Value Creation Labs® Report: FinTech Opportunities in 2025: Payments Category Surging

Led by veteran analysts Kyle Gibson and Galen Moore, the report unpacks fintech deal activity, emerging startups and Payments companies experiencing an influx of VC deals and exits

BOSTON – April 10, 2025 – Consulting firm Value Creation Labs® (VCL) today announced the release of its latest analyst report: Fintech Opportunities in 2025: Payments Category Surging.  Download the report at no cost thanks to lead presenter Fidelity Private Shares and supporting partner New England Venture Capital Association (NEVCA). (Disclosure: *NEVCA and Fidelity are not affiliated.)

Written in Value Creation Labs’ trademark conversational style, the report explores the quickening shift in financial technology investments into core enterprise and vertical industry applications, enabled by cutting-edge data infrastructure. VCL utilized and analyzed proprietary investment data, spoke with VCs and interviewed leading companies in the space to round out its research and analysis.

“This report is an outstanding resource to investors, industry experts, entrepreneurs and others looking to maximize fintech opportunities in 2025,” said Zach Servideo, founder of Value Creation Labs and publisher of the report. “Investors and business leaders will discover critical insights about the record number of fintech unicorns globally, dominated by companies focused on payments innovation.”

The report focuses on six key subcategories:

• Payments Analytics: Expanding data tools for faster insights and agile fraud detection.

• Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS): Enabling traditional banks to manage API services through fintech partnerships.

• Embedded Finance: Integrating banking and payment functions directly into applications.

• Real-Time Payments: Providing instant transaction settlements, with India leading global adoption.

• Stablecoins and Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs): Offering blockchain-based payment solutions with reduced volatility.

• Biometric Authentication: Enhancing security through technologies such as fingerprint and facial recognition.

VCL’s research determined four overarching trends which further support the verticalization of financial technologies:

• Market Position: Payments tech is the most active fintech cohort for VC deals and exits.

• Funding Trends: The sector closed 394 equity funding rounds in 2024, raising $5.8 billion. Top deals include NeoFinancial ($258M), AstraTech ($500M), and Bilt Rewards ($200M).

• Regulatory Impact: Compliance is a critical focus, with new EU regulations such as the Instant Payments Regulation (EU 2024/886) and a more crypto-friendly stance from the Trump-Vance administration.

• Consumer Behavior: 9% of Americans use Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) services, and consumers are increasingly open to non-bank digital wallets.
  

“Our fifth report with Value Creation Labs is a must-read for investors and entrepreneurs alike, and anyone currently evaluating fintech innovation opportunities,” said Ari Glantz, Executive Director of New England Venture Capital Association (NEVCA). “Outside of regulation developments, rapid changes in consumer behaviors are also affecting the fintech space, particularly the payments industry, and this is the sort of well-researched reporting decision-makers need to navigate it all.” On behalf of NEVCA, Servideo has previously overseen deep-tech reports focused on robotics and cybersecurity innovation in New England, and most recently, reports on AI and Climate Tech. He has again teamed up with veteran Boston-based analysts Kyle Gibson and Galen Moore to produce this latest report. 

Interested parties can download the complimentary report here: https://www.valuecreationlabs.co/2025-fintech-report About Value Creation Labs®

Founded in 2021, Value Creation Labs® (VCL) unites a team of strategists, technologists, creatives, analysts and tacticians that can lead and support companies’ immediate and long-term goals. Our consortium’s consultants have built products and executed go-to-market strategies for household brands and startups that have achieved billions of dollars worth of value in exits and revenue. Serving in a myriad of leadership roles, VCL has consistently built and managed high-performing domestic and global teams for its partners spanning product development, technology, marketing, branding, and other key functions. Learn more at www.valuecreationlabs.co. 

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