The world’s leading fintech firms have been unveiled in a landmark report that highlights the sector’s explosive growth and transformative impact on global finance. CNBC, in partnership with Statista, published its 2025 list of the top 250 fintech companies globally, offering new insight into the powerhouses shaping the future of money.
With financial technology becoming increasingly embedded in everyday life; from digital wallets and AI-powered compliance systems to blockchain-enabled lending, this year’s rankings reflect not only industry innovation but also strategic resilience amid regulatory, technological and economic pressures.
According to CNBC, the 2025 list was compiled after a rigorous evaluation of over 2,000 eligible companies across nine categories, including digital payments, neobanking, wealth technology, digital assets, and alternative lending. The final selection of 300 firms is led by the United States, followed by the UK, Singapore, India, Canada and Germany.
The United States emerged as the global leader in fintech, hosting the headquarters of 126 companies on the list by far the highest of any country. The United Kingdom followed in second place with 38 top fintech firms, reaffirming its status as a major financial technology hub.
CNBC has announced plans to publish a dedicated report later this year spotlighting the U.K.’s fintech sector. Notably, Singapore secured the third position, overtaking India, with 16 of the world’s leading fintech companies now based in the city-state.
The 2025 ranking features both established giants and rising stars in the fintech arena. Among the standout names is Revolut, the UK-based neobank, which now boasts over 60 million users worldwide and a revenue of more than $4 billion. In the United States, Stripe, Chime, and Plaid continued to demonstrate significant market strength.
Emerging players such as Alloy, a New York-based platform specialising in fraud prevention and identity verification, earned recognition for helping over 500 financial institutions meet compliance demands in real-time. Similarly, Oportun, a Californian firm focused on financial inclusion, was recognised for providing more than $20 billion in affordable loans to underserved communities.
Payments emerged as the leading category in this year’s fintech rankings, representing 25% of all featured companies. Among the standout firms is Stripe, which reached a valuation of $91.5 billion in early 2025, solidifying its position as a dominant force in the sector. Klarna, another major player in the payments space and a pioneer in the “buy now, pay later” model, is reportedly shifting its strategy toward becoming a full-fledged neobank as it prepares for a potential U.S. IPO.
Wealth technology and enterprise technology tied as the second-largest categories, each comprising 17% of the list, while alternative financing ranked third, accounting for 13% of the top companies. The companies were evaluated based on financial performance, user base growth, product innovation, market impact, and sustainability.
A key trend emerging from the list is the growing reliance on artificial intelligence to streamline regulatory compliance and combat financial fraud.
Firms like Alloy, Tookitaki, and ComplyAdvantage have seen rapid adoption of their services by both fintechs and traditional banks. These companies specialise in automating anti-money laundering (AML) checks, customer onboarding, and risk assessment using machine learning and real-time data analytics.
Another prominent theme is the expansion of services aimed at unbanked and underbanked populations. Companies like Oportun in the US and M-Kopa in Africa are using mobile technology to provide loans, savings, and insurance products to millions previously excluded from the formal banking sector.
The growing influence of fintech has not gone unnoticed by regulators and traditional institutions. Central banks across the globe are now exploring partnerships or establishing regulatory sandboxes to adapt to the fast-changing financial landscape.
CNBC in February put out a call for applications from fintech companies to express their interest in being featured in the list. Firms were invited to share certain key performance indicators such as revenue, growth and employee headcount with Statista, on the condition that this information wouldn’t be made public.
Alongside the application process, Statista also analyzed an additional 2,000 companies to ensure a broad representation of names within the sector. Companies were assessed against a general set of KPIs, in addition to certain sector-specific metrics for their category.
Meanwhile, established banks are accelerating their digital transformation strategies, either by acquiring fintech firms or building in-house capabilities to compete with agile startups.
Do you have any story or press releases you want to share? Send tips to editor@envestreetfinancial.com
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn to ensure you don’t miss out on any