

New rails like FedNow and RTP offer instant transactions, threatening the hegemony of ACH. The American payments landscape is in a state of flux.

In doing so, it faces a new competitive set and a very different regulatory landscape.Ī changing landscape. It’s making a particularly strong push to win Europe, which has quickly become its fastest-growing market. Though still focused on the US market, Plaid is now available in 17 countries. As of 2022, more than 50% come from outside consumer fintech. Today, Plaid’s customers include big banks, industrial firms, e-commerce platforms, and car companies. Though Plaid is still the de facto choice for small tech-savvy players, its aperture has grown. The payment app’s interest was the first of many, with thousands of fintech startups turning to Zach Perret’s infrastructure firm. Venmo was famously Plaid’s first customer. Its reported $250 million acquisition of Cognito in 2022 has proved particularly helpful in Plaid’s identity and fraud prevention push.īeyond fintechs. Over the past few years, the fintech has rolled out a suite of robust products spanning identity verification, payments, credit, and beyond. Plaid is best known as a provider of financial data APIs. If you only have a few minutes to spare, here’s what investors, operators, and founders should know about Plaid.įrom API to network.
