Forbes has released its eleventh annual Fintech 50 for 2026, with familiar names such as Plaid and Stripe making their way onto the list again – but also 20 fintech firms making their debut.
Editorial
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Twenty out of 50 of the startups fell under the B2B banking and Wall Street and Enterprise categories, 11 of which were B2B startups. Returning B2B companies include the FDIC-insured Column founded by Plaid’s William Hockey and corporate credit card firm Ramp.
Out of the 20 fintech startup newcomers, these are the standouts:
- Antithesis: An AI platform founded in 2024 that tests software for bugs for companies in which software errors can cost millions.
- Cardless: A San Francisco-based platform that supports consumer brands in launching credit cards in 90 days. The fintech has over one million cardholders and raised $62 million in a Series C funding round in September 2025.
- Comun: A neobank focused on Hispanic immigrants, offering a checking account with no monthly service fees that can be opened with an ID from their home country.
- Human Interest: A platform that automises setting up company-sponsored 401(k)s and retirement plans.
- Hyperliquid: A decentralised trading exchange staffing only a around a dozen employees that is valued at $7.7 billion as of January 2026.
- Justt: This platform uses AI and transaction data to recover revenue lost to false chargebacks and charge disbutes. Its customer base boasts retail giants BestBuy, Klarna, and DoorDash.
- Monarch: A budgeting app that provides adivce and planning, including goal-setting and AI chatbot features.
- Phantom: A crypto wallet of over 22 million global users.
- Possible Finance: A platform focused on serving low-income consumers with limited access to payday lending. The company offers loans between $50-500 in 33 states.
- Rain: This platform supports companies in moving, storing, and using crypto-based stablecoins. The platform issues stablecoin Visa cards that can be used anywhere Visa is accepted. Rain raised $250 million in Series C funding last month.
Other notable debuts were AI-driven startups Rillet, Reserv, and Rogo, and two predictions trading companies Polymarket and Kalshi.
The rest of the list had eight personal finance companies, seven publicly traded payments companies, five crypto fintechs, five insurance startups, and only two real estate startups.
There were several companies that debuted last year and made the list again, including Bilt, Brico, Zip, Parafin, Nala, and Increase.
The qualifications to be considered for the list require the company to be headquartered or have substantial operations in the US.
You can see the full Forbes Fintech 50 list here.
