35 Business Models 💰
35 business models and how reaching the first 1,000 monthly transactions with sustainable models is easier than you think.
A well-structured fintech can generate multiple revenue streams simultaneously, many of which operate with extremely attractive and scalable margins. Below, you will find a complete and detailed list of monetization models that can be applied to different types of fintechs — from digital accounts to full banking infrastructure, based on the products that can be activated via Binary Fintech OS.
Remember that these are possibilities and everything varies depending on who and how this model is being offered and whether it makes sense for your operation.
Business Models:
1. Account opening fee
One-time charge at the moment of opening a corporate or personal account, especially when associated with additional services like card, API, financial dashboard or receivables activation.
2. Credit card (postpaid)
Revenue generated from annual fees, ATM withdrawal fees, revolving interest, late payment fines and, mainly, commission on the transacted volume (MDR). It is also possible to monetize through issuance via issuing partners with a linked rewards program.
3. Loans and direct credit
Charging interest, disbursement fees, late charges and commissions for intermediating with partners (FIDC, SCD, banks). Binary allows connecting the infrastructure directly to credit engines.
4. Sale of franchises or agencies
Expand the business model with authorized resellers, agencies or digital franchises operating under the fintech's license. Monetization comes from the sale of the right to use the infrastructure, entry fee and monthly royalties.
5. Monthly account maintenance or service package
A fixed amount is charged per active account, with or without waiver depending on minimum balance or activity. Excellent model for corporate accounts or accounts with full banking functionalities.
6. Commissionable prepaid cards
Distribution of reloadable cards to customers or employees with commission on each load, withdrawal or purchase. Ideal for benefits, meal vouchers, cashback or expense management.
7. Network fees in flexible benefits
Benefit operations such as food, transport and health pay fees on usage — as happens with branded cards in convenience store or pharmacy networks. The fintech retains part of that transaction via acquiring.
8. Custody of funds and escrow accounts
Charging a fee for custody of funds as collateral, use of an escrow account for negotiations or contracts between parties, such as in real estate purchases, auctions or B2B platforms.
9. Spread on foreign exchange (buying and selling currency)
Revenue generated from the difference between the buy and sell rates of currencies, including operations with stablecoins, international remittances or multi-currency accounts (like in Binary's infrastructure).
10. Sale or rental of POS terminal
Direct monetization through sale, rental or loan-for-use of card machines (POS/NFC), with complementary revenue coming from the capture of transactions via sub-acquiring.
11. Fees on cryptoasset purchases
Commission on buying and selling cryptoassets integrated via partners, with the possibility of generating additional revenue from custody, withdrawals, spread and even brokerage.
12. Annual fee (card or service package)
Fixed annual charge based on convenience, benefits, included insurance or access to exclusive products. Can be waived depending on minimum activity or subscription to a premium plan.
13. Sale of embedded insurance
Revenue from insurance bundled with cards or digital accounts, such as purchase protection, travel insurance, life insurance, extended warranty and assistance. The fintech receives a commission from the insurer.
14. Generation of cashback for partner merchants
For each cashback transaction, the partner merchant bears a commission to be part of the campaign, and the fintech receives a portion of the transacted amount, strengthening retention.
15. Credit letter (Consortium)
Sale of consortium shares with commission for enrollment and monthly administration. The fintech operates as a distribution channel for consortiums of vehicles, real estate or services.
16. Real estate financing (bank correspondent)
Revenue generated from intermediation of financing for residential or commercial properties. May include commission for simulation, approved proposal, and long-term commissions on the contract.
17. Escrow account
Account for protected transactions between two parties, with release according to predefined criteria. The fintech charges per transaction or a percentage of the held amount.
18. Salary advance (salary advance)
Allows workers or partners to receive part of their salary before month-end. The fintech monetizes by charging a fixed fee or percentage on the advanced amount, and can also act as an intermediary of working capital for companies with integrated payroll.
19. Payroll-deductible loans (with payroll discount)
Offering credit with direct payroll or benefit deductions (such as INSS), with lower risk and lower interest rates. The fintech generates revenue with interest, administrative fees and commissions per closed contract — in addition to being able to operate via partnership with public or private entities.
20. POS fees (transaction capture)
By providing POS terminals or payment gateways, the fintech starts receiving commissions on each transaction (MDR), generally between 0.5% and 1.5%, depending on volume and arrangement (credit, debit, installment, etc.). This model can generate recurring and scalable revenue.
21. Processing payment links (transactional spread)
The fintech creates payment links (via SEPA, Invoice or card) and charges a fee per use or percentage on each transaction. By using a cheaper infrastructure (like Binary's), the fintech can also profit from the spread between the real cost and the amount charged to the end user or merchant.
22. Incentive account for activation (promotions and engagement)
Creation of subaccounts or digital wallets with promotional balance or “incentive money” — generally for onboarding, rewards or referral programs. The fintech can monetize by conditioning the use of the balance to specific transactions (where there is commission or partial cashback), or tying it to purchases in partner networks, increasing indirect monetization.
23. Integrated financial marketplace
You can offer third-party products (insurance, loans, consortiums, pension, premium cards etc.) within your platform and earn commission for sale or qualified click — like a B2C or B2B financial hub.
24. Tokenization of assets or receivables
If your fintech operates with collateral or contracts, it can enable the tokenization of receivables, real estate or financial assets, and charge issuance, trading or custody fees for those tokens.
25. Payroll management for small businesses
Monthly charge per employee or per payroll batch for salaries, benefits, taxes. Monetization can come as SaaS (subscription) + per payment transaction.
26. Platform white-labeling
Turn your fintech into a white-label product for other brands, such as associations, influencers, affinity groups, who want to offer their own financial services (e.g., accounts for communities or niches).
27. Sale of aggregated behavioral data (with compliance)
Collect and anonymize consumption, payment, behavior and segmentation data — and offer paid insights to partners (e.g., insurers, banks, credit companies). Remember: always with legal compliance and user consent.
28. Automatic balance purchase for use in partner apps
Allow the user to load prepaid balance that can be used in partner apps (streaming, mobility, delivery). Monetization comes from intermediation + commissions for activation.
29. Microinvesting and rounding up change
Turn purchase change into automatic contributions to funds, crypto, pensions or stocks. You monetize with commissions on invested volume, custody or premium services.
30. Own acquiring with alternative brand or closed-loop
Create your own internal payment structure between customers and partner merchants. Ex: a mini-ecosystem with cashback, points program or proprietary wallet with controlled liquidity.
31. P2P lending platform
Intermediation between investors and borrowers. The fintech profits from intermediation fee, entry fee or percentage on each generated contract.
32. Management of internal consortiums among user groups
Platform that organizes consortium shares for private groups (family, company, church etc.) with administration, withdrawal and custody fees.
33. Financial gamification with paid upgrades
Free app with basic functionalities, but that offers paid “boosters”, such as score analyses, reports, unlocking premium features (e.g., advanced financial control).
34. Sale of data for credit modeling (as a service provider)
You can offer part of the infrastructure as “infra” to other fintechs — such as onboarding service, scoring, data verification, anti-fraud — with usage or API-based revenue.
35. Early access to benefits via guaranteed balance
Offer the user the option to use partner services (delivery, transport, apps) even without available balance, with later charging — and monetize on each advanced operation or with an embedded fee
What makes a fintech truly profitable is not just the number of users or the volume of transactions, but the intelligence in diversifying its revenue sources.
With the right infrastructure — like Binary Fintech OS — it is possible to activate multiple monetization models simultaneously, operating with:
Low transactional cost;
High margin per operation;
Modular and scalable products;
Complete and integrated experience for the end customer.
With this, a fintech ceases to be just a payment channel or digital account, and becomes a full platform of financial services, profitable from the start.
How to reach the first 1,000 monthly transactions?🎯
Step 1: Define the type of transaction
Transactions can include:
Payment via SEPA
Issuance of boletos
Card purchases (debit, credit)
Top-ups or transfers
Charging via payment link
Purchases on linked POS terminals
To simplify, we'll use an average of 1.5 transactions per active user/month, which is conservative for the profile of freelancers, micro-entrepreneurs (MEIs) or liberal professionals (a common profile in B2C fintechs).
Step 2: Basic calculation - extremely conservative
Formula: Active users = Desired transactions ÷ Average transactions per user
Calculation: 1,000 transactions ÷ 2 transactions/month = 500 active users
Step 3: Consider real engagement (not every user transacts every month)
Let's apply a realistic activation factor of 70%:
That is, only 70% of users actually transact frequently in the first months.
Final adjustment: 500 ÷ 70% = 714 registered users
✅ Result
To reach 1,000 monthly transactions, a fintech needs approximately 714 registered users, considering:
An average engagement of 1.5 transactions per active user/month
An activation/engagement rate of 70% in the first months
Disclaimer:
The examples presented throughout this material — including investment estimates, financial return, margin per transaction, and payback — aim to illustrate real applications of solutions developed with our software.All projections of revenue, operational costs and gains from spread are simulations based on real case data, previous experiences and benchmarks practiced by fintechs and digital companies that used this model.This content should not be interpreted as an investment recommendation, promise of financial return or performance guarantee.Each business has its own variables, such as operational model, target audience, customer acquisition capability, average ticket, team capacity and entrepreneurial ability, transaction volume and monetization strategy. Therefore, it is essential that each project be evaluated individually, considering its specific context and strategic goals.Our goal here is only to demonstrate how the combination of customized technology and financial infrastructure can generate viable, lean businesses with high scalability potential, when well structured.If you wish to deepen the analysis or validate your own business model, we recommend conducting a personalized financial and strategic study.
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