What is Fintech? It’s Time to Rethink the Definition.

The term "fintech" is used daily in the world of finance, yet we believe it is still misunderstood. While it’s true that fintech is widely acknowledged as a transformative force in the financial sector, the scope of what qualifies as fintech is often debated—and, unfortunately, frequently misunderstood.

At Finbridge Global, we take a broader, more inclusive view. To us, fintech encompasses any technology company serving the needs of financial institutions, improving financial processes, or enabling innovative financial products and services. Cybersecurity companies, AI-powered analytics firms, cloud computing providers, and beyond—these, too, are essential players in the fintech ecosystem.

But many still see fintech narrowly, associating it only with consumer-facing innovations like digital wallets or neobanks or even worse…just start-ups. This limited perspective not only distorts the fintech landscape but also reduce the collaboration and innovation needed to drive the financial sector forward.

The Narrow View of Fintech: Where It Falls Short

The narrow view of fintech does fail to recognize the companies and technologies working behind the scenes to support the financial sector. Here are some examples that challenge the traditional understanding of fintech:

• AI Companies: Machine learning models are transforming fraud detection, credit underwriting, and customer personalization.
• Cybersecurity Firms: Protecting sensitive financial data and ensuring regulatory compliance is critical to maintaining trust and stability.
• RegTech Providers: These companies streamline complex compliance processes, helping institutions navigate the ever-changing regulatory landscape.
• Infrastructure and APIs: From cloud computing to payment gateways, these foundational technologies power the seamless services customers expect today.
• and much more!

These companies are often overlooked as “not fintech,” yet they are just as vital to the ecosystem as consumer-facing platforms, if not more. To exclude them from the definition is to misunderstand the nature of financial innovation.

Finbridge Global’s Broader Definition of Fintech

At Finbridge Global, we define fintech as:

Any technology company that serves financial institutions, enhances financial processes, or creates innovative financial products and services.

This definition reflects what we see in the market every day: fintech is not confined to consumer-facing apps. It spans the entire spectrum of technologies that empower financial institutions to adapt, grow, and succeed in a rapidly changing world. Fintech are also at different level of maturity; fintech are not just startups…

Finbridge Global operates at the intersection of financial institutions and technology providers, bridging the gaps to enable collaboration. By broadening the definition of fintech, we’re helping financial institutions tap into solutions they might not have considered and connecting tech innovators with partners who truly understand their value.

The Role of Finbridge Global in Expanding Fintech Horizons

At Finbridge Global, we recognize that financial institutions have shifted from build to buy to stay competitive and we are fully aware of the regulatory environment they need to operate in. They need a comprehensive, tech-enabled ecosystem and they need to be able to find the right match for their architecture and risk profile. Where we are helping:

1. Identifying the Right Technologies: we have created a platform to allow a broad search across the right technology providers for your organisation. The filters applied will allow you to take the bias out of the query and to find your best match depending on your problem statement
2. Facilitating Collaboration: We have experienced the challenges both sides of the fence. We act as a bridge, ensuring both financial institutions and tech companies find common ground to create solutions that drive real value.
3. Promoting Innovation Across the Ecosystem: By expanding the definition of fintech, we encourage a more inclusive landscape that fosters innovation at every level, from backend systems to customer-facing products. We believe in the power of collaboration.
4. Fast track due diligence: we understand risk and know what the regulators need to see. We don’t believe there is a strong correlation between number of questions and the success of the project but we do know that the right questions must be asked upfront!
5. Uplifting the proposition: we help tech providers to highlight what they really do. What people say on their website and what they really do is often…not the same thing! We like clarity, precision and honesty!

Our work reflects the belief that fintech is not just about what consumers see—it’s about the unseen innovations that make modern financial systems work.

Fintech is the Ecosystem, Not the Silos

Finbridge Global’s mission is to bridge the gaps between financial institutions and the technologies that empower them. Whether it’s enabling a bank to adopt cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions or connecting an AI startup with potential partners in the financial sector, we are redefining what it means to be a fintech enabler.

For us, fintech is not a siloed industry—it’s a dynamic, interconnected ecosystem. By expanding the definition of fintech, we help institutions and tech providers see the bigger picture, empowering them to create solutions that transform the financial world.

Conclusion

The future of finance doesn’t belong to silos; it belongs to ecosystems. Fintech is more than apps, platforms, or buzzwords—it’s the bridge that connects technology and finance in all its forms.

At Finbridge Global, we are proud to play a key role in this transformation, helping financial institutions and tech companies embrace a broader, more collaborative vision of fintech and reducing the huge waste of money and time across the industry.

If you’re ready to rethink fintech and explore its full potential, let’s start the conversation. Because when we bridge these gaps, we don’t just define fintech differently—we define the future of finance itself.