Money doesn’t move the way it used to.
What used to take days now takes seconds. Banks no longer own the rails; startups do. APIs have replaced branches. And the power to send, receive, and settle money anywhere in the world is now just another line of code.
From India’s UPI wave to Europe’s open-banking frameworks and Africa’s cross-border corridors — payments are being rebuilt from the ground up.
Here are 10 FinTech startups leading that shift, changing how businesses and consumers handle money globally.
1. Stripe — The Global Payments Backbone
Founders: Patrick Collison, John Collison
Funding: Over $8 billion raised; latest valuation around $65 billion
Investors: Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund
Stripe powers internet commerce for millions of companies — from startups to Fortune 500s. It’s not just a gateway anymore; it’s infrastructure. From billing and invoicing to treasury, payouts, and fraud prevention, Stripe is becoming the “operating system” for money movement.
Next move: Expanding banking-as-a-service and deep integrations with enterprise ERPs.
2. Checkout.com — Enterprise Payments Simplified
Founder: Guillaume Pousaz
Funding: $1.8 billion + raised; valued around $11 billion
Investors: Insight Partners, DST Global, Tiger Global
Checkout.com helps global merchants handle high-volume payments with precision — one API for cards, wallets, and local payment rails. Its strength lies in enterprise-grade compliance and uptime.
Next move: Building AI-driven reconciliation and real-time risk systems for large marketplaces.
3. Razorpay (India) — The Payments Stack Built for Bharat
Founders: Harshil Mathur, Shashank Kumar
Funding: $800 million + raised; valued near $7.5 billion
Investors: Sequoia India, Tiger Global, GIC, Y Combinator
Razorpay started as a payment gateway and now runs the full financial stack for Indian businesses — including payroll, cards, lending, and cross-border payments.
Next move: Expanding globally with “Razorpay X” — its business-banking layer for SMEs and exporters.
4. Paytm (India) — The Super-App That Started It All
Founder: Vijay Shekhar Sharma
Funding: $4 billion + raised prior to IPO
Investors: SoftBank, Ant Group, Elevation Capital
Paytm remains India’s most recognized fintech name. From QR codes to stock broking, it made digital payments part of daily life for 300 million + users.
Next move: Reinventing its financial ecosystem post-IPO — with focus on merchant services, lending, and Paytm Bank integrations.
5. Flutterwave (Africa) — The Rails for a Continent
Founder: Olugbenga Agboola
Funding: $500 million + raised; valued around $3 billion
Investors: Avenir Growth, Tiger Global, Greycroft
Flutterwave connects Africa to the world. It powers local payments across 30+ countries, helping businesses pay and get paid via cards, wallets, and bank transfers.
Next move: Deepening remittance infrastructure and introducing consumer-facing cross-border wallets.
6. Rapyd — FinTech Infrastructure Everywhere
Founders: Arik Shtilman, Arkady Keren, Omer Paz
Funding: $970 million + raised; valued around $15 billion
Investors: BlackRock, Fidelity, Target Global
Rapyd lets companies plug into local payment methods in 100+ countries — all through one API. It’s the hidden network behind many fintech brands and marketplaces.
Next move: Expanding its card-issuing and compliance-as-a-service verticals for enterprise clients.
7. Wise (UK) — Transparent Cross-Border Money
Founders: Kristo Käärmann, Taavet Hinrikus
Funding: $1 billion + before IPO; public since 2021
Investors: Andreessen Horowitz, Baillie Gifford
Wise broke the myth that international transfers must be slow or expensive. It’s now a listed company powering B2B FX, payroll, and multi-currency accounts for millions.
Next move: Scaling Wise Business and deepening integrations with accounting platforms.
8. Adyen (Netherlands) — The Enterprise Powerhouse
Founders: Pieter van der Does, Arnout Schuijff
Funding: Self-funded until IPO; now valued $40 billion +
Investors: Public markets
Adyen built a single global acquiring platform — one merchant account for every market. It’s quietly the processor behind major brands like Uber and Spotify.
Next move: Embedding financial services directly into merchant ecosystems.
9. PayU (India / Global) — Emerging-Market Engine
Parent Group: Prosus (Naspers)
Funding: Backed by Prosus; multiple strategic acquisitions
PayU dominates payments across India, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. With merchant acquiring, BNPL, and consumer credit, it focuses on regions underserved by global giants.
Next move: Expanding merchant credit and wallet ecosystems in India, Brazil, and Poland.
10. Revolut (UK) — Banking Without Borders
Founders: Nikolay Storonsky, Vlad Yatsenko
Funding: $2 billion + raised; valued around $33 billion
Investors: SoftBank Vision Fund, TCV, DST Global
Revolut redefined the neobank. Its app merges banking, payments, investments, and crypto — all with instant currency exchange and local account support.
Next move: U.S. expansion and deeper B2B financial-services offerings.
How These Startups Differ
- Infrastructure vs. Product: Stripe, Checkout.com, Adyen, and Rapyd are the rails; Wise and Revolut serve the end-users.
- Local Expertise: Razorpay and Paytm dominate India’s UPI-driven market; Flutterwave owns Africa’s payment rails.
- Scale Play: Adyen and Stripe power large enterprises; Revolut and Wise own the mass consumer base.
- Compliance & Trust: Each is expanding licensing footprints — the silent moat of every payments company.
Final Thoughts
Behind every great fintech story is timing. Funding gets headlines, but scale comes from precision — knowing when to launch, where to localize, and how to talk to your next market.
That’s where McArrows fits in.
We help funded fintechs translate technical potential into growth momentum — by tightening positioning, designing partner ecosystems, and building go-to-market engines that speak to investors, users, and regulators alike.
If you’re building the next big payments story — expanding into new corridors, refining your product narrative, or setting up a cross-border GTM — let’s talk.
The right strategy, at the right moment, turns funding into scale.
— McArrows
