Jeff Kauflin is a senior editor who leads Forbes’ fintech coverage, covering everything from digital banking and investing to payments and insurtech. He co-edits Forbes’ annual Fintech 50 and also writes about crypto. Jeff joined Forbes in 2016 and works in New Jersey. He has written about the biggest digital bank in America, “The Inside Story Of Chime,” the ballooning cyber insurance market, struggling fintech startups and insider trading of NFTs. He has won awards from SABEW and the National Endowment for Financial Education alongside his Forbes colleagues for their reporting on Robinhood. Before Forbes, Jeff worked for ten years in marketing consulting, in roles ranging from client consulting to talent management. He’s a graduate of Middlebury College and Columbia Journalism School. Follow him on Forbes, X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn for continued fintech coverage. Have a tip, question or comment? Email him at jkauflin@forbes.com or reach him on Signal at jeff.273. Forbes reporters follow company ethical guidelines that ensure the highest quality.
After 17 Years, Fintech Wealthfront Files For An IPO, Disclosing Fat Profits
The Palo Alto robo-advisor reported net profit of $123 million on $339 million in revenue over the past year.
Unprofitable Microlending Fintech Makes Big Bet On Global Expansion
After 11 years, Tala still isn’t profitable. But it has revamped its technology and developed a new underwriting approach, and it aims to enter six new countries and break even by early 2026.
Fintech Home Equity Lender Aven Doubles Valuation To $2.2 Billion
The San Francisco startup grafts a home equity line of credit (HELOC) onto a credit card. It has issued $3 billion in loans, up from $1.5 billion a year ago.
Leading Digital Bank Chime Rolls Out Cash-Back Secured Credit Card
The card pays 1.5% cash back on purchases in categories like groceries, restaurants and gas. Chime is not the first to offer rewards on a secured card, but it has a big potential user base.
Fintechs Consider Raising Prices Due To JPMorgan’s Looming Fees
Major fintech companies including Betterment and Rocket Money say they’ll need to raise prices for consumers if Chase’s data access fees cause their costs to go up significantly.
Secret Fintech Payments Cloud $725 Million Facebook Class Action Settlement
In May, a Forbes investigation exposed secret rebate payments from fintechs issuing prepaid cards for class action settlements. Now, a California court is probing those rebates in a case involving Meta.
This AI-Fueled Startup Is Helping Attorneys Find New Class Action Lawsuits
Darrow is striking it rich by scouring the internet for corporate misdeeds. But one of its revenue sources—sharing legal awards—raises ethical concerns among some lawyers.
As Trump Rolls Back Federal Financial Regulation, Blue State Regulators Step Up
States including New York, Massachusetts and Maryland have begun to ramp up regulatory activity.
Why Chime’s Stock Is Down 13%, Even Though Its Earnings Beat Expectations
In the digital bank’s first earnings call as a public company, concerns over future growth and strategy loomed.
Everyone Hates Credit Card Disputes. This Fintech Is Using AI To Fix That.
New York startup Casap has raised $25 million in new funding to help banks tackle the thorny problem of credit and debit card disputes, aiming to make the process smoother for honest customers and tougher for fraudsters.