The Great Recalibration in Fintech Begins 🧭

Scale Efficiently Not at Any Cost in Fintech

Author

Vanessa Carter
September 02, 2025

In partnership with

How 433 Investors Unlocked 400X Return Potential

Institutional investors back startups to unlock outsized returns. Regular investors have to wait. But not anymore. Thanks to regulatory updates, some companies are doing things differently.

Take Revolut. In 2016, 433 regular people invested an average of $2,730. Today? They got a 400X buyout offer from the company, as Revolut’s valuation increased 89,900% in the same timeframe.

Founded by a former Zillow exec, Pacaso’s co-ownership tech reshapes the $1.3T vacation home market. They’ve earned $110M+ in gross profit to date, including 41% YoY growth in 2024 alone. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.

The same institutional investors behind Uber, Venmo, and eBay backed Pacaso. And you can join them. But not for long. Pacaso’s investment opportunity ends September 18.

Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.

Hey there, CFOs! 💼

In this issue, fintech’s rapid growth period is shifting to a focus on making a profit.

Expect fewer funding rounds but with larger amounts, an increase in partnerships and mergers between banks and fintechs, and a focus on B2B infrastructure. Here is how founders, banks, and investors should change their approach.

Let's unpack this together.

📰 Upcoming in this issue

  • 📈 Fintech’s Pivot From Growth to Profitability

  • 🧭 Eight Forces CFOs Must Prepare For by 2030

  • 🤖 AI Bookkeeping For Startups Delivers Real-Time Clarity

📈 Fintech’s Pivot From Growth to Profitability

After a decade of hypergrowth, fintech hits reset. Investors demand unit economics and B2B infrastructure, private equity, and M&A take center stage.

Key Takeaways:

  • 📊 Investor Discipline: Investors prioritize clear paths to profitability, strong unit economics, and sustainable models over user growth.

  • 💸 PE and M&A Momentum: Fewer, larger late-stage deals and strategic bank and fintech acquisitions reshape funding and accelerate consolidation.

  • 🧱 B2B Infrastructure Wins: B2B platforms in BaaS, RegTech, and payments APIs gain favor for recurring revenue and resilience.

  • 🤝 Partnerships Over Disruption: Banks and fintechs shift from rivalry to collaboration, pairing agility with capital and compliance to scale profitably.

🧭 Eight Forces CFOs Must Prepare For by 2030

Gartner maps eight forces set to rewrite finance by 2030. Expect agentic AI to make 15% of routine decisions and a looming finance talent crunch.

Key Takeaways:

  • 🤖 Agentic AI Arrives: Agentic AI embeds in one-third of enterprise apps, making 15% of daily work decisions that finance teams orchestrate and audit.

  • ⚡ Real-Time Decisions: By 2028, 70% of finance uses models with IoT data for real-time cost and cash calls, demanding judgment plus statistical fluency.

  • 👥 Talent Crunch Ahead: A looming talent crash hits as 75% of CPAs near retirement, pushing reskilling and automation to scale scarce expertise.

  • 🧱 Standardization Wins: Standardized transactional processes replace custom-built solutions, lowering costs while shifting differentiation to analytics, decision support, and business partnerships.

🤖 AI Bookkeeping For Startups Delivers Real-Time Clarity

Acru Solutions blends intelligent automation with expert oversight for always-on finances. Think fractional CFO guidance with live cash flow and automated variance checks.

Key Takeaways:

  • 🤝 Human + AI Model: Intelligent automation pairs with expert accountants and fractional CFOs, delivering real-time insight without losing judgment.

  • 💸 Cash Flow Visibility: Continuous transaction tracking and automated variance analysis surface risks and opportunities, improving budgets, capital allocation, and runway decisions.

  • 🔗 Systems Integration: Links accounting platforms with banks, payments, and ERP to reduce manual work, increase accuracy, and speed monthly reporting.

  • 🧾 Always-On Tax Strategy: Automated deductible tracking plus professional review identifies incentives and keeps compliance on track throughout the year.

Why It Matters

Profit-first discipline will determine which fintechs survive and which ones fade. B2B models with recurring revenue and clear unit economics are well-positioned for this cycle.

By watching funding patterns and bank partnerships, operators and investors can allocate resources more confidently and with less risk.

More insights soon,

Vanessa Carter
Editor-in-Chief
CFO Executive Insights

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