|
|||||
|
|
New: Instantly spot drawdowns, dips, insider moves, and breakout themes across Maps and Screener.
An updated edition of the Dec. 12, 2025 article.
Financial technology, or fintech, is reshaping the global financial landscape by making financial services faster, more accessible and more customer-centric. By combining finance with advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, Big Data and cloud computing, fintech has disrupted traditional banking and investment models globally.
One of the most significant impacts of fintech is financial inclusion. Digital wallets, mobile banking and peer-to-peer lending platforms have enabled millions of unbanked and underbanked individuals to access financial services. Cross-border payments, once slow and expensive, are now quicker and more affordable due to fintech-driven innovations.
Fintech has also transformed payments and lending systems. Contactless payments, buy-now-pay-later services and app-based loans have enhanced convenience for consumers and improved efficiency for businesses. In capital markets, robo-advisors and algorithm-based trading platforms are democratizing investments by lowering costs and reducing entry barriers.
Moreover, fintech is improving transparency and cybersecurity. Technologies such as blockchain enhance trust by enabling secure, tamper-proof transactions, while AI-powered tools help detect fraud and manage risk more effectively. As fintech continues to evolve, it is encouraging traditional financial institutions to innovate and collaborate. Together, these changes are creating a more agile, inclusive and technology-driven global financial ecosystem. So, stocks like SoFi Technologies, Inc. SOFI, Visa Inc. V and Robinhood Markets, Inc. HOOD are drawing investor attention.
Our Fintech Screen will help you identify the right stocks now to ride the wave of this trillion-dollar revolution. Leveraging advanced tools, our thematic screens identify companies shaping the future, making it easier to capitalize on emerging trends.
Ready to uncover more transformative thematic investment ideas? Explore 37 cutting-edge investment themes with Zacks Thematic Screens and discover your next big opportunity.
SoFi is reshaping traditional finance through its app-based digital banking platform, delivering a comprehensive suite of services that spans lending, banking, investing and insurance. With its membership base surpassing 10 million, the company continues to demonstrate rising consumer demand and the strength of its integrated, all-in-one financial ecosystem.
A key driver of SoFi’s expansion is Galileo, its B2B financial services platform that enables seamless payment processing and lending integrations for other fintechs and financial institutions. Galileo not only broadens SoFi’s revenue base beyond consumer banking but also strengthens its foothold in the rapidly growing embedded finance space. Increasing adoption by prominent clients further enhances SoFi’s credibility and extends its market reach.
SoFi’s land-and-expand strategy remains another competitive advantage. By offering an extensive range of financial products under one platform, the company attracts new users while fostering strong cross-selling opportunities. This integrated approach deepens customer engagement, boosts retention and raises lifetime value, while also encouraging partners to embed additional services within SoFi’s expanding ecosystem.
With an early-mover edge in U.S. fintech and a disciplined growth strategy, this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company appears well-positioned for sustained earnings expansion. Its scalable platform, improving cross-sell momentum and diversified revenue streams support an attractive long-term outlook in an increasingly digital financial landscape. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for SOFI’s 2026 sales and EPS implies year-over-year growth of 29.1% and 51.3%, respectively. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Visa’s dominant market position is driven by consistent volume growth, strategic acquisitions and digital payment innovation. Growth in cross-border volumes, rising digital transactions and investments in AI and stablecoins further strengthen its outlook.
The company has adapted quickly to the digital shift and invested in digital security and technologies, such as contactless payments and tokenization. Visa Token Service secures card data for platforms like Apple Pay and Google Pay, keeping Visa central to digital payments as physical cards become less relevant. The company is also exploring the future of money through crypto partnerships, stablecoin settlement capabilities and cryptocurrency-linked cards.
With a vast global acceptance network and ties to fintechs, neobanks and tech giants, Visa remains well-positioned to evolve with financial technology trends. To accelerate innovation, it makes application programming interfaces available to developers, fosters partnerships and operates 10 global innovation centers.
As fraud cases rise, Visa’s AI-driven security tools are in high demand. It has embedded AI into more than 100 products—mainly for fraud prevention—and invested massively in modernizing its data platform. Visa’s strategic focus on innovation, digital integration and cybersecurity gives it a strong edge for long-term, sustainable growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for V’s fiscal 2026 sales and EPS implies year-over-year growth of 11.2% and 11.8%, respectively. The firm carries a Zacks Rank of 3.
Robinhood, founded in 2013 by Vlad Tenev and Baiju Bhatt, democratized finance by providing commission-free stock trading. The company is repositioning itself beyond the core trading app by pairing strategic acquisitions with new products and partnerships aimed at broadening the customer base and deepening engagement.
HOOD operates in multiple financial sectors, offering stock and ETF trading, options trading, cryptocurrency transactions, retirement accounts and cash management services. Its goal is to diversify beyond transaction-driven revenues and build more “active trader” capabilities that can lift engagement and monetization across cycles.
Robinhood is expanding through strategic acquisitions and new product innovation. The company plans to acquire Indonesian entities to accelerate APAC growth and WonderFi to strengthen its Canadian crypto presence. Its partnership with Susquehanna to gain control of MIAX Derivatives Exchange highlights a push toward vertical integration in derivatives, supporting longer-term growth in futures and prediction markets.
Alongside dealmaking, Robinhood is rolling out new products such as Cortex (AI assistant), Legend (advanced trading tools) and Robinhood Social, aimed at sophisticated investors, while banking, lending and international tokenized stock offerings broaden its reach across markets.
With these initiatives, this Zacks Rank #3 company will continue to reshape the financial industry by making investing more accessible and technologically advanced. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for HOOD’s 2025 sales and EPS implies year-over-year growth of 53% and 85.3%, respectively.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
| 12 min | |
| 14 min | |
| 47 min | |
| 1 hour | |
| 1 hour | |
| 1 hour | |
| 2 hours | |
| 2 hours | |
| 2 hours | |
| 3 hours | |
| 3 hours | |
| 4 hours | |
| 5 hours | |
| 7 hours | |
| Feb-02 |
Join thousands of traders who make more informed decisions with our premium features. Real-time quotes, advanced visualizations, backtesting, and much more.
Learn more about FINVIZ*Elite