Rund um das Thema Fintech gibt es einigen Klärungsbedarf: Wie lässt sich ein Fintech definieren? Sind alle Fintechs Start-ups? Welche Kategorien von Fintechs gibt es – und was sind die besten Fintechs der Welt?
WAS SIND FINTECHS?
Als FinTech-Banken werden Startups und Unternehmen im Finanz-Technologie-Sektor bezeichnet. - Quelle: Shutterstock.com
Der Begriff „FinTech“ ist die Kurzform des Begriffs „Financial Technology“ und ist noch nicht gesetzlich definiert, wie die Bundesbank hervorhebt. Im Allgemeinen werden damit Unternehmen bezeichnet, die innovative, technologiebasierte Anwendungssysteme rund um das Thema „Finanzen“ anbieten. Häufig handelt es sich dabei um so genannte „Start-ups“, dies ist jedoch keine zwingende Voraussetzung. Auch bereits etablierte Unternehmen nutzen innovative Technologien und können unter den Begriff Fintech fallen.
Thematisch umfasst der Begriff Fintech in seiner praktischen Verwendung eine Vielzahl unterschiedlicher technologiebasierter Geschäftsmodelle, einschließlich Aktivitäten im Zusammenhang mit künstlicher Intelligenz (KI), Distributed-Ledger-Technologie oder Schnittstellen in einer Open-Banking-Umgebung.
Fintech-Unternehmen lassen sich in folgende Kategorien einteilen:
- Neobanking
- Digital Payments
- Digital Assets
- Digital Financial Planning
- Digital Wealth Management
- Alternate Financing
- Alternate Lending
- Digital Banking Solutions
- Digital Business Solutions
WERDEN ALLE FINTECHS VON DER FINANZAUFSICHT REGULIERT?
Aufgrund des weiten Begriffsverständnisses unterliegt jedoch nicht jedes Fintech dem Aufsichtsregime. Aufsichtsrechtlich relevant ist ein Unternehmen, wenn es – unabhängig von der verwendeten Technologie – erlaubnispflichtige Geschäfte, wie etwa Bankgeschäfte oder Zahlungsdienste betreibt.
Gerade junge Unternehmen können häufig nicht einschätzen, ob ihr Geschäftsmodell einer Erlaubnis nach dem Kreditwesengesetz (KWG) oder dem Zahlungsdiensteaufsichtgesetz (ZAG) bedarf. Die Bundesbank bietet hier zwar keine Beratungsleistungen an, bei Unsicherheiten kann jedoch die Hauptverwaltung der Deutschen Bundesbank, in deren Geschäftsbereich das Unternehmen seinen Sitz hat, kontaktiert werden, um die Erlaubnispflicht zu klären. Denn: Das Betreiben erlaubnispflichtiger Geschäfte ohne entsprechende Erlaubnis wird strafrechtlich verfolgt.
DIE TOP 200 FINTECHS DER WELT
Der US-Nachrichtensender CNBC hat eine aktuelle Liste der besten 200 Fintechs der Welt zusammengestellt (alphabetisch mit Firmennamen, Hauptsitz, Land und Kategorie):
- 22seven Cape Town South Africa Digital Financial Planning
- Adyen Amsterdam Netherlands Digital Payments
- Affirm San Francisco United States Digital Payments
- Afterpay Melbourne Australia Digital Payments
- Agi Campinas Brazil Neobanking
- Airwallex Singapore Singapore Digital Banking Solutions
- Alipay Hangzhou China Digital Payments
- Alloy New York United States Digital Business Solutions
- Ascendum Blue Ash United States Digital Business Solutions
- Aspiration Marina Del Rey United States Neobanking
- Aspire Singapore Singapore Digital Business Solutions
- AVA Trade Dublin Ireland Digital Wealth Management
- Axos Invest Las Vegas United States Digital Wealth Management
- Banca AideXa Milan Italy Alternate Lending
- Banco Inter Belo Horizonte Brazil Neobanking
- Banco Original São Paulo Brazil Neobanking
- Bank Zero Johannesburg South Africa Neobanking
- Bankrate New York United States Digital Financial Planning
- Beehive Dubai United Arab Emirates Alternate Lending
- Betterment New York United States Digital Wealth Management
- BillGO Fort Collins United States Digital Financial Planning
- Binance Decentralized Decentralized Digital Assets
- BitMart Grand Cayman Cayman Islands Digital Assets
- Bitpanda Vienna Austria Digital Wealth Management
- Biz2Credit New York United States Alternate Lending
- BLIK - Polish Payment Standard Warsaw Poland Digital Payments
- Bondora Tallinn Estonia Alternate Lending
- Bricksave London United Kingdom Alternate Financing
- Bunq Amsterdam Netherlands Neobanking
- Bux Amsterdam Netherlands Digital Wealth Management
- C6 Bank São Paulo Brazil Neobanking
- CapBay Petaling Jaya Malaysia Alternate Lending
- com Limassol Cyprus Digital Wealth Management
- Capitolis New York United States Digital Banking Solutions
- Check24 Munich Germany Digital Financial Planning
- Chime San Francisco United States Neobanking
- ClearBank London United Kingdom Digital Banking Solutions
- ClearScore London United Kingdom Digital Financial Planning
- Coinbase San Francisco United States Digital Assets
- Collin Crowdfund Oisterwijk Netherlands Alternate Lending
- Comparethemarket Peterborough United Kingdom Digital Financial Planning
- Conda Vienna Austria Alternate Financing
- Credit Karma San Francisco United States Digital Financial Planning
- Crowdium Buenos Aires Argentina Alternate Financing
- Current New York United States Neobanking
- Dapper Labs Vancouver Canada Digital Assets
- Dave Los Angeles United States Neobanking
- Deel San Francisco United States Digital Business Solutions
- Ecolytiq Berlin Germany Digital Banking Solutions
- Emagia Santa Clara United States Digital Business Solutions
- EnKash Mumbai India Digital Business Solutions
- EQ Bank Toronto Canada Neobanking
- EToro Tel Aviv Israel Digital Wealth Management
- Evolution Finance Washington United States Digital Financial Planning
- Fawry Cairo Egypt Digital Payments
- Finastra London United Kingdom Digital Banking Solutions
- Finbee Vilnius Lithuania Alternate Lending
- Finnovating Madrid Spain Digital Business Solutions
- FintechOS London/New York United Kingdom/United States Digital Banking Solutions
- FIS Jacksonville United States Digital Banking Solutions
- Fisapay Medellín Colombia Digital Business Solutions
- Fiserv Brookfield United States Digital Payments
- FlatexDEGIRO Frankfurt Germany Digital Wealth Management
- FolkFunding Milan Italy Alternate Financing
- FrontFundr Vancouver Canada Alternate Financing
- Fundit Emek Hefer Israel Alternate Financing
- Fundrise Washington United States Digital Wealth Management
- nl Veenendaal Netherlands Alternate Lending
- Gojek Jakarta Indonesia Digital Payments
- Grab Financial Group Singapore Singapore Digital Payments
- Hay Sydney Australia Neobanking
- HMBradley Santa Monica United States Neobanking
- Honeycomb Credit Pittsburgh United States Alternate Lending
- Income Company Tallinn Estonia Alternate Lending
- Intuit QuickBooks Mountain View United States Digital Business Solutions
- Invesdor Helsinki Finland Alternate Financing
- IQ Option Limassol Cyprus Digital Wealth Management
- IUVO Group Tallinn Estonia Alternate Lending
- KakaoBank Seongnam-si South Korea Neobanking
- Kickstarter New York United States Alternate Financing
- Klarna Stockholm Sweden Digital Payments
- Kuda Lagos Nigeria Neobanking
- Lead Bank Kansas City United States Digital Banking Solutions
- Loop Financial Toronto Canada Alternate Lending
- LendingTree Charlotte United States Digital Financial Planning
- Lendora Nyon Switzerland Alternate Lending
- LHV London United Kingdom Digital Banking Solutions
- Liberis London United Kingdom Digital Business Solutions
- Linked Finance Dublin Ireland Alternate Lending
- Lysa Stockholm Sweden Digital Wealth Management
- Marketlend Sydney Australia Alternate Lending
- Marqeta Oakland United States Digital Payments
- MBank Warsaw Poland Neobanking
- Meilleurtaux Paris France Digital Financial Planning
- Mercury San Francisco United States Neobanking
- Mintos Riga Latvia Alternate Lending
- MobiKwik Gurugram India Digital Payments
- Modefinance Trieste Italy Digital Business Solutions
- Modifi Amsterdam Netherlands Digital Business Solutions
- Monarch Covina United States Digital Financial Planning
- Money Club Noida India Alternate Lending
- Moneyfarm London United Kingdom Digital Wealth Management
- MoneyLion New York United States Neobanking
- MoneyPatrol Milpitas United States Digital Financial Planning
- Moneyspire Lakewood United States Digital Financial Planning
- MoneySuperMarket Ewloe United Kingdom Digital Financial Planning
- Monobank Dnipro Ukraine Neobanking
- Monzo London United Kingdom Neobanking
- Mozn Riyadh Saudi Arabia Digital Business Solutions
- MX Technologies Lehi United States Digital Banking Solutions
- Naver Seongnam-si South Korea Digital Payments
- Neo Financial Calgary Canada Neobanking
- NerdWallet San Francisco United States Digital Financial Planning
- Niyo Bangalore India Neobanking
- Notarify Milan Italy Digital Business Solutions
- Now Atlanta United States Digital Business Solutions
- Nuvei Montréal Canada Digital Payments
- October Paris France Alternate Lending
- OneCrowd Dresden Germany Alternate Financing
- Oney Lille France Digital Payments
- OnMarket Sydney Australia Alternate Financing
- OPay Lagos Nigeria Digital Payments
- OpenSea New York United States Digital Assets
- Opyn Milan Italy Alternate Lending
- Orange Issy-les-Moulineaux France Digital Payments
- PagBank São Paulo Brazil Neobanking
- Papara Istanbul Turkey Neobanking
- Patreon San Francisco United States Alternate Financing
- PayNearMe Santa Clara United States Digital Payments
- Payoneer New York United States Digital Payments
- PayPal San Jose United States Digital Payments
- Payplug Paris France Digital Payments
- Paysafe London United Kingdom Digital Payments
- Paytm Noida India Digital Payments
- PayU Amsterdam Netherlands Digital Payments
- PhonePe Mumbai India Digital Payments
- Pilot San Francisco United States Digital Business Solutions
- Planner Bee Singapore Singapore Digital Financial Planning
- Plus500 Haifa Israel Digital Wealth Management
- Prestatech Berlin Germany Digital Banking Solutions
- Priority Alpharetta United States Digital Payments
- Property Share Bangalore India Alternate Financing
- Qvalia Stockholm Sweden Digital Business Solutions
- Raiz Sydney Australia Digital Wealth Management
- Raize Lisboa Portugal Alternate Lending
- Realty Mogul Los Angeles United States Alternate Financing
- Remitly Seattle United States Digital Payments
- Rentablo Berlin Germany Digital Financial Planning
- Republic New York United States Alternate Financing
- Revolut London United Kingdom Neobanking
- Ripple San Francisco United States Digital Payments
- Robinhood Menlo Park United States Digital Wealth Management
- Robocash Zagreb Croatia Alternate Lending
- Roofstock Oakland United States Alternate Financing
- Seed&Spark Los Angeles United States Alternate Financing
- SeedInvest New York United States Alternate Financing
- Seon Budapest Hungary Digital Business Solutions
- Sezzle Minneapolis United States Digital Payments
- Shoeboxed Durham United States Digital Financial Planning
- SigFig San Francisco United States Digital Wealth Management
- Signifyd San Jose United States Digital Payments
- Smart London United Kingdom Digital Business Solutions
- SoFi San Francisco United States Neobanking
- Solaris Berlin Germany Digital Banking Solutions
- Sowefund Paris France Alternate Financing
- Spendee Prague Czech Republic Digital Financial Planning
- Starling Bank London United Kingdom Neobanking
- StashAway Singapore Singapore Digital Wealth Management
- Stripe San Francisco/Dublin United States/Ireland Digital Payments
- SY Holdings Shenzhen China Alternate Lending
- Sylvera London United Kingdom Digital Business Solutions
- Synapse San Francisco United States Digital Banking Solutions
- Synctera Palo Alto United States Digital Banking Solutions
- Taktile Berlin/New York Germany/United States Digital Business Solutions
- Temenos Geneva Switzerland Digital Banking Solutions
- Tencent Shenzhen China Digital Payments
- Tipalti Foster City United States Digital Business Solutions
- TIS Berlin Germany Digital Business Solutions
- Trade Republic Berlin Germany Digital Wealth Management
- Trustly Stockholm Sweden Digital Payments
- Tudigo Bordeaux France Alternate Financing
- Twino Riga Latvia Alternate Lending
- Tyro Sydney Australia Digital Payments
- Ulule Paris France Alternate Financing
- Upgrade San Francisco United States Neobanking
- Varo San Francisco United States Neobanking
- Verivox Heidelberg Germany Digital Financial Planning
- ai New York United States Digital Business Solutions
- Wave Money Yangon Myanmar Digital Payments
- Wayflyer Dublin Ireland Alternate Lending
- Wealthfront Palo Alto United States Digital Wealth Management
- Wealthsimple Toronto Canada Digital Wealth Management
- WeLab Bank Hong Kong SAR, China Neobanking
- Wise London United Kingdom Digital Payments
- Yazara New York United States Digital Payments
- Yoco Cape Town South Africa Digital Payments
- Yotepresto Guadalajara Mexico Alternate Lending
- Zion Ho Chi Minh Vietnam Digital Payments
- Zip Sydney Australia Digital Payments
- Zuora Redwood City United States Digital Business Solutions
