7 Things to Consider When Launching a Fintech Platform in 2025

The financial technology sector has grown rapidly in recent years, offering innovative ways for consumers and businesses to access financial services.

New integrated digital platforms are transforming financial management, from automated payments solutions to peer-to-peer lending platforms. At the same time, banks and financial institutions are seizing the opportunity to extend their services through strategic partnerships with fintechs. 

But while there’s significant room for growth in this space, building a successful fintech platform requires a strong technical infrastructure, a clear understanding of regulatory requirements, and a customer-first mindset. In this guide, we’ll walk through the essential steps of how to start a fintech company.

Key takeaways:

• Fintech platforms give consumers and businesses greater control, speed, and convenience when managing their finances.
• To scale effectively, fintechs need the right technology stack, including flexible financial APIs and third-party services.
• Security and compliance should be prioritized early to protect user data and meet regulatory standards.

What is a fintech?

The term “fintech” covers a wide range of companies and technologies — from digital-first banks to AI-powered lending apps. Simply put, a financial technology platform, or “fintech,” makes financial services accessible and efficient to customers via software. 

Some fintech platforms are built for consumers, such as personal budgeting apps or neobanks that provide full banking experiences through mobile apps. In contrast, B2B fintech platforms deliver solutions that streamline financial operations for other businesses, such as automated invoice processing or treasury management solutions.

1. Understanding the fintech ecosystem 

Before you set out to launch a new fintech company, you need a clear view of the fintech ecosystem — including the key trends and regulatory requirements shaping the market.

Current trends in fintech 

If you’re thinking of starting a fintech company in 2025, it’s crucial to understand how the current landscape is evolving. These are a few key trends to watch, including:

• Embedded finance
• Open banking
• AI and machine learning

Embedded finance 

Embedded finance integrates financial services — like payments, lending, or banking — directly into non-financial platforms. Instead of switching to a separate app or platform, users access tools where they already shop, work, or manage tasks. This reduces friction for users and creates new monetization opportunities for platforms by enabling them to offer financial services natively.

Open banking 

Open banking enables secure data sharing between banks and third-party platforms through banking APIs. By allowing trusted platforms to view their financial information, users benefit from more personalized experiences. Greater access to customer data also helps fintechs build responsive tools that address specific user needs.

AI and machine learning

Artificial intelligence and machine learning enable fintech platforms to process vast amounts of data to assess risk and make informed decisions. For instance, a digital payments app might use AI to flag suspicious transactions before they’re completed. Real-time intelligence supports platforms to adapt quickly to changing user behavior and risk patterns.

These trends reflect a broader shift: Users increasingly expect financial services to be as intuitive and integrated as the digital products they already rely on. 

At the same time, businesses want faster, more flexible tools to manage payments and streamline financial operations. Fintech companies that can tap into these expectations are well-positioned to grow in a competitive market. 

Regulatory landscape 

The regulatory landscape for fintechs continues to evolve. To scale responsibly and maintain customer trust, it’s important to approach compliance proactively and stay ahead of shifting requirements.

Key regulations to be aware of in 2025 include:

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 

A European Union (EU) law that regulates how organizations collect, process, and store the personal data of EU residents.

Revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2) 

An EU directive that facilitates open banking by mandating that banks grant licensed third-party providers access to customer account data with the customer’s explicit consent. 

Anti-Money Laundering/Know Your Customer (AML/KYC)

Regulations that require financial institutions and platforms to verify user identity and monitor transactions to prevent fraud and financial crimes.

By investing early in compliance infrastructure and identifying technology partners with built-in risk management, you can mitigate regulatory exposure and avoid costly delays and penalties down the line.

2. Defining your target audience

A strong product starts with a deep understanding of who you’re building for and why it matters to them. Defining your audience early ensures your solution is grounded in real needs and sets the foundation for long-term market fit.

Identifying market needs 

Before building your product, it’s important to validate your idea through market research.

Start by identifying where current solutions on the market fall short to determine where you can add value. For instance, your competitor research might show that stadiums and arenas struggle with fragmented payment systems. Or that manufacturers need fully automated payable solutions to reduce operational bottlenecks.

Clearly articulating your core use case early will guide product development and help differentiate your offering in the market.

Building user personas 

Once you’ve identified your market segment, create detailed user personas to inform product development. Effective personas should go beyond basic demographics to include specific needs, challenges, behaviors, and decision-making criteria.

Qualitative research and stakeholder interviews are useful strategies to add depth and nuance to your personas. Over time, these insights can guide your go-to-market strategy and keep your product tightly aligned with real user needs.

3. Choosing the right technology stack

Your technology stack is a strategic foundation that influences speed to market, scalability, and product innovation. Choosing the right tools early helps reduce technical debt and ensures your platform can grow alongside your business.

Essential technologies for fintech platforms 

Fintech platforms need a robust tech stack that balances scalability and compliance. Partnering with a Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) provider can reduce internal workload by offering the technical infrastructure and banking relationships fintechs need to build and launch financial products.

However, even with a BaaS partner, underlying architecture decisions will impact your long-term agility. Selecting the right software development kits (SDKs), application programming interfaces (API) frameworks, and data infrastructure allows your platform to flex with changing business needs. 

Leveraging APIs and third-party services

APIs allow fintech platforms to connect securely with external systems and services. Rather than building every capability in-house, teams can use APIs to integrate functions like payment processing, KYC/AML compliance, or embedded payments. 

For example, a B2B payments platform might use payment APIs to automate vendor disbursements and streamline reconciliation. Using flexible, developer-friendly APIs will simplify integration and allow you to scale more efficiently.

4. Developing a resilient business model

Even the most innovative fintech platform can fall short without a strong business model to support it. Establishing a clear path to profitability — and planning for both growth and uncertainty — will help sustain your business over the long term.

Revenue streams for fintech platforms 

Every fintech needs a clear plan to generate revenue. Depending on your business model, you may generate revenue through interchange fees on card transactions or interest fees on lending products. 

Additionally, some platforms generate income through subscriptions or markups on money movement services. By exploring a mix of revenue streams, you can determine your strongest revenue potential and adjust your monetization model accordingly. 

Cost management and financial planning 

Strong financial planning allows fintechs to focus on product growth while managing resource allocation over time. To start, map out upfront development costs such as platform design and core technology infrastructure. 

It’s also important to account for ongoing expenses like customer support and regulatory compliance, which tend to grow alongside your user base. Building a plan around fixed and variable costs allows you to stay agile while investing in long-term performance.

5. Prioritizing user experience and design

Great design is central to how users perceive and engage with your product. In fintech, strong UX/UI can build trust, improve adoption, and keep users coming back.

Importance of UX/UI design 

Since fintech products handle sensitive financial information, users should feel confident using your platform. A well-designed user experience (UX) can build user trust by making tasks like account linking or payments intuitive and predictable.

Equally important is the look and feel of your product or your user interface (UI). Thoughtful UI design, including readable typography and clear visual hierarchy, supports accessibility and drives customer loyalty. 

Mobile optimization 

Functionality across devices is essential for fintech platforms. In particular, users expect mobile access to core services with the same speed and ease as they would find on a desktop interface.

Especially as mobile payment adoption accelerates, mobile optimization is key to delivering a consistent, high-quality user experience.

6. Building a strong marketing strategy 

Even a compelling product doesn’t sell itself. A well-rounded marketing plan helps generate demand, build trust, and accelerate adoption.

Go-to-market strategies 

An effective go-to-market strategy starts with identifying high-value segments where your fintech solution solves a clear pain point. For example, a new integrated POS and payment processing solution might target independent medical practices — like dental offices — through direct outreach and industry events.

Partnerships also play a role in gaining traction. Collaborating with trusted institutions or other fintech companies can help you establish credibility with your target market.

Leveraging digital marketing 

A strategic digital marketing plan is essential for fintech platforms to build awareness and attract users. Content marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) lay the foundation by improving visibility and establishing credibility with potential customers. 

In parallel, paid media and social campaigns can generate early traffic and amplify product awareness on key platforms. To evaluate and refine your strategy, monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) like conversion rates and engagement metrics. 

7. Ensuring security

Trust is non-negotiable in fintech. Prioritizing security from the start protects your users and sets the stage for sustainable growth.

Implementing robust security measures

Consumer financial data is highly sensitive, which means multi-layered security should be embedded in your platform from day one. Safeguards like end-to-end encryption, multi-factor authentication, and regular security audits will reduce risk exposure.

Establishing an incident response plan along with continuous threat monitoring is essential for minimizing damage in the event of a breach. Additionally, regular security audits and employee training will keep your team aligned with evolving standards and maintain trust with users, partners, and stakeholders.

Start your fintech journey with Priority 

Bringing a new fintech platform to life requires speed, security, and a clear path to scale. From managing complex payment flows to meeting evolving compliance demands, you need infrastructure that won’t hold you back.

Priority’s flexible payment infrastructure helps fintechs accelerate their go-to-market strategy. With developer-friendly APIs for embedded end-to-end payments, real-time analytics, and branded user experiences, we give you the building blocks to launch and scale financial products that meet your customers’ needs. 

Ready to turn your fintech vision into reality? Get in touch to learn how Priority can help.