FinTech
Money talks, as they say. And in the current digital age, there are a lot of conversations happening. With the rise of FinTech over the last few years too, it’s hard to get a grasp on it all.
Thankfully, software developers don’t need to worry about trying to include all of the strict regulations that come with money management, thanks to FinTech APIs. These APIs are a direct connection to help your organization simplify development while ensuring that your financial data is secure and your platform can operate safely within regulations.
In this article, we'll explore what FinTech APIs are and how they can elevate your business. We'll also highlight the top ten FinTech APIs you should look into adding to your existing tech stack.
What is a FinTech API?
A FinTech API is a specialized API that leans heavily in the financial sector — hence the name. These APIs help simplify software development and add crucial features such as payment processing and financial regulation, or they can be data aggregates for other uses too.
Unlike a traditional API, a FinTech API stays mainly within the realm of the financial world (as you’d expect). These APIs put a strong emphasis on security, since they need to stick to the strict government regulations that come along with finances. They also need to help prevent issues such as money laundering and fake users, which both add to the need for heightened security.
Different Types of FinTech APIs
FinTech APIs are specialized APIs that offer a range of different functions and benefits to financial institutions and businesses. There are five main types of FinTech APIs that you should be aware of:
- Investment Brokers - Like you’d expect, these APIs leverage the power of algorithms for market trading. They can vary in options and behavior, such as crypto adoption, fractional shares, or different stock markets.
- Regulation Technology - As we grow more into the digital age, financial institutions need to evolve too. And with this is also new regulations to ensure that everyone is on an even playing field. With RegTech APIs, companies can reinforce their platforms to stay current with any regulations that may affect their business.
- Know Your Customers - Naturally, any business needs some way to gather information about its users and verify identities. With KYC technology, you can aid your RegTech and give both your investors and customers peace of mind by preventing money laundering and fake users.
- FinData Aggregators - The world runs on data, and it’s been that way for a while. And if your organization can find a way to safely collect and use that data, you’ll be miles ahead of the competition. These FinData APIs offer you robust, secure data that can keep your company ahead of the game.
- Payment Processing - When it comes to moving money around across the web, you really can’t go wrong with a payment processor. These companies offer a way for your platform to accept, validate, and process payments securely. And these are the best performing parts of FinTech, because every business needs a way to accept money somehow.
The 5 Best FinTech APIs
A good FinTech API should offer robust, secure data and simplify software development. It should also be tailored to the specific needs of the financial institution or business using it. Additionally, a good FinTech API should help prevent money laundering and fake users, while also providing a way to accept, validate, and process payments securely.
Here is a list of the ten best FinTech APIs:
Stripe
We’ve all heard the name before. Stripe covers everything from physical points of sale to accepting payments on the web and everything in between. Their powerful API can handle payment processing, billing and invoicing, and a myriad of other options. They also hold a strong stance against fraud by including it by default in their platform, so you can have peace of mind.
Plaid
While Stripe may facilitate payments, Plaid offers you a way to integrate your user’s existing banking credentials to accelerate your own platform. By using financial data from your customer’s banks, Plaid helps you speed up banking as a whole. And by offering a seamless experience, your users can feel confident using your tech.
PayPal
One of the biggest names in the game, PayPal has offered an API for quite a while now. Through them, you can handle payments of all kinds while still staying secure. Plus, they also offer integrations with third parties, so you won’t need to completely upend your product.
ID.me
When it comes to protecting your platform, you’ll need top security. And with ID.me, you can keep your customers and your product safe. They offer an easy way to add digital identity verification to your product and use automated SCRA monitoring to help keep you within regulations.
Alpha Vantage
Data is king, and Alpha Vantage’s API Stock Market API offers you a plethora of data. They include up-to-date and historical data for stocks, Forex, and even cryptocurrencies. And with the ability to export the data into whatever format you need, you’ll be leagues ahead of the competition regarding analysis. Plus, it’s free to sign up!
Vault’s Closed
FinTech is a robust and rapidly growing industry, with Deloitte stating that it was worth over $180bn in 2020 alone, with $210bn invested in the sector by the end of 2021. Customers rely increasingly on the digital world for their banking needs, which means the adoption of FinTech APIs is too.
Hopefully, through this article, you’ve seen the benefits of adopting a FinTech API and maybe even found one that suits your needs. And if you’re looking to centralize all of your APIs into one central location, look no further than Treblle.
