Fintech, short for financial technology, refers to technologies used to make financial processes easier, more efficient, and more profitable. Fintech companies develop a variety of software platforms, apps, hardware solutions, and more to achieve these goals.

Can fintech stocks be part of a retirement portfolio?

Fintech stocks can play a part in a well-diversified retirement portfolio. It's important to know that some fintech stocks are speculative, but others are relatively low-risk and could be a good fit for a retirement account.

Are fintech stocks suitable for long-term investing?

Yes, fintech stocks can be excellent candidates for long-term investments. Many fintech stocks are rapidly growing companies with businesses that are still in the relatively early stages of capturing their market opportunity.

Are fintech stocks cyclical?

Generally speaking, fintech stocks are cyclical businesses. They largely correlate with consumer spending and business investment. That said, not all fintech stocks are equally cyclical. For example, companies that develop technology for insurers aren't inherently cyclical, since insurance is a relatively recession-resistant business.

Best Fintech Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

Best Fintech Stocks to Buy in 2026 and How to Invest in Them

By Matthew Frankel, CFP – Updated Aug 17, 2026 at 10:00 AM EST | Fact-checked by Frank Bass

Key Points

Investors can access fintech via stocks like Block, focusing on diverse financial services.
Robinhood diversifies into multiple financial services, aiming to be a key player in the sector.
SoFi is evolving as a comprehensive banking platform, targeting significant market share growth.

Fintech is a combination of the words finance and technology. Fintech stocks represent shares in publicly traded financial technology businesses.

Fintech is a broad category encompassing companies that apply new technologies to financial services. For example, companies that develop new digital payment processing solutions are considered fintech; so are companies that build and operate person-to-person payment applications.

The potential of fintech is exciting. In this article, we'll take a look at the different types of fintech stocks, as well as some specific examples of promising fintech stocks you can buy right now.

5 top Fintech stocks for 2026

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Ticker Information Table
Name and ticker	Market capMarket cap calculated using publicly traded shares outstanding only. Does not include unlisted, private, or dual-class non-traded shares. Implied market cap may vary.	Current price	Industry
Block (NYSE:XYZ)	$48.2 billion	$80.20	Diversified Financial Services
Robinhood Markets (NASDAQ:HOOD)	$86.5 billion	$96.25	Capital Markets
SoFi Technologies (NASDAQ:SOFI)	$23.6 billion	$18.31	Consumer Finance
Adyen (OTC:ADYEY)	$38.0 billion	$11.98	Diversified Financial Services
MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI)	$90.6 billion	$1,787.57	Multiline Retail

Data as of Aug 18, 2026. Showing 5 of 5 total entries.

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1. Block

Formerly known as Square, Block's product suite has evolved from a way for merchants to accept credit cards via mobile phones into a large-scale financial ecosystem for individuals and small businesses. Block now processes payments for merchants at an annualized rate of nearly $300 billion and has its own banking subsidiary (Square Financial Services) and a thriving small business lending platform.

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NYSE: XYZ

Block

Today's Change

(-3.23%) $-2.68

Current Price

$80.20

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$48B

Day's Range

$79.96 - $81.83

52wk Range

$48.21 - $86.75

Volume

6.6K

Avg Vol

5.6M

Gross Margin

45.81%

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Cash App is especially interesting, with 59 million active monthly users and virtually unlimited potential to expand its consumer financial services offerings. The platform already offers direct deposits, debit cards, the ability to buy and sell Bitcoin (BTC +0.85%), and a user-friendly stock trading platform. Cash App could still be in the early stages of monetization and has significant upside potential.

2. Robinhood

Formerly known simply as a commission-free trading app, Robinhood has grown into a diversified financial services platform that includes stocks, options, cryptocurrencies, futures, retirement accounts, and some banking products. The company now has 13 business lines, each generating more than $100 million in annual revenue, and it isn't slowing down yet. Robinhood recently launched a highly competitive credit card product, prediction-market trading, and several other offerings.

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NASDAQ: HOOD

Robinhood Markets

Today's Change

(0.72%) $0.69

Current Price

$96.25

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$87B

Day's Range

$93.80 - $96.92

52wk Range

$63.52 - $153.86

Volume

98.9K

Avg Vol

25.7M

Gross Margin

94.99%

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Retirement investing is an especially interesting growth area right now, as retirement assets under custody grew 82% year over year in the most recent quarter. The Robinhood Gold premium subscription product has also become an impressive growth driver. As the company continues to expand its geographic reach and product offerings, it is in an excellent position to profitably scale its revenue for years to come.

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3. SoFi Technologies

SoFi Technologies aims to disrupt the entire banking industry with its app-based financial ecosystem, and it's doing a pretty good job so far. The company offers checking and savings accounts, an investment platform, loans, credit cards, and more. It also owns the Galileo financial technology platform that provides the infrastructure for third-party clients' payment needs.

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NASDAQ: SOFI

SoFi Technologies

Today's Change

(0.11%) $0.02

Current Price

$18.31

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$24B

Day's Range

$18.17 - $18.96

52wk Range

$14.88 - $32.73

Volume

294.9K

Avg Vol

77.6M

Gross Margin

62.02%

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SoFi has been growing rapidly for years and still has impressive momentum. In its most recent quarter, SoFi's membership base grew by 35% year over year, and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) grew by an impressive 44% to a record $358 million

This could be just the beginning. SoFi's brand awareness in the United States is still relatively low, and it's still a small bank. Management's stated goal is to become a top 10 financial institution, and it's definitely on the way.

4. Adyen

Adyen isn't exactly a household name to most U.S. investors, but it certainly belongs in the same conversations as Block and PayPal. Based in the Netherlands, Adyen provides payment processing solutions to businesses and has operations around the world (including a large U.S. presence). It offers payment solutions for in-person, online, and mobile channels.

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OTC: ADYEY

Adyen

Today's Change

(-2.20%) $-0.27

Current Price

$11.98

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$38B

Day's Range

$11.68 - $11.99

52wk Range

$8.93 - $18.34

Volume

4.8M

Avg Vol

Gross Margin

84.01%

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However, unlike the other major payment processing tech companies, Adyen focuses almost exclusively on large businesses. Microsoft (MSFT -3.04%), Uber (UBER -1.26%), and McDonald's (MCD -2.68%) all rely on Adyen for their payment processing needs. You may recall that eBay dropped PayPal as its preferred payment processor several years ago, in favor of Adyen.

Adyen's growth has been impressive, and the business processes more than $1.7 trillion in annualized payment volume. Plus, Adyen is highly profitable, with a 49% EBITDA margin, and management is targeting margins above 55% by 2028 as the business continues to scale.

5. MercadoLibre

MercadoLibre is often referred to as the Amazon (AMZN -0.51%) of Latin America, and the nickname certainly makes sense. The company has a massive e-commerce business with about $88 billion in annualized merchandise sales volume, and it continues to grow at an impressive pace.

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NASDAQ: MELI

MercadoLibre

Today's Change

(-3.09%) $-57.01

Current Price

$1,787.57

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$91B

Day's Range

$1767.51 - $1829.18

52wk Range

$1495.00 - $2548.50

Volume

647.1

Avg Vol

467.3K

Gross Margin

42.68%

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The company also has a logistics platform (Mercado Envios) and a lending business (Mercado Credito), both of which have gained serious traction in recent years. Mercado Credito is especially interesting, with 75% year-over-year growth in its credit portfolio, now more than $16 billion.

However, it's perhaps the Mercado Pago payments platform that is most exciting, at least from a fintech perspective. The business recently surpassed $100 billion in quarterly payment volume for the first time, growing 56% year-over-year and outpacing the e-commerce business.

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How to buy fintech stocks

The process of investing in fintech stocks is a rather straightforward one, especially if you've already been investing in other stocks. But even if you haven't, here are the general steps:

Open your brokerage account: Log in to your brokerage account where you handle your investments. If you don't have one yet, take a look at our favorite brokers and trading platforms to find the right one for you.
Search for the stock: Enter the ticker or company name into the search bar to bring up the stock's trading page.
Decide how many shares to buy: Consider your investment goals and how much of your portfolio you want to allocate to this stock.
Select order type: Choose between a market order to buy at the current price or a limit order to specify the maximum price you're willing to pay.
Submit your order: Confirm the details and submit your buy order.
Review your purchase: Check your portfolio to ensure your order was filled as expected and adjust your investment strategy accordingly.

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Benefits and risks of investing in fintech stocks

Fintech stocks can allow investors to get in on the latest trends in financial technology, including mobile banking, cryptocurrency, e-commerce, payment processing, and more. However, as with any emerging technology, fintech stocks can be more volatile than the average investment. Keep this in mind before you decide to invest.

Investing in fintech stocks isn't for investors with a low tolerance for volatility and risk. Like any exciting growth industry, fintech will likely be a bit of a roller coaster as it matures. However, for long-term investors with a relatively high risk tolerance, fintech stocks such as those mentioned here can be an excellent way to capitalize on one of the most exciting growth trends in the business world.

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Methodology: How these stocks were chosen

Without going into too much detail on the mathematical aspects of the process, these five fintech stocks were selected using the same general criteria I've used to evaluate and choose investments for about two decades. I look for durable competitive advantages, consistent (and preferably accelerating) growth, and strong profitability. In fintech specifically, I look for companies that solve real problems in banking, payments, and commerce at a scale that competitors would find difficult to replicate. Block's Cash App ecosystem is one example, as is SoFi's growing all-in-one banking app, to name a couple.

Of course, valuation and risk are also part of the analysis. Fintech stocks can be volatile, and not all of them are suitable as long-term investments. These five stocks all have scale, strong profitability trends, and an excellent balance between growth and risk.

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The bottom line

Fintech is an exciting and rapidly evolving industry, and gaining exposure to leading fintech companies can be a smart move. If you have a relatively high level of risk tolerance, some of the stocks discussed in this article could be worth a closer look.

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Investing in fintech stock: FAQ

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About the Author

Matt Frankel, CFP®, is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst specializing in the real estate and financial sectors. Prior to The Motley Fool, Matt taught high school and college mathematics. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of South Carolina, a master’s degree in mathematics from Nova Southeastern University, and a graduate certificate in financial planning from Florida State University. He won a SABEW award for coverage of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. He is also regularly interviewed by Cheddar, Globe St, The National Desk, and other TV networks and publications for his real estate, financial, stock market, and investing expertise.

TMFMattFrankel

@MattFrankelUSC

Matt Frankel, CFP has positions in Amazon, Block, MercadoLibre, PayPal, and SoFi Technologies and has the following options: long January 2027 $75 calls on PayPal, long January 2027 $95 calls on PayPal, short January 2027 $135 calls on PayPal, and short January 2027 $85 calls on PayPal. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Adyen, Amazon, Bitcoin, Block, MercadoLibre, Microsoft, PayPal, and Uber Technologies. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2027 $42.50 calls on PayPal and short March 2026 $65 calls on PayPal. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Best Fintech Stocks to Buy in 2026 and How to Invest in Them

Key Points

5 top Fintech stocks for 2026

1. Block

Key Data Points

2. Robinhood

Key Data Points

3. SoFi Technologies

Key Data Points

4. Adyen

Key Data Points

5. MercadoLibre

Key Data Points

How to buy fintech stocks

Benefits and risks of investing in fintech stocks

Methodology: How these stocks were chosen

The bottom line

Related investing topics

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3 Best Tech Stocks to Buy in 2026 and How to Invest

Best Bank Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

Best Financial Stocks to Buy in 2026 and How to Invest in Them

Investing in fintech stock: FAQ

What is fintech?

What is fintech?

Can fintech stocks be part of a retirement portfolio?

Can fintech stocks be part of a retirement portfolio?

Are fintech stocks suitable for long-term investing?

Are fintech stocks suitable for long-term investing?

Are fintech stocks cyclical?

Are fintech stocks cyclical?

About the Author

Read Next

Stocks Mentioned

Motley Fool Stock Advisor’s Latest Pick

Premium Investing Services

5 top Fintech stocks for 2026

1. Block

Key Data Points

2. Robinhood

Key Data Points

3. SoFi Technologies

Key Data Points

4. Adyen

Key Data Points

5. MercadoLibre

Key Data Points

How to buy fintech stocks

Benefits and risks of investing in fintech stocks

Methodology: How these stocks were chosen

The bottom line

The Largest Financial Companies by Market Cap in August 2026

3 Best Tech Stocks to Buy in 2026 and How to Invest

Best Bank Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

Best Financial Stocks to Buy in 2026 and How to Invest in Them

Investing in fintech stock: FAQ

What is fintech?

What is fintech?

Can fintech stocks be part of a retirement portfolio?

Can fintech stocks be part of a retirement portfolio?

Are fintech stocks suitable for long-term investing?

Are fintech stocks suitable for long-term investing?

Are fintech stocks cyclical?

Are fintech stocks cyclical?