19. February 2021 | 09:33 CET
PayPal, Marble Financial, Ferratum: Fintech picks up speed
The world is becoming increasingly digital - only retirement planning and even banking are still partly stuck in the 1980s. We see this whenever we conduct banking transactions that are not commonplace. Examples include cashing checks or transferring money abroad. But there is a remedy: In recent years, more and more companies have taken analog areas related to finance and made them digital and better from the customer's perspective. This also opens up opportunities for investors.
time to read: 3 minutes by Nico Popp
Author
Nico Popp
At home in Southern Germany, the passionate stock exchange expert has been accompanying the capital markets for about twenty years. With a soft spot for smaller companies, he is constantly on the lookout for exciting investment stories.
PayPal: Indispensable in the long term
One fintech perennial favorite is the PayPal share. Most Germans probably still know the Company as eBay's payment service provider. Years ago already, it was possible to send amounts worldwide with just a few clicks - buyer protection included. Users were happy to pay the resulting fees - after all, transfers still take a long time today, and if the ordered goods are not delivered, the money is usually gone - especially for transfers abroad. PayPal is the best example of how companies with innovative products can become market leaders within just a few years.
Meanwhile, the Company is also growing thanks to its smartphone app or a virtual Mastercard that allows customers to process smartphone payments via Google Pay. In emerging markets, PayPal is pushing cooperations with supermarket chains and is managing to win customers there as well. The stock gained more than 100% in a year and hardly showed any weakness. Since PayPal is not opposed to cryptocurrencies, there is even a bit of this fantasy. PayPal is a solid stock that will still stand for good business in years to come. However, the value has the great growth behind it.
Marble Financial: Exclusive target group and full product pipeline
Marble Financial shows that it can pay off to score points with innovative solutions in an encrusted system, like PayPal. The Canadian Company has recognized that there are many over-indebted people in the country, which traditionally has a relatively high living cost. The shimmy from credit to credit is sometimes even excluded from the banking system - the reason: credit agencies, comparable to the German Schufa, virtually lower their thumbs. A new bank account or a mobile phone contract then quickly becomes illusory. Marble has developed solutions to help these people. By incorporating financial education, the fintech gives concrete instructions on how customers can improve their credit scores. In this way, Marble brings around 12 million people in Canada back into the financial system and immediately turns them into customers.
Marble is also working on solutions such as a credit card and an online tool for financial restructuring. These products are expected to provide tangible benefits to the Company's target audience and a valuable trove of data to Marble itself. The Company recently entered into a distribution agreement with two well-known Canadian websites, where it offers its solutions to 800,000 potential monthly users. Marble is an innovative Company around Big Data and AI and focuses on an interesting market niche in Canada. Expansion into the neighboring United States is also conceivable, as many people are excluded from the financial system there. The stock left its sideways trend to the upside in 2021 and has been trading briskly since then.
Ferratum: share price starts to rise
The share of the Finnish Company Ferratum also shows that targeting customers with small wallets does not have to be a disadvantage. The Finns have launched a platform for small loans. There, people can obtain loans without proof of salary. The highlight: It usually takes no longer than 60 seconds to make a decision. The conditions are also attractive. Anyone who needs EUR 500 for thirty days, for example, pays back just EUR 504.26 at the end of the period. Most recently, Ferratum in the Netherlands bought out a similar provider. Size is crucial for such low amounts.
The Ferratum share was hyped up in 2017 and 2018 and was also once in the SDAX. However, this was followed by the crash. Since the Corona crash, the value has been running sideways but is currently picking up. While Ferratum scores as a lender, the Canadians of Marble want to support and accompany their customers comprehensively, which could potentially result in a larger data treasure. Anyone betting on second-line stocks should, therefore, not disregard Marble.