What Is Fintech? | Capital One (2024)

July 28, 2022 |3 min read

    You may have heard the word fintech in recent years. But it’s more than a buzzword. In fact, when you check your bank account balance online, send money to a friend with a cash app, or use your phone to pay at a store, you’re using services made possible by fintech.

    So what exactly is fintech? In general, fintech is financial technology. It provides automated and convenient solutions to make finances simpler and more personalized. Read on to learn more about what fintech means and how it’s used.

    Key takeaways

    • Fintech is a common part of everyday money management, from budgeting apps to mobile payments.
    • Wealthtech, insurtech and regtech are categories of fintech.
    • The goal of fintech is to improve financial services and cybersecurity and make finance more accessible.

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    Fintech meaning

    Fintech refers to technology that streamlines traditional financial transactions for businesses and consumers. The term is a combination of “finance” and “technology.” Fintech can help make financial services more secure and efficient.

    Fintech includes a variety of products and services. One of the most well-known examples of fintech is mobile banking. Other examples include peer-to-peer payment apps, trading platforms and investment apps.

    Fintech may seem new. But the concept could be applied throughout history as far back as the development of credit cards, the invention of money and beyond. In recent years, technology companies and innovation have led to making financial services more customer friendly.

    Investments in fintech companies continue to grow, and since 2010 they have surpassed the $200 billion mark.

    Types of fintech categories

    There are multiple categories that fall under fintech. Even banks you might think of as “traditional,” are using fintech to offer more services and solutions. Some of the more well-known categories are ones having to do with wealth management, insurance and managing regulatory functions.

    Wealthtech

    As you can likely tell from the name, this is the wealth management and wealth-building form of fintech. Wealthtech includes companies and innovations that “disrupt”—or improve—the wealth management space, like robo-advisers that use software to provide investment advice.

    Insurtech

    This fintech category uses technical innovation to make the traditional insurance business model more efficient. For example, you may be able to get an insurance quote online within minutes, instead of working with an agent.

    Regtech

    This is a unique fintech category that uses information technology to improve the way the financial industry manages regulatory functions. This includes tasks like monitoring, compliance and reporting.

    Fintech users

    Those who use fintech include just about everyone: individuals, major financial institutions, regulatory bodies, companies, investment institutions and more. These can be business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C) relationships. The fintech user base may be split into four main categories:

    • B2B for banking institutions
    • B2B for large businesses
    • B2C for small businesses
    • B2C for individual consumers

    Examples of fintech innovation

    Whenever there’s new technology, it’s bound to change the way business or other activities are conducted. Here are some examples across a variety of fields.

    Fraud prevention and cybersecurity

    With the digitization of modern finance, cybercrime can be a risk factor. Fortunately, cybersecurity and fintech are connected, as fintech can provide solutions to strengthen security and help prevent fraud. For example, unusual transactions may be flagged based on information collected about your typical payment habits.

    Accessibility

    Whether it’s through technology like mobile banking apps, budgeting software or online lending, fintech has helped make financial services more widely accessible. For instance, you might’ve written a check to a friend in the past, but now you can send them money immediately through a cash app.

    Robo-advisers

    Robo-advisers are automated financial advisers. In other words, they are digital programs that offer investment advice or even create personalized investment portfolios.

    Fintech in a nutshell

    Fintech has become one of the hottest and fastest-growing segments in the financial services industry. It helps financial institutions provide accessible and safe services. You may even benefit from fintech on a daily basis if you use mobile banking or a cash app.

    Capital One strives to provide state-of-the-art fintech services through mobile money management apps and more. Learn how online banking services and CreditWise from Capital One can make your credit and banking experiences even more streamlined and convenient.

    What Is Fintech? | Capital One (2024)

    FAQs

    What is fintech in simple words? ›

    Fintech, a combination of the words “financial” and “technology,” refers to software that seeks to make financial services and processes easier, faster and more secure.

    What does fintech 1.0 mean? ›

    FinTech 1.0 (1866 – 1967) In the late 19th century finance and technology combined to produce the first period of financial globalization.

    What is the best description of fintech? ›

    Fintech is a combination of the words “finance” and “technology.” Although it's a blanket term that can mean many different things, broadly speaking, it describes the evolution of an industry where new technology use-cases are developed and deployed to streamline more traditional-looking finance functions.

    What is so good about fintech? ›

    Several services used by organizations are made easier thanks to automation brought forth by FinTech. Fintech companies can better understand their clients because of the combination of artificial intelligence and large amounts of consumer data, which in turn fuels marketing, product design, and underwriting.

    What is the full word of FinTech? ›

    FinTech, short for Financial Technology, is the word used to describe the emerging industry that aims to modernise, improve and automate the delivery of financial services.

    Which is the biggest FinTech company in the world? ›

    Largest Fintech Companies by Market Valuation
    RankingsNameType of company
    1VisaPaytech
    2MastercardPaytech
    3IntuitAccounting
    4ShopifyEcommerce
    58 more rows

    Is Facebook a FinTech? ›

    With over 2.8 billion monthly active users, Facebook has leveraged its wide user base to expand into the FinTech sector.

    Is my money safe with a FinTech? ›

    Are fintechs FDIC insured? A company that is not a chartered bank cannot carry its own FDIC insurance. However, many fintechs that offer deposit accounts choose to place the funds into one or more partnering FDIC-insured banks so their customers' funds are protected.

    What are the types of FinTech? ›

    What are the FinTech Types?
    • Blockchain and Cryptocurrency. ...
    • Insurance (InsurTech) ...
    • Regulatory (RegTech) ...
    • Payments (PayTech) ...
    • Trading (TradeTech) ...
    • Digital Banking. ...
    • Personal Finance Management (PFM)

    What are the pros and cons of fintech? ›

    Fintech's advantages include easy access, transaction efficiency, and lower costs. Nevertheless, fintech also has disadvantages, such as data security issues, technological dependence, and a lack of consistent regulation.

    How do fintechs make money? ›

    Fintech companies are making money by using technology to offer financial services to consumers and businesses. They are able to offer these services at a lower cost than traditional financial institutions and are also able to reach a wider audience through the use of technology.

    Is Venmo a fintech company? ›

    The app has been around since 2012 and was eventually acquired by FinTech giant Paypal. Venmo has made paying back friends, splitting checks, and sending money to family simple in a world where people seldom use cash anymore. There are several different ways Venmo makes money from its app and services.

    Is PayPal a fintech company? ›

    In the world of fintech stocks, PayPal (PYPL) is among the top options to consider.

    What is the difference between a bank and a fintech bank? ›

    The difference between the two is that a fintech bank uses new technologies while traditional banks still resort to archaic and time-consuming procedures and means. With regard to innovation and technological advances, traditional banks lag behind as fintechs pursue their momentum in terms of innovation.

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