trusted by major banks and fintechs, SentiLink is reshaping how the industry collaborates to fight identity-based fraud.

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Spec

Founded by former Facebook engineers, Spec provides a proactive defense layer for fintech apps through its "fraud firewall"—a system that monitors user journeys in real-time to detect threats before they materialize. In 2025, Spec introduced Invisible Detection Zones, an innovation that utilizes privacy-preserving technology to flag suspicious patterns, such as account takeovers and promotional abuse, without disrupting legitimate users. Spec’s frictionless approach to early threat detection is gaining traction with identity, payments, and customer experience (CX) teams alike.

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Unit21

Unit 21 is redefining how fintechs, banks, and crypto companies combat fraud and money laundering. Its no-code platform makes it easy for compliance teams to configure detection rules, investigate cases, and report suspicious activity without relying on engineering. In 2025, the company introduced a RiskOps API framework that enables real-time policy enforcement and streamlines data collaboration across platforms. With a customer base that includes Chime, Intuit, and Brex, Unit21 is setting the standard for agile, intelligent compliance infrastructure.

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Zip

Zip, led by CEO Rujul Zaparde, is transforming procurement and vendor management into a secure, auditable workflow. As the first intake-to-pay platform tailored for modern enterprises, Zip has become a go-to solution for compliance-forward procurement. In 2025, Zip integrated generative AI tools to automate vendor risk assessments, accelerate onboarding, and reduce cycle times, enabling finance and IT teams to mitigate third-party risk without slowing down innovation.

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Regulatory Compliance & Compliance Innovation (Expanded)

Celebrating fintech leaders who are transforming regulatory compliance from a bottleneck into a competitive advantage.

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Ascent Technologies

Ascent Technologies is redefining regulatory change management with AI that reads, parses, and maps compliance obligations in real time. In 2025, Ascent launched Dynamic Rule Mapping, enabling fintechs to respond to new or amended regulations the moment they emerge. By integrating with major GRC platforms, Ascent enables compliance teams to shift from a reactive to a proactive approach, future-proofing their operations in a fragmented global regulatory environment.

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ComplyAdvantage

ComplyAdvantage is a go-to platform for AML screening, transaction monitoring, and sanctions risk management—trusted by fintechs operating across borders and high-risk sectors. In 2025, the company expanded its Sanctions Intelligence Suite by layering in geopolitical risk signals and generative AI to deliver real-time insights into third-party exposure. As financial crime becomes increasingly complex, ComplyAdvantage remains a cornerstone for firms seeking rapid, defensible risk decisions.

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Middesk

Middesk powers business identity and due diligence workflows for fintechs offering business lending, banking-as-a-service, and corporate cards. In 2025, Middesk launched Middesk Monitor, a continuous compliance platform that automatically tracks changes in business registration, licenses, and enforcement actions. By offering a real-time view into business health and risk, Middesk enables institutions to scale B2B onboarding with greater speed, accuracy, and trust.

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Vouched

Vouched delivers identity verification solutions built for regulated industries, including healthcare, lending, insurance, and banking. In 2025, the company introduced Vouched Vault, a secure audit-trail system that gives institutions a compliance-grade record of KYC and AML activities. Designed to pass the toughest regulatory scrutiny, Vault enables lenders and neobanks to meet their obligations with less manual review and more operational confidence.

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Payments & Digital Transactions

Showcasing fintechs revolutionizing real-time payments, digital wallets, and financial transactions.

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Arc (Repeat Honoree)

Arc, led by CEO Don Muir, is reimagining financial infrastructure for SaaS founders by merging capital access and digital banking into a single, streamlined platform. In 2025, Arc launched an AI-powered insights dashboard that gives startups predictive views into burn, growth, and capital efficiency. Alongside its revamped instant funding tool, Arc empowers founders to secure non-dilutive capital with speed and transparency, making it a mission-critical partner in a cautious venture environment.

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Astra

Astra delivers intelligent payment automation for fintech platforms that require programmable money movement. In 2025, Astra unveiled no-code money movement orchestration, allowing fintechs to set up smart, rule-based flows between accounts, cards, and wallets—without touching code or waiting on engineering. As demand for embedded finance surges, Astra is becoming a go-to infrastructure partner for fast, flexible fund transfers behind the scenes.

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Mercury (Repeat Honoree)

Mercury continues to raise the bar for startup banking under the leadership of CEO Immad Akhund. Designed with founders in mind, Mercury’s intuitive platform seamlessly integrates banking, treasury, and forecasting into a single interface. In 2025, the company introduced AI-driven financial modeling tools that enable startups to understand their runway, forecast expenses more accurately, and manage liquidity effectively. In a time of tighter funding, Mercury is enabling more thoughtful decision-making from seed to Series C.

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Moov

Moov, led by CEO Wade Arnold, is democratizing access to payment infrastructure with its developer-first, open-source approach. In 2025, Moov launched full-stack wallet and disbursement APIs, giving fintechs the flexibility to build tailored money movement experiences without relying on legacy processors. Its infrastructure-first vision is fueling a new era of embedded finance where payments are part of the product, not bolted on.

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PayEm

PayEm provides CFOs and finance teams with a unified platform for global spend management. From payment initiation to reconciliation, PayEm’s solution is built for operational clarity and compliance. In 2025, it launched a cross-border payment intelligence engine that automates FX optimization, compliance documentation, and audit trails, simplifying global finance operations in an increasingly complex regulatory environment.

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Routable

Routable is redefining B2B money movement with a modern API suite designed for mass payouts at scale. In 2025, it expanded its real-time payment capabilities to serve gig economy platforms, AP automation systems, and global marketplaces, seamlessly connecting to major ERPs like NetSuite and QuickBooks. With Routable, businesses can move funds faster, with more visibility and less manual overhead.

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TabaPay (Repeat Honoree)

TabaPay is building the real-time payment rails powering the next generation of fintech. Supporting more than 15 real-time networks, its low-latency, high-reliability infrastructure is trusted by lenders, banks, gig platforms, and digital wallets. In 2025, TabaPay surpassed 1 billion transactions processed with sub-second settlement, PCI compliance, and end-to-end encryption—all while remaining invisible to the end user. TabaPay is the infrastructure backbone behind some of the fastest-growing payment experiences today.

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AI & Machine Learning

Honoring companies leveraging AI-driven automation, intelligent decision-making, and predictive analytics to transform financial services.

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Capitalize (Repeat Honoree)

Capitalize is bringing automation to a traditionally tedious financial task: rolling over old 401(k) accounts. Under the leadership of CEO Gaurav Sharma, the company introduced AI-powered account verification workflows in 2025, enabling seamless rollovers across HR platforms and retirement providers. Amid rising workforce mobility and fragmented retirement savings, Capitalize offers a tech-forward solution that empowers users to reclaim and optimize their financial future.

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DataSnipper (Repeat Honoree)

Amsterdam-based DataSnipper is streamlining the traditionally manual world of financial auditing through intelligent automation. In 2025, the company expanded into the U.S. market and introduced GenAI-powered capabilities that reduce audit preparation time by 40%. With smart document linking and contextual data extraction, DataSnipper is redefining what’s possible for auditors, analysts, and finance teams navigating increasing data complexity.

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Kudos (Repeat Honoree)

Kudos is reinventing credit card optimization with a hyper-personalized AI assistant built for everyday consumers. Under the leadership of CEO Tikue Anazodo, Kudos surpassed 1 million users in 2025. They introduced new ML-powered features that analyze user transaction patterns to recommend more informed spending and rewards strategies. In a cluttered credit card market, Kudos stands out by making AI-driven financial empowerment both intuitive and accessible.

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Pagaya (Repeat Honoree)

Pagaya partners with financial institutions to enable smarter consumer credit decisions by leveraging proprietary AI models that analyze non-traditional data signals. Led by CEO Gal Krubiner, Pagaya’s network processed more than $10 billion in originations in 2025, demonstrating the scalability and accuracy of its credit decision-making infrastructure. As banks and lenders seek to modernize their underwriting, Pagaya remains a go-to AI partner for next-generation credit access.

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Zest AI (Repeat Honoree)

Zest AI, led by CEO Mike de Vere, continues to lead the charge in ethical and transparent AI underwriting. In 2025, the company launched Zest Explain—a suite of explainability tools that gives lenders and regulators unprecedented visibility into how credit decisions are made. As regulatory scrutiny of AI intensifies, Zest’s commitment to fairness, accountability, and model transparency positions it as a gold standard for inclusive, compliant credit access in the age of machine learning.

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Social Impact in Fintech

Honoring fintech companies that expand financial inclusion, support economic mobility, and use technology for positive change.

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Almond FinTech

Almond FinTech, under the leadership of CEO Adam Swartzbaugh, combines blockchain and AI to transform cross-border payments and expand financial access in underserved regions. In 2025, Almond rolled out its Settlement Optimization Engine in 10 additional countries, enabling lower-cost, real-time transfers with embedded credit insights. Its work is earning global recognition for breaking down systemic barriers in financial infrastructure.

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CreditRich

Founded by Angel Rich, CreditRich helps users improve their credit by rounding up spare change to make timely payments—an idea rooted in accessibility and empowerment. In 2025, the app introduced AI-driven predictive financial insights for Gen Z users and established partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to promote financial literacy. CreditRich is creating a new on-ramp to financial wellness for historically underserved groups.

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Esusu

Co-CEOs Wemimo Abbey and Samir Goel are reshaping credit access through rent. Esusu enables renters to build credit by reporting on-time rent payments to major credit bureaus, thereby bridging a key gap in the credit system. In 2025, Esusu scaled its impact by partnering with leading multifamily housing developers, making rental credit building a default benefit across more than 5 million U.S. housing units. It's a powerful example of fintech addressing structural inequity in credit scoring.

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Propel (Repeat Honoree)

Propel’s Fresh EBT app—used by millions of SNAP recipients—is helping low-income Americans manage government benefits with dignity and ease. Under the leadership of CEO Jimmy Chen, Propel expanded in 2025 by introducing a “trusted jobs” marketplace and implementing deeper integrations with state benefit systems. By connecting users to employment and services directly within the app, Propel is building a digital safety net designed for long-term economic mobility.

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Remitly

Remitly, led by CEO Matt Oppenheimer, is a mission-driven global remittance platform helping immigrant families send money home safely and affordably. In 2025, Remitly expanded into underserved payment corridors across sub-Saharan Africa and introduced fee transparency tools to enhance user confidence, particularly among first-time digital senders. The company continues to lead with empathy and trust in the $700 B+ remittance market.

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Renavest

Renavest, led by CEO Stanley Rameau, is reimagining financial wellness in the workplace. It's a B2B platform that combines behavioral finance with therapy-informed tools to support employees' financial and emotional well-being. In 2025, Renavest launched analytics dashboards that provide HR teams with a real-time view into employee financial stress, positioning financial health as a core component of an inclusive benefits strategy.

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Tala (Repeat Honoree)

Tala, led by CEO Shivani Siroya, is a trailblazer in mobile-first financial services for underserved populations in emerging markets. In 2025, Tala introduced an AI-powered credit model tailored to small businesses in Kenya and India, dramatically expanding access to capital where traditional lenders fall short. Tala’s impact extends not just to microloans but also to fueling entrepreneurship and financial inclusion at scale.

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True Link

CEO Kai Stinchcombe leads True Link, a fintech platform built for aging adults, caregivers, and people with disabilities—populations often excluded from digital finance. In 2025, True Link introduced a trust administration service specifically designed for individuals with disabilities, offering families a secure and compliant way to manage their long-term financial needs. It’s a rare example of fintech intended to protect and empower the most vulnerable.

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Customer-Centric Fintech Excellence

Celebrating fintechs delivering exceptional user experiences, seamless digital banking, and personalized financial services.

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AffiniPay (Repeat Honoree)

AffiniPay, under the leadership of CEO Dru Armstrong, continues to raise the bar in verticalized payment solutions for the legal, accounting, and professional services industries. In 2025, AffiniPay introduced client trust accounting features and deeper integrations with leading legal tech platforms, enhancing compliance and operational control for firms. It’s a model of customer-centric fintech that understands—and evolves with—the unique needs of professionals.

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Bilt Rewards

Bilt Rewards, led by CEO Ankur Jain, is making rent pay off—literally. In 2025, the platform expanded into rent-to-own partnerships and introduced financial literacy tools that help renters build credit and achieve long-term wealth. By transforming rent into a rewards and wealth-building engine, Bilt is bringing customer-centric innovation to an often-overlooked monthly expense.

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Chime (Repeat Honoree)

Chime, co-founded by CEO Chris Britt, remains a category-defining neobank committed to improving financial wellness for everyday Americans. In 2025, Chime launched a smart savings automation feature that adapts to user behavior and income fluctuations, while expanding its Credit Builder program to reach more underbanked consumers. Chime’s user-first approach continues to set the standard for mobile-first, no-fee banking.

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Earny

Earny helps consumers effortlessly get money back. This personal finance assistant tracks price drops, files claims automatically, and now, thanks to 2025 upgrades, integrates with major credit cards and retailers for real-time purchase protection. Earny’s seamless, behind-the-scenes automation puts passive savings on autopilot, delighting users with unexpected wins.

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Ellevest

Ellevest, co-founded by financial trailblazer Sallie Krawcheck, continues its mission to close the gender wealth gap through personalized investing and financial coaching. In 2025, Ellevest introduced new career transition and financial education tools to help women navigate change with confidence. Its tech-meets-mission approach ensures every user experience is aligned with economic empowerment and life-stage needs.

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Finalytics.ai

Based in San Francisco, Finalytics.ai is led by a team of FinTech enthusiasts, with diverse backgrounds in retail banking, digital experience design, artificial intelligence, and analytics.

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Found

Found is a digital banking and bookkeeping platform built specifically for self-employed workers. Co-founders Lauren Cascio and Connor Dunn launched Found to streamline finances for freelancers and gig workers. In 2025, the company expanded its offering with IRS-ready tax prep tools and new gig economy benefits, helping users manage complexity with confidence and clarity.

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Future Family

Future Family, led by CEO Claire Tomkins, is making fertility care more financially accessible. In 2025, the company launched embedded loan products in partnership with top clinics and telehealth platforms, bringing financing directly into the care journey. With personalized repayment plans and white-glove support, Future Family is putting empathy at the center of healthcare finance.

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GlossGenius

GlossGenius, led by CEO Danielle Cohen-Shohet, offers a beautifully designed business management and payments platform tailored for independent beauty and wellness professionals. In 2025, the company introduced new tools for tax preparation and financial insights, empowering solopreneurs with the kind of personalized financial intelligence typically reserved for larger businesses. GlossGenius is redefining fintech for creatives, with elegance and empathy at its core.

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Imprint

Imprint, led by co-founder and CEO Daragh Murphy, powers branded credit and debit cards with instant rewards and zero fees. In 2025, Imprint partnered with major retail brands to deliver white-labeled, high-engagement rewards experiences, offering seamless payments and customer loyalty in one seamless experience. It’s making branded finance more rewarding for both merchants and consumers.

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Inspira Financial

Inspira Financial focuses on health, wealth, and retirement solutions that work seamlessly across employer and individual channels. In 2025, the company strengthened its integrations with plan sponsors and recordkeepers to expand access to rollovers, Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), and self-directed Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). Its holistic platform is helping users take control of long-term planning while simplifying the back-end for HR and benefits leaders.

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Lead Bank (Repeat Honoree)

Led by CEO Jacqueline Reses, Lead Bank blends the mission of a community bank with the agility of a fintech. In 2025, Lead Bank launched a fintech partnership hub to help accelerate embedded finance and Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) innovation across regional markets. Its commitment to localized innovation, relationship banking, and modern infrastructure makes it a standout in digital-first financial services.

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Relay (Repeat Honoree)

Relay, led by CEO Yoseph West, is a modern business banking platform designed for accountants and small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). In 2025, Relay introduced automated accounts payable and receivable workflows, along with tools that enable accounting partners to gain real-time visibility into client cash flow. Relay’s accountant-friendly UX and financial clarity make it a go-to choice for small business banking.

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Valon (Repeat Honoree)

Valon, under the leadership of CEO Andrew Wang, is modernizing one of the most outdated consumer experiences in finance–mortgage servicing. In 2025, Valon introduced an AI-powered mortgage navigator and expanded its platform to support home equity loans, providing homeowners with greater clarity and control over one of life’s most significant financial decisions. With a clean interface and real-time support, Valon is turning servicing into a strategic advantage.

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