By Ernest Dela Aglanu, Benzinga

Frontier fintechs are a rapidly growing sector in the financial industry. These new players in the industry offer innovative solutions to traditional financial services, often using cutting-edge technology to provide fast, convenient and cost-effective financial solutions.

One of the key characteristics of frontier fintechs is their focus on customer-centricity. Unlike traditional financial institutions, fintech companies emphasize the needs of their customers and strive to offer personalized solutions tailored to individual needs.

For some years now, companies such as XTM Inc., Fleetcor Technologies Inc., Nuvei Corp., EVO Payments Inc., and SoFi Technologies Inc., are disrupting traditional financial services with innovative technology and user-centric approaches. They are changing the way people invest, pay, borrow, insure and manage their finances.

Due to these benefits, the fintech industry is growing at an unprecedented rate, and the impact of these frontier fintechs is being felt as the world becomes increasingly digital. The global fintech technologies market was valued at US$110.57 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach US$698.48 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.3 per cent from 2021 to 2030.

As more people and companies shift towards digital payments, the competition in the frontier fintech industry is rapidly growing. Such competitions are always good news for consumers, players, investors and watchers of the industry.

A Look At Five Frontier Fintechs

A Miami and Toronto-based fintech innovator founded in the cloud-banking space, XTM seems to be strategically leading the sector’s evolution as many expect to see more exciting innovations from the industry.

Established as a leader in on-demand pay with many large brands, including Marriott International Inc., hotels and Live Nation Entertainment Inc., the company says it is continuously innovating to support businesses with its shift scheduling and call-outs, staff management, expense management, in-app health and financial wellness; and gamified loyalty programs.

But how does XTM stack up against Fleetcor, Nuvei, EVO, and SoFi?

Fleetcor:

Fleetcor offers payment solutions that help businesses control, simplify, and secure payment for fuel, general payables, toll, and lodging expenses. The company says it simplifies payments by automating, securing, digitizing, and controlling transactions for employees and suppliers.

Nuvei:

Nuvei is a Montreal-based payment technology company. The company operates a platform that connects merchants with more than 470 payment methods, including cryptocurrencies. Nuvei serves retail, gaming, hospitality, digital goods, and other industries.

EVO Payments:

EVO Payments is a payment technology company that supports various payment channels, such as in-person or online transactions. The company offers an integrated merchant acquirer and payment processor in over 50 markets and 150 currencies worldwide. For the quarter that ended September 30, 2022, EVO Payments reported revenue of US$138.7 million.

SoFi:

SoFi is a finance company that provides lending and loan refinance, insurance services, wealth management, savings, and banking products. For 2022, SoFi recorded a net revenue of US$1.6 billion.

The XTM Advantage:

Overall, XTM’s payment technology platform’s uniqueness gives it a competitive advantage over some of its peers. As the company’s industry continues to grow, XTM’s payment solutions have the potential to become a force to be reckoned with. In comparative terms. The company’s real-time, safe, and efficient payment system, along with their Visa Inc., and Mastercard Inc., card integration, could help XTM become a market leader.

The company uses a cloud-based PCI-compliant architecture that allows for quick scale, multi-language and time-zone usage. XTM provides a digital earnings platform for service workers – including hospitality and personal care workers – known as the Today Financial™ app.

The app, comprised of a mobile app and wallet paired with a Visa or Mastercard debit card with banking features, is used by thousands of restaurants, salons and service staff across Canada and the US, and it enables hundreds of thousands of workers to access their earned wages instantly, giving them more control over their finances.

Furthermore, XTM’s approach can also help businesses by significantly reducing payroll administration time and costs, which can be particularly helpful for organizations that have multiple payment locations. The company’s services can be a game changer in the hospitality industry, which has unique payment challenges, such as inconsistent working hours and high cash utilization.

Partnership With Payfare

On March 3, XTM announced signing a deal with Payfare Inc., a leading fintech powering instant payout and digital banking solutions for the gig workforce.

Through this partnership with Payfare, XTM said it will integrate into Payfare’s embedded finance and open API platform for card issuance, digital banking and instant payments. XTM’s proven Earned Wage Access (EWA) solution will take advantage of Payfare’s relationships and significant economies of scale to quickly enter and expand its offering across the US market.

According to the company, the integration is in progress, and XTM expects to start the full rollout in Q2 2023. It plans to migrate its current clients from its previous issuing bank, and all future banking and processing will be through Payfare.

XTM, www.xtminc.com, is a Miami and Toronto-based fintech innovator founded in the cloud-banking space and further helping businesses inspire their workforce in the hospitality, personal care and services staffing industries. Established as a leader in on-demand pay with many leading brands including Earls, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, Cactus Club, Marriott Hotels and Live Nation, XTM continues to innovate with further digital featurization to support businesses to inspire workers to want to work more with shift scheduling and call-outs, staff management, expense management, in-app health and financial wellness; and gamified loyalty programs. XTM’s Today Financial™ is in use through POS and Payroll integrations and directly through web-portals by thousands of businesses and their workers across Canada and the United States.

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