Best Fintech Applications to Keep an Eye On
In the rapidly evolving world of finance, a host of innovative fintech apps are making waves, offering solutions that range from digital wallets and payments to investing, banking, and business services. Here's a roundup of some popular fintech apps and their key features and benefits.
PayPal
PayPal, a digital wallet with global payments, is a household name. Its latest offering includes "Pay with Crypto" to use Bitcoin and Ethereum at checkout, aiming to reduce cross-border fees by up to 90% [1] and simplify payments without technical setup [2]. PayPal also offers payment links and buttons, no website needed, buyer/seller protection, pay in 4 installment payments, and multi-currency support with automatic conversion [3][5].
Venmo
Under the PayPal umbrella, Venmo is a social payment app for peer-to-peer transfers. It also offers a Venmo card for purchases, allows users to split bills, and has a social feed [4]. Venmo simplifies P2P payments with a touch of social interaction and instant transfers with a debit card for spending.
Robinhood
Robinhood, known for commission-free stock, ETF, and crypto trading, empowers beginners to invest easily. It offers fractional shares, a user-friendly app with market data and news [6]. Robinhood's low-cost, no-fee trading lowers barriers to investing and provides access to cryptos.
Chime
Chime is an online bank offering no-fee checking and savings accounts. It stands out for early direct deposit, no overdraft fees, and automatic savings features [7]. Chime's financial services help manage cash flow, build emergency funds, and avoid overdraft fees.
Acorns
Acorns, a micro-investing app, rounds up purchases and invests the change. It offers automatic portfolio rebalancing and retirement accounts [8]. Acorns makes investing effortless and helps save and invest small amounts consistently.
Coinbase
Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange and wallet, enables users to buy, sell, and manage more than 10,000 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and Ethereum [9]. Coinbase offers educational resources, staking and rewards options, and strong security for crypto transactions.
Betterment
Betterment, a robo-advisor, offers automated investing with goal-based planning and tax-efficient strategies [10]. Betterment provides low-cost, hands-off investing with personalized advice and helps optimize taxes.
Stash
Stash, another micro-investing app, offers personalized guidance, educational tools, and banking products [11]. Stash helps beginners start investing with small amounts and emphasizes learning and money management.
Cash App
Cash App, a P2P payment app, allows users to send and receive money, invest in stocks, and buy cryptocurrency. It also offers a Cash card debit for purchases [12]. Cash App simplifies payments and cash management, with cryptocurrency trading integrated.
Revolut
Revolut offers multi-currency accounts, currency exchange, crypto trading, and budgeting tools, making it ideal for travelers and those needing global payments [13]. Revolut combines crypto and traditional finance for easy global spending.
MoneyLion
MoneyLion is a mobile banking app offering credit builder loans, investing, and cashback rewards [14]. It helps improve credit, integrates banking and investing, and rewards help build wealth.
Upside
Upside offers cashback rewards mainly on local spending categories, helping customers save money on everyday expenses [15].
Block (formerly Square)
Block, formerly Square, focuses on enabling merchants with payment processing and business financial services [16]. It offers point-of-sale solutions, business loans, and payroll services.
Airwallex
Airwallex provides a unified platform for businesses with tools for international payments, foreign exchange, and digital banking [17]. It supports local accounts in over 60 countries and enables fund transfers across 150 markets.
This cross-section of fintech apps highlights diverse approaches: from digital wallets and payments to investing, banking, and business finance—all leveraging technology to improve convenience, reduce costs, and increase financial accessibility.
[1] https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/crypto [2] https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/crypto [3] https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/crypto [4] https://venmo.com/about/ [5] https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/crypto [6] https://www.robinhood.com/us/en/ [7] https://www.chimebank.com/ [8] https://www.acorns.com/ [9] https://www.coinbase.com/ [10] https://www.betterment.com/ [11] https://www.stashinvest.com/ [12] https://cash.app/ [13] https://www.revolut.com/ [14] https://moneylion.com/ [15] https://upside.com/ [16] https://squareup.com/ [17] https://airwallex.com/
- In the world of fintech, apps like PayPal, Venmo, Robinhood, Chime, Acorns, Coinbase, and Betterment push the boundaries of personal-finance and investing by offering commission-free trading, micro-investing, digital wallets, crypto trading, robo-advisory, and social payments.
- Technology-driven fintech companies such as Airwallex, Revolut, MoneyLion, Upside, Block (formerly Square), and Cash App have revolutionized banking, offering solutions for international payments, global spending, business financial services, easy cashback rewards, and point-of-sale solutions.
- As the finance industry evolves, an array of fintech apps like the aforementioned are leveraging technology to make investing accessible, payments more convenient, and financial management more straightforward, thus lowering barriers for individuals and businesses alike.
