Top Payments Startups in 2026

Most things these days are instant and on-demand, except the money you're working hardest for. At EarnIn, we’re reimagining the way money moves to empower every person’s potential. We believe your hard-earned pay should flow more freely to give you more options, wherever life takes you. EarnIn is an app that lets you access your earned wages when you need them, not just on your scheduled payday. With EarnIn’s Cash Out2 feature, you can get up to $150/day, with a max of $1,000 per pay period — no mandatory fees, no interest, and no credit check. (Cash limits vary by user eligibility.) Transfers usually take 1–2 business days. Other tools like Early Pay3 let you get your paycheck up to two days early and Balance Shield4 can send alerts when your balance is low. The EarnIn app can help you make the most of your money, stay on track, and build progress day-by-day. We’re fortunate to have an incredibly experienced leadership team, combined with world-class funding partners. And we're excited to continue to bring world-class talent onboard to help shape the next chapter of our growth journey.

Our technology combines advanced cyber intelligence, identity analysis and behavioral data to create a multi-layered fraud detection mechanism. The technology is fully automated so that it can approve or deny transactions in real-time, rendering “yes” or “no” decisions in under 300 millseconds. Furthermore, the technology is so accurate that Forter fully backs its transactions with a 100% chargeback protection program.

Very Good Security offers a modern approach to data security and compliance. With VGS, companies can quickly and easily achieve compliances including PCI, SOC2, HIPAA and GDPR. VGS acts as a data custodian for sensitive and regulated data like payments, health info, personally identifiable information (PII), etc. Companies are able to securely collect and exchange data, without any of the liability or breach risk associated with holding the data themselves. With VGS "Zero Data" platform, you get all the utility of using sensitive data with none of the liability of needing to secure it yourself.

We're developing modern products, tools, and services designed for freelancers.

TapTab is a TikTok-style interface from which diners can place orders and make reservations directly from videos.

At Paystand, we’re not just another fintech company—we’re trailblazers in decentralized finance (DeFi), transforming how businesses manage their finances. With thriving hubs in Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Austin, Minneapolis, Mexico City, Hermosillo, and Guadalajara, we’re leading a global revolution in financial systems. Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list for five consecutive years, we’re among the fastest-growing companies reshaping the future of finance. Our Expanding Ecosystem: Paystand isn’t just a company—it’s a growing global network. With the strategic acquisitions of Teampay, a leader in spend management, and Yaydoo, a top AR and AP platform in Latin America, we’re building an expansive ecosystem designed to revolutionize financial operations and fuel business growth worldwide.

Remitly is an international payments company that leverages digital channels, including mobile phones, to send money internationally. Remitly's digital products are fundamentally faster, less expensive, and far more convenient for customers to send money across borders. We’re here to help the millions of immigrants around the world who make the huge sacrifice of leaving their families behind to live and work in another country. These unsung heroes deliver on their promises to take care of those they love and provide them with upward mobility, improving their quality of life. We work hard to help their hard-earned money stretch farther so more make it to their loved ones safely.

Sardine helps fintech, crypto, and web3 companies "move money confidently" by developing fraud, compliance, and payment infrastructure. With Sardine, builders can focus on growing their business instead of spending time, fighting against fraudsters. We're growing incredibly fast and powering over 100 customers around the world like Brex, MoonPay, Bakkt, Luno, Transak, Chippercash, Candy Digital, Metamask, Brave, and RelayFi.

Check is a payroll-as-a-service API that lets you embed payroll directly in your vertical SaaS, HR, or time-tracking platform. Our API abstracts away the complexities of running payroll: tax calculation, remittance, and filing, plus the movement of money between companies and employees. This enables companies to easily build fully integrated payroll products to offer to their customers. Check believes in a future where small business owners don’t have to think about payroll — it’ll simply be embedded in the platforms they already use to run their businesses. With the strong tailwinds of (1) the rise of vertical software and (2) the growth of embedded fin-tech at our back, Check is building the infrastructure to power that future, and ultimately we believe we’ll enable thousands of new platforms, millions of businesses, and hundreds of millions of workers.

Payhawk is the leading global spend management solution for scaling businesses, present in more than 32 countries across two continents. Our customer-centric organisation and the product-oriented team have helped disrupt the expense management market, by combining company cards, expenses and invoice payments - enabling finance teams to control and automate company spending at scale. The Payhawk customer base includes fast-growing and mature multinational companies including LuxAir, Gtmhub, and Wagestream. With offices in New York, London, Berlin, Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam and Sofia; Payhawk is backed by renowned investors such as Lightspeed Venture Partners, Greenoaks, QED Investors, Earlybird Digital East, and Eleven Ventures. Our values include supporting flat hierarchies, taking ownership and responsibility, seeking and providing feedback, managing constructive critique, and speaking our minds. We understand that the best ideas don’t all come from the same place, so we encourage diversity and inclusion in all areas of our work.