FinTech Australia names 2026 Finnies winners in Sydney

FinTech Australia has named the winners of its 2026 Finnies Awards in Sydney, with Zepto, Hello Clever and Remitly among the biggest winners.

Zepto won FinTech Organisation of the Year and shared Excellence in Industry Collaborations & Partnerships with Employment Hero. Hello Clever collected three awards, including Outstanding Fintech Leader of the Year for Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Caroline Tran.

Remitly secured two honours, with Asia Pacific General Manager Kym Whitford named Female Fintech Leader of the Year and the company taking Best Innovation in Payments. Otivo also picked up two awards for Most Innovative Fintech Product or Service and Most Innovative Application of AI in Finance.

The awards were selected from 321 entries across 22 categories through a two-round judging process. After the shortlist was announced, a second panel of judges reviewed the entries and chose the winners in each category.

Several previous winners returned to the list. RedOwl won Emerging Fintech Organisation of the Year after being recognised last year for its use of artificial intelligence in finance, while Primary won Best Innovation in Open Banking / Open Finance after taking Emerging Fintech the previous year.

Other winners included Aaron Bassin of Bridgit as Emerging Fintech Leader of the Year, Block Earner for Excellence in Consumer Lending, Kashcade for Excellence in Business Lending and Chainalysis for Excellence in Web3. Upcover won Excellence in Insurtech, Nuj Super won Excellence in Regtech, Curve Securities took Excellence in Wealth Management, Apate.ai received the Positive Impact Award and Stone & Chalk won Excellence for Provision of Fintech Support Services.

FinTech Australia said the country's fintech sector contributed more than AUD $13.6 billion to the economy in the 2024-25 financial year and is on track to lift its annual economic contribution to AUD $37 billion within the next decade.

The organisation also said there are almost 900 fintechs in Australia, with 61% classified as small or medium-sized businesses. Together, they directly employ more than 50,200 full-time staff.

Sector backdrop

The latest awards come as fintech groups continue to face tighter economic conditions and greater regulatory scrutiny. Against that backdrop, the spread of winners across payments, lending, wealth, artificial intelligence and support services points to a sector that remains broad in scope even as funding conditions become more selective.

Hello Clever's result marked a repeat appearance for Tran, who won Female Fintech Leader of the Year in the previous awards cycle and this year took the Outstanding Fintech Leader title. The company also won Best Workplace Diversity and Excellence in Establishing Global Market Presence.

Payment businesses featured strongly in the results. Alongside Zepto and Remitly, the awards highlighted collaboration and product development in a segment that remains one of the most active parts of the Australian fintech market.

Wealth advice and financial management were also represented through wins for Otivo and Curve Securities. Open banking also remained on the winner's list, with Primary taking the category for open banking and open finance.

More than 500 founders, investors and industry figures attended the ceremony, which marked the 10th year of the Finnies awards programme.

Rehan D'Almeida, Chief Executive Officer of FinTech Australia, highlighted the sector's scale in Australia.

"The Finnies play an important role in showcasing the innovation and achievements of the companies and people leading this sector, which contributed over $13.6 billion to the economy in 24/25. There are almost 900 fintechs in Australia, and while most, 61%, are small or medium businesses, they directly employ more than 50,200 full-time employees, making the sector significant in its own right.

"In 2025, only one in four fintech deals involved female founders, according to the Deloitte Impact in Fintech Report, yet women are outperforming, with Hello Clever, led by CEO Caroline Tran, making a huge impact this year alongside Kym Whitford at Remitly. We know that boosting diversity in our sector will drive business outcomes, and leaders like these will act as vital role models to inspire more women to enter fintech.

"I'd like to congratulate the winners of the 2026 Finnies. They are highly competitive awards and represent a milestone for these companies in a challenging regulatory and economic environment. These are the 10th annual awards, and we're thrilled to continue supporting the broader ecosystem and our members."