Once again, CNBC in partnership with Statista, has released its list of the world’s top FinTech companies.
About the CNBC List and Report:
This week, CNBC and Statista revealed their annual list of FinTech companies while also debuting some changes. Most notably, while last year’s list included 300 companies, this time around, it expanded to 500. That expansion comes as the FinTech market generated $650 billion in revenue last year, marking a 21% increase. Additionally, 31 “notable” FinTech IPOs occurred in 2025. In total, more than 3,500 companies were assessed to compile this final list.
The 2026 list included eight categories (up from seven last year) as Regtech was given its own list. Those categories include:
- Alternative Financing
- Digital Assets
- Enterprise FinTech
- Insurtech
- Neobanking
- Payments
- Regtech
- Wealth Technology
Of those categories, the Payments industry had the most companies on the list with 115, representing nearly a quarter (23%) of the list. That was followed by Wealth Technology with 75 companies (15%). Then, Alternative Finance and Enterprise FinTech were tied at 60 companies each (12%).
Geographically, the United States dominated, with 210 domestic companies making the list. The United Kingdom had the second-highest total with 67 companies, while India and Singapore had 27 and 25 companies, respectively.
Among the familiar names that made the Alternative Finance list again were Happy Money, Biz2Credit, and Best Egg, while some domestic first-timers included Better.com, Credibly, and more. As for the Neobanking category, Chime. Dave, Upgrade, Varo, and SoFi were returning honorees. Newcomers on that list included Current, Found, and Slash.
Lastly, in the Wealth Technology category, Acorns, Albert, Betterment, Wealthfront, Bilt, LendingTree, NerdWallet, and Robinhood were among the previously-awarded companies. Meanwhile, those new to the list included GOBankingRates, Credit Karma, Credit Sesame, Rocket Money, WalletHub, and Stash.
The complete list of companies can be found on CNBC’s site. Additionally, applications to be considered for the 2027 list will open in spring of next year.
What They’re Saying:
In a press release highlighting their inclusion on the list, Happy Money’s CEO Matt Potere noted, “We’re proud to be recognized as one of the World’s Top Fintech Companies by CNBC for the second year in a row as we remain focused on delivering simple, transparent loans that help borrowers pay down high-interest debt faster and more affordably.”
My Thoughts:
After some less-than-stellar years, it’s nice to see that FinTech is having a bit of a bounce-back. It’s also good to see CNBC expanding this annual list to 500, giving more companies a chance to be recognized.
Of course, the other big story here is the rise of Regtech. Although it’s still the smallest segment represented, it’s grown enough to earn its own category. Considering that compliance is a major pain point for companies, and that AI technology is everywhere, it’s really no surprise that this segment is taking off.
Now that this latest report is here, I’m already looking forward to seeing what the 2027 edition has in store.
