Cryptocurrency – FinTech, eWallets – FinTech, mobile banking apps – FinTech.
This particular branch of technology is becoming a vital and innovative part of our society and will completely revolutionise the way that we do things in the coming years.
Europe and the whole world is in the midst of a technological and financial revolution, and the way things are going, we expect 2018 to be a pivotal year with a wealth of seismic developments taking place throughout the next ten months.
In this article, we will look at the top 15+ most exciting, promising, innovative, and exciting FinTech start-ups of 2018.
But first things first, if you aren’t entirely sure what FinTech is, let me tell you.
What Is FinTech?
FinTech is a portmanteau or a splice of the phrase “financial technology.” It refers to the merger of the financial services industry with technology that supports its use, and evolution.
Since the early 2000s, the term has been broadly used to refer to any technological innovations encompassing areas such as financial literacy and education, retail banking, investment, and even the world of cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum and Bitcoin.
The Top 19 FinTech Start-Ups Of This Year
2018 is set to be an exciting year if the developments and innovations of 2017 are anything to go by.
Cryptocurrency, the blockchain, mobiles and more – there are so many possibilities when it comes to new concepts and technologies that will not just completely turn the financial services industry on its head, but it will impact our lives for the better as well.
So, which are the ones to keep your eye on? Let us read on to find out more.
Advanon, Zurich
The Advanon platform is a specially designed accounting programme that is tailored to the needs of SMEs.
It helps small to medium enterprises to manage their cash and invoices more efficiently, allowing them to spend more time, effort, and money on developing their core business.
It was founded back in 2017 by Phil Lojacono, Stijn Pieper, and Philip Kornmann and to date has managed to raise an impressive $3.9m from some pretty serious investors such as Btov Partners, VI Partners, and Swisscom Ventures.
Capital.com, Cyprus
Based in the sunny, seaside town of Limassol, Cyprus, this exciting new startup- Capital.com is a mobile trading application that harnesses the exciting technology of AI.
It allows users to invest in a full range of financial instruments, as well as to access useful and informative educational materials to help them develop their trading skills.
They are regulated by CySec which means they adhere to some pretty strict rules and regulations, and thus far, they have raised over $25m in conjunction with VP Capital.
2018 is set to be a pretty exciting year for them, especially considering the trend towards getting involved in trading and investing.
Circle, Ireland, And England
P2P networks are enormous in the world of FinTech and Circle is just one of the big players in the sector.
Founded by Sean Neville and Jeremy Allaire, this app which is available on iOS and Android, as well as having a plugin on iMessage, allows users to send and receive P2P payments with Euro support.
They also claim to be the only cross-border payments platform in the world that can transfer cash from an app into a US bank account without it costing a penny.
So far, they have raised in the region of $196m from 19 different investors.
Coinify, Denmark
Coinify started back in 2014 as a blockchain payment service provider designed for use by both merchants and consumers alike.
The idea is that it works with global payment providers, retail shops both online and offline, individuals and e-commerce companies, and in early 2018, they teamed up with Nasdaq to try out blockchain for mutual fund trading.
Based in Copenhagen, they took on an additional 200 personnel in the last six months, due to them successfully raising over $4 million in investor funding.
Gan Integrity, Denmark
Also hailing from Copenhagen, Denmark, Gan Integrity are a cloud-based compliance software developer whose programmes are designed to manage corporate risk, third- party due diligence, and to also facilitate whistleblowing when concerns about security and safety arise.
The platform automates many of the steps involved in compliance procedures, and they recently raised over $9m in a Series A fundraising round led by Edison Partners.
Fenergo, Ireland
Fenegro offers comprehensive, digital solutions for AML regulatory compliance, client life-cycle management, and client data management.
Based in Dublin, Ireland, so far they have raised a pretty impressive $80m in a fundraising round led by New York venture capital firm, Insight Venture Partners.
ID Finance, Spain
One of the fastest growing FinTech companies on the list, ID Finance specialise in providing online lending services to those active in emerging and developing markets.
The brainchild of Boris Batine and Alexander Dunaev, it was launched in 2013, and they also offer digital finance and credit scoring services.
At the moment, they are issuing around 50,000 loans in a month in places such as Latin America, and they raised over $50m in debt financing from multiple sources such as Russian food tycoon, Vadim Dymov, and TransKapitalBank.
Klarna, Sweden
This is one of the most valuable FinTech firms on this list and Klarna provide online payment services for a range of e-commerce sites to help alleviate the risk for both buyers and sellers.
Users are only liable to pay a fee once they receive the product and the company has raised a whopping $291 from 12 investors, and the company is valued at an astonishing $2.25 billion.
The company was founded in Stockholm, Sweden in 2005 by Sebastian Siemiatkowski, Niklas Adalberth and Victor Jacombsson.
Monzo, UK
With over 20,000 current account holders, Monzo is one of the world’s leading banks.
With a cult-like reputation and following, over 500,000 British users are splashing the cash with their bright and distinctive coral-coloured cards.
Founded in 2015 by five Londoners, the service is so popular that there is a waiting list to sign up.
Over the course of several rounds of investments, Monzo has raised £71 million in funding from investors such as Passion Capital, Orange Digital Ventures, and Thrive Capital.
Onfido, UK
Founded by three Oxford University graduates back in 2012, Onfido helps customers such as Morgan McKinley, Hassle.com, and JustGiving to run background checks.
Its main selling point is the fact that its technology is based on the ever-popular concept of machine learning.
Onfido held the title of Start-Up of the Week from Siliconrepublic.com and raised an impressive $30m in a Series C round that was led by Crane Venture Partners.
PayFit, France
Based in Paris, PayFit is a payroll management startup that was created a little over a year ago by three young entrepreneurs.
With hundreds of customers already using the service, PayFit provides a software-as-a-service platform that allows SMEs to pay their employees quickly, and cost-efficiently.
In a recent Series B round of fundraising that was led by Accel, Xavier Neil and Otium Venture, they raised around $15.9m in funds.
Plynk, Ireland
The third Irish offering on our list, Plynk was founded in 2015 by Charles Dowd and Clive Foley and it offers a money-messaging service through an application that allows users to chat one-on-one and in groups as well as giving them the ability to send and receive money within the chats.
They recently raised €25m in Series A funding that was led by Suisse Privee LTD, and they recently took on 40 new employees.
Receipt Bank, England
Based in London, Receipt Bank allows its users such as SMEs, accountants, and bookkeepers to automate a variety of bookkeeping tasks.
Founded in 2010, it was the first software firm to allow the automatic processing of information from photographs or uploaded images of invoices and receipts. The company has recently amassed over $50m in funding in a round led by Insight Venture Partners.
Revolut, UK
This app is turning the banking world on its head, and since its launch in 2015, it has amassed immense popularity in a short time and its offering a viable alternative to traditional banking methods.
Revolut offers banking via an application and a multi-currency Mastercard. You can create a bank account in mere seconds, send fee-free money transfers in 26 different currencies, instantly.
It also allows users to spend without paying fees in 120 currencies with its contactless card, and it will enable interbank rate currency exchanges, P2P payments and more.
They have just surpassed the millionth customer and raised $66m in July 2017.
Read more in our Revolut Review.
Tide, England
Another London-based start-up, Tide started out with the aim of overcoming the obstacles that mainstream banks put in place of small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Tide provides a much-needed service in an area where previously, it was a complicated and laborious procedure to set up business accounts.
Focussed on the small business owner, they have developed their APIs for developers to then build on further or integrate. Founded by George Bevis, Tide has raised $2m in a seed round of funding.
TransferMate, Ireland
Another Irish start-up, TransferMate was founded in 2010 with the intention of reducing international payment costs and fees for businesses, individuals and business customers.
Since then they have created and developed an impressive regulatory footprint in the EU and over $10bn has been sent to over 100 countries via its platform. The company is now valued somewhere between €250m and €300m.
TransferWise, England
Another international money transfer platform, TransferWise started in 2011 and it offers borderless accounts for businesses and freelancers in the US and EU and it allows account holders to hold funds in up to 27 currencies.
It also plans to launch a consumer focussed, borderless account and card by mid-2018. TransferWise now boasts over 2 million clients and offers a pretty impressive 750 currency routes.
Profitable since 2017, they recently raised an additional $280m in Series E funding that was led by Old Mutual Global Investors, and the company was valued at $1.6bn.
Wefox, Germany And Switzerland
Also known as FinanceFox, Wefox is an insurance application that functions on the Salesforce CRM platform.
It works by connecting insurance companies to customers and combines the more traditional insurance business methods, with cutting-edge, modern technology.
It was founded in 2014, and just last year, they raised $5.5 million in a round which was led by Salesforce Ventures.
Younited Credit, France
Parisian based, Younited Credit is aiming to be the biggest crowd-lending platform in Europe.
Currency operational in Spain, Italy and France, users can borrow any amount between $1200 and $48000 without having to go through the pain of dealing with a bank. To date, they have loaned just over $600 million, and they recently raised $47.8 million in Series F funding.
Overall
These are some of the most exciting and innovative start-ups to keep your eye on during 2018.
These companies and others are disrupting the entire tech and financial services industry, to get rid of the cumbersome processes of yesteryear, and to offer consumers more efficient and modern alternatives when it comes to payments, banking, accounting, and more.
This is just 19 of the most promising Fintech start-ups of 2018, but there are many more out there that are actively contributing to a bigger, better, and more exciting digital society. The technological revolution is well underway and this year is going to be a superb year!
Read more on Fintech 2018: Top 10 Trends That Will Affect Your Future.
