Fintech Stocks Gain Attention as Financial Services Go Digital

An updated edition of the July 7, 2026, article.

Financial technology, or fintech, is reshaping the global financial services landscape by making financial products faster, more accessible and increasingly customer-focused. By combining finance with advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, Big Data and cloud computing, fintech is disrupting traditional business models across banking, payments, lending, wealth management and investing.

One of fintech’s biggest contributions is its role in expanding financial inclusion. Digital wallets, mobile banking applications and peer-to-peer lending platforms are enabling unbanked and underbanked consumers to access essential financial services more easily. Fintech is also transforming cross-border payments by lowering the cost, processing time and complexity historically associated with international money transfers.

The industry is also changing how consumers and businesses pay, borrow and invest. Contactless payments, buy now, pay later services and app-based lending platforms are enhancing convenience and speed while allowing companies to provide more flexible and personalized financial solutions. In capital markets, robo-advisors and algorithm-driven trading platforms are reducing investment costs and making wealth-management tools accessible to a broader investor base.

Beyond convenience, fintech is improving transparency, cybersecurity and risk management throughout the financial ecosystem. Blockchain supports secure and traceable transactions, while AI-powered tools enhance fraud detection, credit assessment and regulatory compliance. As fintech evolves, it is pushing traditional financial institutions to upgrade legacy systems, collaborate with technology providers and respond to changing customer expectations. This transition is fostering a more efficient, inclusive and innovation-driven global financial ecosystem. Against this backdrop, stocks like Interactive Brokers Group Inc. IBKR, Nu Holdings Ltd. NU and Visa Inc. V are attracting investor attention. 

Our Fintech Screen will help you identify the right stocks now to ride on 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 40 cutting-edge investment themes with Zacks Thematic Screens and discover your next big opportunity.

3 Stocks to Consider as Fintech Adoption Grows

Interactive Brokers is a fintech leader driven by automation, innovation and scale, evolving from electronic market making into a tech-first brokerage offering efficient, global and advanced trading tools. The company leverages proprietary systems to automate almost every aspect of the brokerage process, from trade execution and risk management to compliance and customer onboarding. This enables it to operate with minimal human intervention and significantly lower costs than traditional brokers.

IBKR offers a broad range of API-based solutions and highly customizable trading platforms tailored to algorithmic traders, hedge funds and financial advisors. These capabilities highlight the company’s technology-first approach, enabling clients to automate strategies, access advanced analytics and manage investments through self-service tools. Its scalable infrastructure supports high-speed trading across global asset classes while providing real-time margin calculations and sophisticated risk-management controls.

IBKR’s business model further strengthens its fintech credentials. Rather than relying heavily on traditional banking-style product cross-selling, the company generates revenues from trading activity, interest income, market data and related services. It also provides white-label brokerage, custody and execution solutions to advisors and introducing brokers, effectively operating as a technology-powered financial infrastructure provider. 

This capital-efficient, highly automated model allows Interactive Brokers to expand globally while maintaining strong operating efficiency, positioning it as a modern fintech company that continues to challenge traditional brokerage and financial-services models. IBKR currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s 2026 sales and EPS implies year-over-year growth of 18% and 22.8%, respectively. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Nu Holdings stands out as one of Latin America’s leading fintech players, built around a digital-first banking model that uses proprietary technology, data analytics and AI to deliver financial services at a lower cost than traditional branch-based banks. Its offerings span credit cards, deposits, personal loans, payments, investments and services for small businesses, all primarily delivered through mobile platforms. 

NU’s scale continues to strengthen its fintech credentials. In the second quarter of 2026, the company added roughly 4 million customers, taking its global customer base to 139 million across Brazil, Mexico and Colombia. Monthly activity reached 83.5%, while average revenue per active customer climbed to nearly $17, indicating deeper engagement and improving monetization. 

Technology remains central to Nu Holdings’ growth strategy. Its NuFormer AI model is being used across underwriting, customer service and growth decisions, while AI agents now handle more than 60% of customer-support conversations in Brazil. Meanwhile, expansion in Mexico and Colombia provides a sizable runway for customer acquisition and cross-selling.

Thus, this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company combines rapid digital adoption, expanding scale and improving profitability, making the stock an attractive way to gain exposure to Latin America’s growing fintech opportunity. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NU’s 2026 sales and EPS implies a year-over-year jump of 42% and 38.7%, respectively.   

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 made significant investments 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 14.6% and 14.7%, respectively. The company carries a Zacks Rank of 3.

Research Chief Names "Single Best Pick to Double"

From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all.

This company targets millennial and Gen Z audiences, generating nearly $1 billion in revenue last quarter alone. A recent pullback makes now an ideal time to jump aboard. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.

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).

Zacks Investment Research