Fintech, also known as financial technology, is the growing field of companies that use technology to automate and simplify financial services for businesses and customers. It’s a huge field that includes everything from artificial intelligence (AI) to apps, algorithms and software. Some of these companies are the hottest stocks out there.
According to a report compiled by Boston Consulting Group and QED Investors, fintech sector revenues are forecast to grow from $245 billion to $1.5 trillion by 2030, making up a quarter of all banking valuations by that time. In this guide we analyze 10 of the best fintech stocks available today.
Here’s a quick look at the best fintech stocks to buy right now.Best Fintech Stocks to Buy in 2024
A Closer Look at the Top Fintech Stocks to Invest in
Now let’s examine the top fintech stocks that investors should be looking at this year in more detail.
1. Marathon Digital – Best Fintech Stock to Buy in 2024
The cryptocurrency mining company, whose shares rose 187% in the past year, is benefitting directly from Bitcoin’s resurgence, and turned profitable in the third quarter of 2023. The company had a record fourth quarter last year, mining 4,242 bitcoins, more than the 4,144 bitcoins it mined during the whole of 2022.
In the fourth quarter, Marathon generated $156.8 million in revenue, a 452% increase year-over-year, driven by a 172% increase in bitcoin production from a year earlier. The average price of Bitcoin was 101% higher than a year earlier. Net income in the quarter totaled $151.8 million, or $0.67 in earnings per share (EPS), compared with a loss of $391.6 million, or a loss per share of $3.13.
Cryptocurrency remains a volatile industry, but Marathon has been able to steadily increase revenue, possibly making it among the best fintech stocks to buy. It should gain economy of scale from its recent purchase of two hosting sites from Generate Capital for $179 million.
The move increases the company’s power capabilities and according to Marathon, will enable it to produce Bitcoin for 30% less than it currently does. The purchase should help Marathon bring in $200 million more in 2024 revenue.
2. StoneCo. – Best Fintech for Revenue Growth
The shares of the Brazilian company that helps entrepreneurs and small businesses in Latin America’s largest economy, rose more than 80% in the past year. Its CEO Pedro Zinner said in November the company expects to grow net profit by eight times through the end of 2027, mostly by integrating its financial services and software operations.
The expected growth in Brazil’s population and the relatively low penetration of StoneCo.’s services means the company sees plenty of potential growth, estimated at 13% compound annual growth rate over the next four years. It appears to be having the highest growth potential among the fintech stocks.
In the fourth quarter, StoneCo. posted revenue of BRL 3.25 billion ($651.7 million), up 20.1%, year over year. Net income, adjusted for non-recurring items, rose 177% from the same period a year earlier to BRL 563.8 million. The adjusted net margin improved to 17% from 13.9% a year earlier.
3. MercadoLibre – Top Fintech Stock for Changing Conditions
The shares of MercadoLibre, which one of the Latin America’s most valuable companies with market cap of $78 billion, are up nearly 30% over the past year. While the company is known for its e-commerce business, nearly half of its revenue stems from financial operations, including interest on installment payments, payment processing and credit cards.
The Montevideo, Uruguay-based company has been profitable for the past two years and continues to grow its customer base, mainly in Brazil. However, its fastest-growing operations are in Mexico. The customer base of its payment service Mercado Pago exceeded 50 million at the end of 2023.
The company said in March that it expects improving business conditions in its main market, Brazil, where it plans to invest a record BRL 23 billion ($4.6 billion) in 2024 in Brazil, its main market, 21.1% more than in 2023. It also plans to invest $2.45 billion in Mexico this year.
In the fourth quarter, the company had revenue of $4.3 billion, up 83% year over year and total payment volume (TPV) of $56.5 billion, up 153% over the same period a year earlier. Even so, net income was $165 million, or $3.25 a share, both unchanged from a year earlier. The shares declined when it released its latest numbers as its EPS was just about half of what Wall Street analysts has predicted.
4. Block – Bouncing Back Along with Bitcoin’s Resurgence
The company, formerly known as Square, which delivers merchants a comprehensive commerce ecosystem, has continued to evolve and that’s what is helping it thrive. It remains one of the best fintech stocks to invest in. The rebound in Bitcoin is also helping the company due to its substantial investments in Bitcoin and blockchain technology.
Block has two main businesses, Square, a point-of-sale product for small businesses, and Cash App, a money transfer and financial services app. In 2003, it made revenue of $12.42 billion, up 19% year over year. Gross profit, the company’s preferred profitability measure, was $2.03 billion in the fourth quarter, up 22% year over year. For the full year, gross profit rose 25% from a year earlier to $7.50 billion, with $3.1 billion coming from Square and $4.3 billion from Cash App.
Block just approved a share repurchase plan of up to $1 billion, which has also helped give the stock a nudge. Investors were also encouraged when the company updated guidance to show it expects 2023 operating income between $205 million and $225 million, up from earlier estimates of $25 million.
5. Affirm Holdings – Benefiting from Inflation, High Interest Rates
The company is seeing plenty of growth, partially because it is helping retail companies increase sales. The company is a fintech company worth watching because it reported that merchants using Affirm had cart sizes that were 60% higher in 2022 and 2021.
The most exciting reason to look at Affirm is its popularity among younger consumers. Its loans are often interest-free and have become popular, especially because of rising prices and interest rates on traditional loans.
In the second quarter of fiscal 2024, revenue rose TK% from a year earlier to $497 million. It also said that gross merchandise volume grew 32% year over year to $7.5 billion, accelerating for the third consecutive quarter. Affirm isn’t profitable yet and it reported a net loss of $166.9 million in the quarter, but that was an improvement from the $322.4 million it lost in the same period a year ago.
Its shares jumped in November when the company signed an exclusive agreement with Amazon. In December it signed a BNPL deal with Google Pay, as well as one with Walmart that will enable its shoppers to use Affirm as a BNPL option on self-pay checkouts.
6. DraftKings – A Solid Bet for Continued Growth
The company’s business has soared since a 2018 Supreme Court decision that ended the federal ban on online sports betting. Now 38 states and the District of Columbia allow online sports betting, though for the moment, DraftKing’s app is legal in only 18 states, so the company has plenty of room to grow in the U.S. The company benefits from its status as an early mover in the field.
In the fourth quarter, DraftKings posted revenue of $1.23 billion, up 44% year over year. In 2024, it expects revenue of between $4.65 billion and $4.90 billion, indicating a 27% to 34% year-over-year growth. Net loss in the quarter narrowed to $44.6 million from $242.7 million in the previous year, the sixth consecutive quarter it has trimmed losses.
The company said it foresees its online sports betting and iGaming total addressable market to jump from $20 billion in 2023 to $30 billion by 2028, just counting the states where DraftKings is currently allowed to operate in.
Twelve states introduced legislation to allow mobile sports betting or introduced bills that may result in legal sports betting referendums. A key for DraftKings will be how well it’s able to maintain market share as more companies ramp up to allow online sports betting.
7. PayPal – Poised for Resurgence in 2024
PayPal managed to thrive in 2023 despite the strong headwinds of inflation and higher interest rates that have made customers more cautious about spending.
In the fourth quarter, PayPal reported revenue of $8.03 billion, up 9% year over year, while total payment volume grew 15% over the same period last year, to $409.83 billion. Adjusted net income was $1.6 billion, up 13% and adjusted earnings per share (EPS) was $1.48, compared to $1.24 in the fourth quarter of 2022.
The company’s guidance, though, points to 6.5% to 7% in growth for first-quarter revenue and adjusted EPS to be in line with $5.10 in the prior year.
8. Global Payments – Steadier Than Most FinTech Firms
The company’s business had accelerated since its acquisition in 2022 of the global payment company EVO Payments, which focused on payment processing solutions such as fraud prevention, credit card terminal management and online payment platforms.
In the fourth quarter, Global Payments reported revenue of $2.43 billion, up 8% year over year. Adjusted earnings per share increased 10% to $2.65, compared to $2.42 in 2022 Adjusted operating margin widened by 30 basis points to 44.8%
The company also offers something few fintech companies do: a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share. Though the yield is only 0.75%, the company has increased the dividend by more than 90% over the past five years.
9. Toast – Finding Strength Through Specialization
The software-as-a-service (SAAS) company focuses solely on supporting restaurants with its cloud-based, digital technology platform and integrated payment processing. There are more than 22 million restaurants in the world, so the opportunity for continued growth is enormous.
The restaurant industry continues to slowly rebound from the slumped caused by a series of lockdowns during the pandemic. There continue to be headwinds, such as rising employee and food costs meaning lower profits. However, Toast had a strong year in 2023 regardless.
In the fourth quarter, Toast had revenue of $1.04 billion, up 35%, year over year with gross payment volume jumping 32% year over year to $33.7 billion. Net loss was $36 million in the quarter, a bit more than a third of the $99 million it lost in the same quarter last year. Loss per share was $0.07 versus a loss per share of $0.19 a year earlier.
Toast branched out last year by adding a subset of its service specifically for bakeries and smaller cafes, called Toast for Cafes & Bakeries, with products for online catering ordering and restaurant retail, enabling such businesses to put point-of-sale products such as branded mugs or a bag of coffee beans on the same platform as the rest of the company’s foodservice.
10. One97 Communications – Profitability Through Overhaul
The company runs Paytm, the largest payments platform in India. It introduced mobile payments to the country and is using an advanced AI system to help financial institutions look for various risks, including fraud. One97 has nearly doubled merchant subscriptions over the past year.
The company said at the end of 2023 it would lay off roughly 1,000 employees in a cost-cutting measure that it says will trim costs by 15%. That was spurred by fiscal second-quarter earnings where revenue grew but earnings fell for its Paytm business.
In the subsequent quarter, October to December, revenue rose to INR 29.99 billion, from INR 21.4 billion a year earlier. The company posted a net loss of INR 2.2 billion, or a loss of INR 3 per share, narrowing from a net loss of INR 3.92 billion, or loss of INR 6 per share a year earlier.
Where to Buy Top Fintech Stocks
Once you’ve identified the best fintech stocks to buy right now, you’ll need an online stock broker to purchase shares.
One of the best fintech stock brokers to use is eToro. At eToro, you can buy hundreds of tech stocks from the US, Europe and around the world—all with 0% commission making it one of the most competitive trading platforms around.
eToro offers trading in nearly all of the fintech stocks we highlighted above, plus many others. It also trades fintech-focused ETFs like the ARK FinTech Innovation ETF that can give you exposure to multiple fintech companies in a single investment.
If you’re not sure which fintech stocks to buy, eToro has tools to help. You can see at a glance whether other investors are buying or selling shares of any company. The broker also has market news headlines for each stock so you can stay up to date on product launches, earnings reports, and more.
You can also copy other tech investors’ portfolios at eToro using copy trading. When an investor you’re copying buys or sells shares, your portfolio will buy or sell those shares, too. There are many copy portfolios at eToro focused on tech and fintech stocks. There are no fees to copy trade.
eToro is regulated in the US and many leading Western countries. The broker is also available in more than 100 countries.
Available Assets | 5,000+ |
Pricing System | 0% commission for share trading |
Fee for Investing in Apple Stock | None |
Minimum Deposit | $100 (country dependent) |
Top Features |
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Pros
- Access shares from the US, UK, Europe, and Asia
- Outstanding mobile user experience
- Compare multiple stocks on a single chart
- Copy experienced stock traders with just $100 (country dependent)
- Analyze trader sentiment around any stock
Cons
- Cannot create custom technical indicators
- $10 per month fee after 12 months of inactivity
Fintech stocks aren’t always easy to analyze based on traditional metrics. Many fintech stocks are growth stocks that aren’t yet profitable, so using net income or EPS isn’t the best way to analyze these stocks, particularly for long-term investors. Look for fintech stocks that are showing strong growth in customer acquisition or user engagement by measuring their total payment volume (TPV) or monthly active users growth. Other indicators to watch for growth include app downloads and average revenue per client. See how a company’s revenue growth and profit margins compare to similar fintech companies. Even with unprofitable companies, it is useful seeing what a company’s price-to-book (P/B) ratio is in comparison to other fintech businesses. Some of the fastest-growing fintech companies are in countries that are underserved by traditional banking and financial services. Don’t overlook investing in fintech companies that are based in Latin America, Africa and Asia. How big is a particular company’s moat in comparison to other companies? Is it the lead in its particular area or is it a challenger hoping to make inroads? Fintech is a highly competitive industry, so it is important that a company establishes a niche that can insulate it from other companies. If it is a leader in a particular area of fintech, that’s an advantage. There are multiple places that rank fintech companies, based on various measurements. AltIndex, for example, has several ways to focus on fintech stocks, including a list of top fintech stocks based on AI scores and other data. To find out more about how to pick fintech stocks, we recommend checking out AltIndex. AltIndex provides stock picks, alerts, and insights using alternative data. This means that it analyzes social media and other websites, app downloads, customer satisfaction ratings, and other data points regarding a company.
It tracks this data over time, compares it to other companies, and then uses machine learning to generate investment insights. Stocks are given a ranking score out of 1 to 100, simplifying the analytical process that can often be very difficult for stock investors. With over 10k members, AltIndex is a widely used and trusted service. It provides over 100,000 unique daily stock insights and alerts, and has a very impressive win rate of 75% from its AI stock picks. You can try AltIndex’s Starter Plan for just $29 a month and receive stock picks directly to your email, as well as a range of other useful features. Investors who are seeking growth should look carefully at fintech stocks. Though their shares can be volatile, trends favor continued adoption of fintech services. As more consumers become accustomed to fintech services and banking, these businesses should thrive. On top of that, if interest rates drop in 2024, as many expect, it’s reasonable to expect that fintech companies, particularly those of the “Buy Now, Pay Later” variety, will benefit. Fintech companies are coming up with innovative solutions that are disrupting traditional banking services and fintech companies are expanding into markets that have been underserved by traditional banking companies. Investing in fintech allows investors to diversify their portfolios, especially as they present a solid long-term opportunity for growth. The difficult market over the past year for fintech companies has a positive side in that it highlights the companies that are thriving despite headwinds. As business conditions improve for fintech companies, those companies will be better able to take advantage to gain market share.
How to Pick the Best Fintech Stocks to Invest in
Check on a Company’s Sales Volume Growth
Compare Them Against Similar Competitors
Take a World View in Your Research
Examine Each Company’s Competitive Landscape
Take a Look at Fintech Rankings
Where to Get Fintech Stock Picks and Insights
Conclusion
References
FAQs
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