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Insights and Expertise

Save fintech from freefall – double down

on infrastructure

intensified. It's become clear that brand polish alone can't
sustain a business built on shaky infrastructure.
For CTOs and builders, this shift is instructive: no matter
how engaging the interface, the product is only as strong
as the systems behind it.

Infrastructure fintechs:
The quiet engines of progress

While consumer fintechs stole the limelight, infrastruc-
ture fintechs quietly laid the groundwork for a more re-
silient, scalable financial system. These are the enablers,
the companies creating the pipes and plumbing that insti-
tutions depend on to function effectively in a digital-first
world.

These firms aren't adding another interface layer; they're
By Andrii Shevchuk reimagining the core. From modern payment networks
CONCRYT and core banking as a service to automated KYC/AML
and real-time fraud detection, they're tackling complexity
s someone who's spent years building scalable where it matters most.
tech in the financial services space, I've wit-
nessed seismic shifts in the fintech landscape. It means their role has evolved from background utility to
A We're now at a turning point where investor strategic partner. The best infrastructure fintechs are em-
attention is shifting from the flash of consumer-facing bedded so deeply in clients' workflows that they become
platforms to the deep foundations of infrastructure fin- invisible but indispensable. That's the hallmark of true in-
techs. frastructure: it works quietly in the background, ensuring
everything else works as it should.
This isn't part of a cyclical trend, but a structural rebalanc-
ing rooted in the growing demand for scalable, secure and And while they may lack the sleek UX of B2C peers, they
interoperable platforms that support financial systems at command something far more valuable: the trust of insti-
a global scale. tutions, the confidence of regulators and the conviction of
long-horizon investors.
The fade of consumer hype
What technological distinctiveness looks like
Traditionally, the fintech spotlight has been squarely on
consumer-facing platforms: neobanks, personal finance The most successful infrastructure fintechs aren't just
apps, robo-advisers. Their promise to revolutionize the shipping code; they're building elegant, deeply integrated
user experience, democratize access to finance, and by- platforms that address fundamental industry constraints.
pass traditional institutions with sleek design and seam-
less onboarding was clear, exciting and attractive. What gives these firms their edge is not surface-level in-
novation, but systems thinking.
But beneath the surface, cracks have formed. Growth was
fueled more by aggressive marketing and subsidized fees
than by innovation. As capital became more discerning,
the economics of these models came under pressure. Met- The most successful infrastructure
rics that once dazzled were suddenly insufficient in the fintechs aren't just shipping code;
face of weak unit economics and low switching costs.
they're building elegant, deeply
In reality, many consumer fintechs became commoditized integrated platforms that address
in a crowded marketplace. The differentiation was often
aesthetic rather than architectural. And as user acquisition fundamental industry constraints.
costs surged, retention plateaued, and regulatory scrutiny
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