Top 100 Payments Startups to Watch in 2026
The global payments landscape is defined by both established giants and specialized newcomers. Companies like Stripe lead the way, having raised $9.4 billion for its online payment processing tools.
At the same time, newer firms such as MoonPay are building infrastructure for cryptocurrency with over $1 billion in funding. This list explores the key companies driving change in how we pay for goods and services.
Below is our list of 100 Payments startups worth keeping an eye on.
Failory's Top 10 Picks
Stripe develops financial infrastructure for the internet, offering a suite of APIs for online payment processing. Millions of companies use their software to accept payments, send payouts, and manage their businesses online.
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2010 |
| Founders | John Collison |
| Funding Amount | $9.4B |
| Startup Size | Enterprise Organization (5,001+) |
| Last Funding Status | Secondary Market |
| Top Investors | Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst, Temasek Holdings, Khosla Ventures, Sequoia Capital |
MoonPay builds payment infrastructure for the crypto economy, enabling simple transactions for cryptocurrencies and NFTs. Their software allows businesses to integrate crypto payments, letting customers use traditional methods like credit cards and bank transfers.
| Headquarters | Dover, Delaware, United States |
| Year Founded | 2019 |
| Founders | Ivan Soto-Wright, Victor Faramond |
| Funding Amount | $1B |
| Startup Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Debt Financing |
| Top Investors | Tribe Capital, Paradigm, Ripple, New Enterprise Associates, Quiet Capital |
Navan builds an all-in-one platform that unifies corporate travel, expense management, and company cards. Their integrated software gives businesses real-time control over employee spending by automating manual processes from booking to reconciliation.
| Headquarters | Palo Alto, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2015 |
| Founders | Ariel Cohen |
| Funding Amount | $2.2B |
| Startup Size | Major Organization (1,001-5,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Convertible Note |
| Top Investors | Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Goldman Sachs, Coatue, Group 11 |
Rain created an on-demand pay platform that gives employees instant access to their earned wages. Employers offer this financial wellness benefit to help reduce financial stress and improve employee retention.
| Headquarters | Nashville, Tennessee, United States |
| Year Founded | 2019 |
| Founders | Alex Bradford, Jennifer Terrell |
| Funding Amount | $557.6M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series B |
| Top Investors | Tribe Capital, QED Investors, Sound Point Capital Management, WndrCo, VentureSouq |
Kredete provides financial tools that help African immigrants in the U.S. transfer money globally and build credit. The platform is designed to address the unique challenges immigrants face, offering a way to manage international remittances and establish a U.S. credit history.
| Headquarters | New York, New York, United States |
| Year Founded | 2022 |
| Founders | Adeola Adedewe |
| Funding Amount | $24.8M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Series A |
| Top Investors | Techstars, AfricInvest, Partech, Blockchain Founders Fund, Tezos |
Thunes operates a cross-border payments network that connects diverse payment systems, from mobile wallets to local bank transfers. Their unified infrastructure allows businesses to send and receive funds globally, making international commerce more accessible.
| Headquarters | Singapore, Central Region, Singapore |
| Year Founded | 2016 |
| Founders | Eric Barbier, Peter Caluwe |
| Funding Amount | $352M |
| Startup Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Series D |
| Top Investors | Insight Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, Checkout.com, Endeavor Catalyst, Vitruvian Partners |
Checkout.com develops a global payment solutions platform that helps businesses thrive in the digital economy. Their technology enables companies to process online payments, manage fraud, and optimize revenue through a single, integrated system.
| Headquarters | London, England, United Kingdom |
| Year Founded | 2012 |
| Founders | Guillaume Pousaz |
| Funding Amount | $1.8B |
| Startup Size | Major Organization (1,001-5,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Series D |
| Top Investors | Franklin Templeton, Insight Partners, Endeavor Catalyst, Coatue, Ribbit Capital |
RedotPay builds a payment platform that includes stablecoin cards and multi-currency wallets for global transactions. The company enables users to spend their cryptocurrency just like traditional money, connecting digital assets to everyday payment networks.
| Headquarters | Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong |
| Year Founded | 2023 |
| Founders | Jonathan Chan, Michael Gao |
| Funding Amount | $87M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | Accel, Lightspeed Venture Partners, HSG, Coinbase Ventures, Vertex Ventures |
Moniepoint provides an all-in-one financial platform that gives businesses access to banking, payments, and credit. Their suite of tools helps small and medium-sized enterprises manage their money and business operations.
| Headquarters | London, England, United Kingdom |
| Year Founded | 2015 |
| Founders | Felix Ike, Tosin Eniolorunda |
| Funding Amount | $233.1M |
| Startup Size | Major Organization (1,001-5,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Corporate Round |
| Top Investors | QED Investors, Lightrock, Novastar Ventures, Endeavor Catalyst, Bossa Invest |
EarnIn created a financial wellness app that lets people access their earned wages on demand, instead of waiting for a traditional payday. The service is designed to provide a flexible alternative to high-interest loans and helps users better manage their cash flow.
| Headquarters | Palo Alto, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2013 |
| Founders | Ram Palaniappan |
| Funding Amount | $415.1M |
| Startup Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Debt Financing |
| Top Investors | Andreessen Horowitz, Cross River Bank, Ribbit Capital, Coatue, Spark Capital |
90 Additional Payments Startups Worth Following
Our top picks offer a glimpse into the future of payments, but they are far from the only ones making moves. The industry is full of founders building new ways for us to manage and move money.
Together, these companies have raised tens of billions of dollars to tackle everything from crypto to AI-powered finance. Here’s a look at the other companies shaping the payments sector.
| Startup | Main Industry | Year Founded | Amount Raised | Last Funding Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Branch | Fintech | 2015 | $638.1M | Venture Round |
 Flex | Fintech | 2022 | $348M | Debt Financing |
 Tala | Fintech | 2011 | $522M | Debt Financing |
 Pleo | Fintech | 2015 | $470.9M | Debt Financing |
 Mesh | Crypto | 2020 | $124.5M | Venture Round |
 PayNearMe | Fintech | 2009 | $168.2M | Series E |
 Extend | Fintech | 2017 | $74M | Venture Round |
 Appcharge | Gaming | 2022 | $89M | Series B |
 Rainforest | Fintech | 2022 | $57.5M | Series B |
 Airwallex | Fintech | 2015 | $1.2B | Secondary Market |
 Keeta | Fintech | 2022 | $17M | Seed |
 PredictAP | AI | 2020 | $13M | Venture Round |
 GoCardless | Fintech | 2011 | $529.3M | Venture Round |
 Nium | Fintech | 2014 | $338M | Series E |
 Sphere | Enterprise | 2022 | $7.8M | Venture Round |
 Lithic | Retail | 2014 | $115.4M | Series C |
 Stax | Fintech | 2014 | $263.3M | Series D |
 Flutterwave | Fintech | 2016 | $474.5M | Secondary Market |
 Incode Technologies | Security | 2015 | $257.1M | Series B |
 Spreedly | Retail | 2007 | $81.1M | Private Equity |
 RentSpree | Fintech | 2016 | $27.7M | Series B |
 Justworks | Enterprise | 2012 | $159.8M | Venture Round |
 TerraPay | Fintech | 2014 | $259.1M | Debt Financing |
 Wrapbook | Fintech | 2018 | $150.6M | Venture Round |
 BharatPe | Media | 2018 | $823.2M | Secondary Market |
 Speedchain | Fintech | 2021 | $111M | Venture Round |
 Promise | Fintech | 2017 | $48.1M | Series B |
 PayPay | Fintech | 2018 | ¥53.5B | Venture Round |
 Munify | AI | 2025 | $3M | Seed |
 Cedar | Fintech | 2016 | $419.4M | Series D |
 Finom | Fintech | 2019 | $307.5M | Series C |
 PhonePe | Fintech | 2015 | $2.6B | Private Equity |
 onafriq | Fintech | 2009 | $220.2M | Series C |
 MARS | Fintech | 2020 | $2.7M | Seed |
 Razorpay | Fintech | 2014 | $816.4M | Secondary Market |
 Sila | Fintech | 2018 | $20.7M | Series A |
 Pine Labs | Fintech | 1998 | $1.2B | Private Equity |
 Tazapay | Fintech | 2020 | $32.4M | Series B |
 TrueLayer | Fintech | 2016 | $321.5M | Series E |
 Interswitch | Fintech | 2002 | $320.5M | Private Equity |
 Qashio | Fintech | 2021 | $32.3M | Debt Financing |
 SumUp | Fintech | 2011 | $4B | Debt Financing |
 Papaya | Fintech | 2016 | $65.1M | Series B |
 Simpl | Retail | 2015 | $71.7M | Series B |
 Juspay | Fintech | 2012 | $147.9M | Series D |
 House of Doge | Crypto | 2025 | $14.9M | Venture Round |
 Coast | Fintech | 2020 | $165.5M | Series B |
 Verto | Fintech | 2017 | $12.4M | Grant |
 OnePay | Fintech | 2020 | MAD4M | Series A |
 Yoco | Fintech | 2013 | $176M | Series C |
 DANA | Fintech | 2017 | $554.5M | Secondary Market |
 ClearBank | Fintech | 2015 | $627.4M | Private Equity |
 PayU | Fintech | 2011 | ₹13.2B | Venture Round |
 Entrata | Real Estate | 2003 | $707M | Private Equity |
 Tamara | AI | 2020 | $2.4B | Debt Financing |
 Solaris | Fintech | 2015 | $621.1M | Series G |
 Paystack | Fintech | 2015 | $11.7M | Series A |
 Clara | Fintech | 2020 | $492M | Venture Round |
 Paymob | Fintech | 2015 | $90.5M | Series B |
 Imprint | Fintech | 2020 | $702M | Debt Financing |
 Ebury | Enterprise | 2009 | $123.5M | Venture Round |
 Flex | Fintech | 2023 | $18.2M | Series A |
 Tipalti | Fintech | 2010 | $915M | Debt Financing |
 Float | Fintech | 2020 | $17.2M | Debt Financing |
 Yaspa | AI | 2017 | $13.2M | Series A |
 Transak | Crypto | 2019 | $36.6M | Venture Round |
 Defacto | Enterprise | 2021 | $214M | Venture Round |
 D360 bank | Fintech | 2020 | SAR1.7B | Venture Round |
 Alchemy Pay | Crypto | 2018 | $10M | Venture Round |
 Booksy | Marketplace | 2014 | $203.8M | Venture Round |
 Cashfree Payments | Fintech | 2015 | $93.9M | Series C |
 Payment Labs | Enterprise | 2020 | $3.3M | Seed |
 qlub | Fintech | 2021 | $72M | Corporate Round |
 ASAAS | Fintech | 2013 | $186.9M | Venture Round |
 Toss | Fintech | 2011 | $1.4B | Series G |
 Revolut | Fintech | 2015 | $1.9B | Series E |
 Ambrook | Fintech | 2020 | $29M | Series A |
 AtoB | Fintech | 2019 | $312M | Series C |
 eSSENTL Creator | Fintech | 2024 | $1.9M | Pre-Seed |
 SIX | Fintech | 2008 | CHF250M | Debt Financing |
 Boost Payment Solutions | Enterprise | 2009 | $34M | Series C |
 Remitee | Fintech | 2016 | $20M | Venture Round |
 Sundayapp | Media | 2021 | $124M | Series A |
 Balance | Enterprise | 2020 | $431M | Debt Financing |
 Anchor | Enterprise | 2021 | $35M | Series A |
 Relay | Fintech | 2018 | $51.6M | Series B |
 Slash | Fintech | 2020 | $60M | Series B |
 HyperPay | Fintech | 2010 | $50.5M | Venture Round |
 Maya | Fintech | 2013 | $712M | Convertible Note |
 Atome | Media | 2019 | $1.2B | Debt Financing |
