As the year ends, it’s evident that London’s top fintech scene has had a roller coaster year, as we witnessed numerous tech exits.
However, regardless of Brexit or the ongoing disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent Tech Nation study revealed significant confidence across the tech sector.
Two-thirds of individuals believe that the UK tech sector will continue to grow over the next five years, with fintech and cybersecurity expected to receive the most investment. Half believe there will be more year-over-year exits, leading to a record high.
This article contains the top fintech startups to keep an eye on and know in 2022.
20 Top Fintech Companies To Know In 2022
1. Wagestream
Founded in 2018 by Portman Wills and Peter Briffett, Wagestream allows you to instantly access, track, save and manage your wages.
Wagestream provides financial independence to employees, allowing them to manage their finances and when they are paid.
In the worst-case scenario, it reduces financial stress caused by long pay and attempts to eliminate the need for overdraft fees, credit card debt, or a payday loan.
2. Xero
Founded in 2006 by Craig Walker, Gary Turner, Hamish Edwards, and Rod Drury, Xero is accounting software for small businesses that is entirely cloud-based.
Xero performs bookkeeping services such as invoicing and payroll and allows you to link the program to a live bank feed. Three monthly subscription tiers are available to users: the beginning, standard, or premium. The software solution is compatible with iOS and Android devices and does not require IT support or software installation.
Xero supports cash-based and accrual accounting systems, making it ideal for businesses following UK GAAP or IFRS.
Xero is one of the world’s fastest-growing software-as-a-service companies. In 2014 and 2015, Forbes identified Xero as the World’s Most Innovative Growth Company.
3. Pento
Founded by Emil Hagbarth Rasmussen and Jonas Bøgh Larsen in 2018, Pento is a SaaS-based online platform designed to optimise payroll services.
Its fintech platform helps to automate payroll systems and offers complementary features to employees, such as user-friendly access to pay history and personal pay-related data, enabling small and medium-sized companies. And to find a digital way to automate salary processing and taxes is fully connected to HMRC.
4. Worldline
Founded by Marc-Henri Desportes in 1970, Worldline is a global leader in safe transactions and payments. They are in the front of the digital revolution, shaping new ways of paying, living, doing business, and building connections that convey confidence along the whole payments value chain, allowing sustainable economic growth.
Their report ‘Navigating Digital Payments,’ written by Worldline’s Scientific Community experts, is based on studies and predictions of future payment trends. The report provides Worldline’s picture of how payments may look in 2030. Leading scientific experts also offered their ideas and visions for the future of payments and the significant themes that will drive innovation in the sector.
The payment experience (Pay-Xperience) is essential to the total consumer experience, and customers may abandon their purchases if they have a bad payment experience. On the other hand, payment expertise that’s precisely aligned to the customer’s demands is likely to build loyalty, boost repeat business, and elevate brand perception, in addition to helping them complete a transaction smoothly.
5. Shieldpay
Founded in 2016 by Geoff Dunnett, Jerome Gudgeon, Peter Janes, Tom Clementson and Tom Squire, Shieldpay is a payment solution provider for the legal, financial, and professional industries.
Shieldpay’s mission is to eliminate fraud in peer-to-peer payments and make it possible for anybody, everywhere, to interact with 100% confidence. It allows you to build a quick digital escrow facility with no set-up fees, whether for you alone or your business.
Their fintech platform safeguards the payer and the payee in any transaction by confirming each party’s identity (and beneficial ownership). The ShieldPay Vault keeps funds safe and only releases them when both parties agree.
Shieldpay was invented because traditional payment systems and banks failed to safeguard buyers and sellers of products and services from fraud. Its philosophy revolves around making it easier and safer for customers to buy, sell, and pay safely.
6. CODAT
CODAT, founded in 2017 by Alex Cardona, David Hoare, and Peter Lord, provides real-time connectivity to software providers and financial institutions to build integrated products for small business customers.
It takes care of the heavy lifting of integrations, allowing clients to focus on how consumer data might help them enhance their product or service. It gives small businesses more power by connecting their systems and services, allowing them to use their data to access bespoke solutions and freeing their time to focus on developing their business.
In July, it was revealed that CODAT had raised $40 million in a round led by Tiger Global. Around a year ago, the business secured $10 million in a Series A round led by Index; Codat also raised some strategic capital in the interim.
7. Klarna
Founded in 2005 by Niklas Adalberth, Sebastian Siemiatkowski and Victor Jacobsson, Klarna provides interest-free payment alternatives for consumers purchasing from online retail shops.
Klarna is well-known for its disruption of the ‘buy now, pay later industry, and it regards itself as a healthier, simpler, and smarter alternative to credit cards. Customers can choose direct payments, pay after delivery, or instalment plans.
Klarna provides a smooth one-click purchase experience for their customers, no matter how they pay.
8. Revolut
Revolut, a money transfer and exchange service, was founded by Nikolay Storonsky and Vlad Yatsenko in 2015. It specialises in mobile banking, card payments, money remittance, and foreign exchange.
It includes a prepaid debit card, peer-to-peer payments and currency exchange. Its mission is to build a fair and easy-flowing fintech platform to use and manage money worldwide.
Customers use dozens of Revolut’s innovative products to make over 100 million transactions every month throughout the world.
Recently, Revolut announced that it had raised just under $800 million in a Series E fundraising round, with intentions to grow into the US and India.
9. Bought By Many
Founded by Guy Farley and Steven Mendel in 2012, Bought By Many is a pet insurance company dedicated to improving the world for pets and their owners.
Bought By Many is the first pet insurance provider in the UK to offer online claims and is notable for pioneering pet insurance and wellness packages, such as cover for pre-existing conditions.
Customers can also make the most of free, unlimited video conversations with registered veterinarians, which has proven to be a lifeline for many pet parents during the lockdown.
10. Nethone
Founded by Kacper Szczęśniak in 2016, Nethone is a machine learning-based fraud prevention SaaS company. It allows online merchants and financial institutions to understand their end-users holistically, known as “Know Your Users (KYU)” in industry parlance.
IItsonline user profiling and machine learning technology. Can detect and prevent payment fraud
The Nethone proprietary Profiler adds over 5000 attributes to each user’s understanding, then processed into real-time recommendations by a decision engine.
Nethone helps lower clients’ rejection rates, manual review costs, and fraud risk without touching the UX of the service – automatically and in real‑time.
11. Soldo
Founded by Carlo Gualandri in 2015, Soldo is a payment and spend management automation platform for businesses. It combines smart business cards with a fintech management platform.
It integrates with your company’s bank account, allowing employees and departments to make payments while assisting finance staff in controlling and tracking spending.
12. TrueLayer
Founded in 2016 by Francesco Simoneschi and Luca Martinetti, TrueLayer is a platform that allows developers to connect to bank data, verify accounts, and view transactions.
Truelayer develops consumer and server message block (SMB) applications in payments, online loans, insurance, and personal financial management (PFM).
Also had Robo-advisors and cryptocurrencies using the cryptocurrencies toolset.
Its goal is to expand the open banking sector by providing a platform for businesses to create new fintech services and products.
13. Chip
Founded by Alex Latham and Simon Rabin in 2017, Chip allows clients to earn the best investment returns.
Customers can deposit to investment funds, cash deposits, ETFs, and alternative passive investments using open banking technologies, all from the comfort of their bank.
With a Chip membership, you’ll always enjoy market-leading savings rates or be able to invest your money with ease, all without the hassle of filling out forms. You can begin for free and then set your own pace.
14. 10x
10x believes that technology has the potential to revolutionise banking.
Established by Antony Jenkins and Brad Goodall in 2016, 10xwas created to help banks improve by putting clients at the centre of everything they do.
It enables client banks and financial service providers to provide more timely and relevant experiences and insights when managing money in an increasingly digitally connected environment by leveraging their patented cloud-native platform, SuperCoreTM.
Recently, 10x has raised $187 million in funding. According to people close to the company, 10x’s value in this round is at the $700 million level.
The cash will be used by 10x to expand into other locations such as North America and continue developing new technology for its main platform.
15. Ondato
Founded by Liudas Kanapienis and Andrej Vistorskij in 2018, Ondato offers everything from remote photo and live video identification verification to biometric user authentication, as well as data monitoring, screening, due diligence, and risk rating, all from a single platform.
Ondato uses a combination of artificial intelligence and human expert analysis to assure zero tolerance for fraud for both legal and physical entity onboarding while providing a rapid, user-friendly experience.
Ondato distinguishes itself from its competitors by delivering the ideal solution based on each client’s unique needs and providing maximum flexibility throughout the process. Its mission is to transform compliance into business benefit, and its customers’ success stories demonstrate that it’s possible.
16. Wise
Founded by Taavet Hinrikus and Kristo Käärmann in 2011, TransferWise (recently renamed as Wise) is an online account where you can send money abroad or get paid in other currencies spend abroad on their Wise debit card.
Wise operates by having you transfer money from your borderless account to Wise. When Wise receives the transfer, they transparently exchange currencies.
After, Wise then makes a local transfer to the person you wired the money to on the opposite side when the currency has been exchanged. Instead of paying a credit card transaction fee or a bank transfer fee. Wise saves you money by collecting a small percentage of the transaction.
The recent name change to Wise reflects that the company now offers more than transfers. International accounts are now their main product offering, exciting news for anyone with a global network and lifestyle.
17. N26
In 2013, Maximilian Tayenthal and Valentin Stalf created Papayer, which eventually became N26. It offers worldwide money transfers, investments, overdrafts, cash withdrawals, and store deposits.
Customers can use N26’s mobile banking services. Its mobile banking services provide online banking, including creating and managing current accounts, fixed accounts, and other financial services. It allows consumers to effortlessly manage and control their banking information through a smartphone fintech application.
18. Crossflow
Founded by Tony Duggan in 2013, Crossflow’s working capital marketplace connects global businesses and their suppliers to funders for fast, flexible working capital finance enabled by technology.
Crossflow fuels business growth by helping companies optimise working capital and allowing suppliers instant access to finance their outstanding invoices.
Crossflow’s mission is to connect global businesses. Their suppliers with fundedrs to unlock millions in working capital, develop supply chain relationships. And also save time and money so that they may grow sustainably.
19. Monzo
A digital-only bank platform and marketplace that offers a variety of products and services to users.
Monzo (formerly Mondo) was founded by Gary Dolman, Jason Bates, Jonas Huckestein, Paul Rippon, and Tom Blomfield in 2015. It’s a bank for people who live on their smartphones and don’t see the need for branches or chequebooks.
You can use Monzo abroad and withdraw up to £200 for free every 30 days while you’re abroad. After you’ve used up your free allotment, withdrawals are subject to a 3% fee.
It also assists you in budgeting by keeping track of several types of spending. When you pay using Monzo, your payment is automatically assigned to a category, such as ‘Transport’ or ‘Groceries.’ Then, under your app’s Summary page, you can see how much you spent on each category this month.
You can make a monthly budget for your spending. Then, as you spend, It will notify you when you’re approaching your spending limitations. And also provide gentle reminders to keep on course.
It’s focused on creating the best current account in the world. And eventually collaborating with various providers so that it can serve as an intelligent fintech hub for your entire life.
20. Cleo
Cleo is a developer of an app and chatbot designed as a financial assistant founded by Barnaby Hussey-yeo in 2016.
Through chat, Cleo gives people significant insight into money and recommends customised financial products that help them save more. She has helped 4 million individuals better their relationship with money by using simplicity and fun.
Summary
The area of innovation within financial technology is almost limitless.
With the UK as the world’s leading top FinTech hub. There will always be room for people with a vision and a talent to bring value to the industry.
And if you’re looking for a new initiative, product or service or wanting to know which startups have the potential, you can consult us today.
At TrendScout, we’re always looking for the next big thing. Our team of experts reviews a portfolio of startups for each investment, narrowing the search for high-potential and high-growth opportunities.
Rest assured that Trendscout will represent you and your goals equally and responsibly.
