Best Fintech Stocks

The fintech market looks extremely promising as more individuals transition to online banking. In addition, some of the best stocks in this market are creating excellent opportunities for investors. If you're interested in investing in financial tech (the best fintech stocks) keep reading to learn about Beninga's recommended stocks.

Here's what you need to know.

Quick Look at the Best Fintech Stocks:

• Block, Inc.
• PayPal Holdings, Inc.
• Mastercard, Inc.
• Upstart Holdings, Inc.
• Affirm Holdings, Inc.

Block Inc. (NYSE: SQ)

Block, formerly called Square, is a digital payments company that has helped transition the way businesses accept payments. The company enjoys huge popularity as it has processed card payments of over $100 billion annually.

The company’s expansion means that it offers other services such as its lending platform, Square Capital, Cash App and the Square online store. Block is an excellent example of a revolutionized fintech stock.

PayPal Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL)

It is likely that most readers have heard of PayPal, as it is the undisputed leader of the online payments market. The company, founded in 1998, currently has 392 million users. PayPal has experienced rapid growth since it was established and now sits at the top of the online payments tree.

Furthermore, PayPal’s cross-border transactions play a key role for the company, and it is likely that these sales will pick up as travel demand lifts off. The future looks promising for PayPal as its buy-now pay-later services present further opportunities.

Mastercard Inc. (NYSE: MA) 

Mastercard is a global pioneer in its field, being one of the earliest fintech stocks and enhancing the online payment industry.

Mastercard will be looking to display its strength in its highly anticipated earnings call on January 27. The company is expected to announce earnings of $2.18 per share for the quarter, up 32.93% from the same quarter the prior year.  

Upstart Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: UPST)

Upstart, an artificial intelligence lending platform, partners with banks to provide affordable credit to consumers. It uses non-traditional variables such as education and employment to predict a consumer's creditworthiness.

Despite a recent fall in its shares, the company more than tripled its revenue, profits and banks on its platform since its initial public offering (IPO) last year. The company’s share price has fallen over the last three months; however, it has still risen substantially in the past year.

Affirm Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: AFRM)

Affirm operates as a financial lender of installment loans for consumers at the point of sale to finance purchases, acting as a buy-now pay-later service. This service has become hugely popular among customers, with Affirm charging no late fees or compounding interest.

Partnerships with American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ: AAL) and ACI Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: ACIW) have kept investors confident in the stock. Loop Capital analyst Hal Goetsch is positive on the company, calling Affirm “one of the more formidable and durable fintech platforms that has emerged in the last few years."

Overview: Fintech Stocks

The fintech market refers to the integration of technology and financial services and has transformed how businesses and individuals transact money. It has seen rapid growth as users benefit from the financial convenience from bank transfers, deposits, applying for credit and managing investments.

According to the Market Data Forecast website, the fintech industry is expected to reach a market value of around $324 billion by 2026. These predictions come at a time of continued innovation, such as mobile wallets, paperless lending and buy-now pay-later services

The worry to online banking stocks is the problems of data protection and loss of sensitive data. However, the improvement of artificial intelligence (AI) has been a critical element in implementing fraud detection capabilities and advanced risk analytics. It has also helped analyze information and create improved products to meet customer demands.

How to Buy Fintech Stocks

The process of buying fintech stocks involves a number of steps. If you do not have a brokerage account, make sure to check out the steps below.

Find a brokerage.

The broker is the intermediary for you and the stock exchange. You place an order through the broker to buy a stock, and the broker carries out those actions. For example, if you decide to purchase shares in a fintech stock, you tell your broker, usually through an online platform, to place the order stated. A fee may be charged by the broker in exchange for its services.

Decide how many shares you want to buy.

Once you have chosen a broker, the number of shares you want to buy will be dictated by the funding of your account and your investment decisions. Your risk tolerance is an important measure to consider and should be considered.

Starting with a small investment and adding consistently over time is a strategy used by many investors. However, before you make your purchase, consider how you will enter the market. 

Choose your order type.

This stage requires you to decide on how your position is executed. Different order types exist, but the main two are market orders and limit orders.

Market orders means purchasing shares at their current price. This type of order means a high chance that the order will be filled, but it may not be at your chosen price.

Limit orders mean that the price you buy the stock at is decided by you. You can determine what price you buy the shares at, but you face the risk that the order won’t be filled if the price doesn’t hit your predetermined level. 

Buy the shares.

Once you have opened the trade ticket and completed the required fields, the last thing to do is click buy. When completed, you can monitor the stock and your other positions by navigating to the correct tab on your brokerage platform.

Best Online Brokers for Fintech Stocks

Some brokers may not offer the fintech stock you are looking for. Here is a list of the best online brokers for fintech stocks.

Features to Look for in the Best Fintech Stocks

1. Services: The banking industry has been around for years, although fintech stocks are still young. Innovation is essential in this market, and an important feature involves the services offered to consumers. Attractive, useful features are more likely to attract new users and drive profits.
2. Regulation: Some consumers hesitate to trust online banks. Therefore, regulation and trust from customers are crucial and still remain a barrier for fintech stocks.

Pros and Cons of the Best Fintech Stocks 

Block: One huge advantage for Block is that it is still in its early years with huge potential. It has already reached a $100 billion market cap, and it only operates in a small number of countries. However, analyst Bryan Keane from Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB) feels sentiment has turned “surprisingly negative” after a recent sell-off of Block’s shares.

PayPal: PayPal has shown impressive growth with currently over 392 million users, and its recent partnership with Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) should only boost these numbers. The partnership will see Amazon accept Venmo (owned by PayPal) payments in 2022. One negative for PayPal is that although it was one of the earliest firms in the market, increased competition from rivals threatens profits.

Mastercard: Increased competition benefits Mastercard, as the change from cash to card-based transactions has fueled growth for the company, although some investors may doubt its high valuations after its fall in cross-border transactions from the pandemic.

Upstart Holdings: Upstart has shown excellent growth in its earnings. Revenue in Q3 for Upstart grew 250% to $228 million compared to the prior year. In addition, the company has entered into a partnership with AgFed Credit Union to reach new customers. 

Affirm Holdings: A major positive for affirm involves its buy-now pay-later option, as it seems to be a popular alternative for consumers. On the other hand, worries about Affirm’s stock involve weakness in the company’s profits, especially from such a saturated market. As a result, its earnings have fallen and are currently at a loss of $362 million in 2021.

Are Fintech Stocks a Good Investment Right Now?

Fintech stocks have recently seen significant falls in share prices, with investor sentiment being down. After being the major winners from the pandemic, anticipation of cooling demand and higher rates has left the stocks taking big hits to their share prices. The uncertainty towards the economy and doubts over inflation are major reasons that could impact the outflows of fintech. As of now, fintech stocks present substantial opportunities for the future; however, the market has shown little signs of recovery.

Biggest Fintech Movers of the Day

Fintech stocks have made strong gains in the last few years. Below you can see the biggest-moving fintech stocks of the day.

The New Generation of Stocks

Innovation drives fintech stocks, and the emergence of new technology cannot be escaped. Growth involves creative disruption that has created a new wave that has seen huge demand in the market. 

The convenience for customers over traditional banks has created a fiercely competitive market. However, the demand in the market cannot be understated, and the recent fall in fintech stocks may offer excellent opportunities. 

Frequently Asked Questions