🇺🇸 Michael Burry's New Substack Newsletter Surges Past 120,000 Subscribers In One Week
Revolut adding 1M users every 17 days 🇬🇧, Aviva raises $50M to expand lending in small cities 🇲🇽, Russia's health-scanning ATMs 🇷🇺 & Africa's retail giant going full fintech 🇿🇦
Hi Global Fintechers!
Global Fintech Insider is now Fintech Growth Insider.
That said, we will keep telling fintech stories from around the world. What is changing is the purpose of the newsletter.
Allowing you to keep up to date in term of fintech news did not make much sense anymore, since there are probably 50 other fintech newsletters whose value proposition is just that.
The new purpose of this newsletter is to help you grow your fintech faster by sharing with you growth strategies from around the world and even ads… with the ad of the week at the end of each issue.
Hope you like it and feel free to reply with any suggestion!
Julien Brault
🇺🇸 Michael Burry’s New Substack Newsletter Surges Past 120,000 Subscribers In One Week
The rapid subscriber growth is driven primarily by Burry’s global public profile, who has 1.6 million followers on X. His role in predicting the 2008 crisis, the bestselling book that followed, and the major Hollywood film have turned his name into a financial brand that commands instant attention
Substack now lets him monetize that profile directly without the overhead of a fund, investor relations team or compliance department. With more than 120,000 subscribers already, even a small conversion rate could turn Cassandra Unchained into a multi-million dollar creator business.
A realistic conversion to paid of just 5% of this 120,000 subscribers at $39/month would mean Burry is on course to generate over $2.8 million annually, almost as much as the $3.1 million he could have generated in management fee on the $155 millions Scion had under management (assuming a 2% management fee). Obviously, this does not include the carry (the share of the profit he was charging his clients), but it shows how attractive moving from the hedge fund business to the newsletter business could be for someone with a huge audience like Burry.
Growth Metric: 120,000 subscribers in one week
Michael Burry’s new Substack Cassandra Unchained surpassed 120,000 subscribers within its first seven days, powered by his global financial brand.
Source: Fintech Growth Insider, CNBC & Cassandra Unchained
🇺🇸 Need a Chief Risk Officer but Can’t Justify the Full-Time Hire? Matthew Komos Has the Solution
SPONSORED - When risk oversight starts stretching your bandwidth, OGMA Risk & Analytics steps in. Founded by Matthew Komos, former VP at TransUnion and 25-year risk management and analytic veteran, OGMA delivers fractional CRO expertise to fintechs and financial institutions.
Their Fractional Chief Risk Officer and Risk Department On Demand programs give immediate access to top-tier risk leadership, analytics, and compliance expertise without the full-time cost. Whether you’re scaling, facing regulatory scrutiny, or building your governance framework, OGMA embeds seamlessly with your team to bring structure, clarity, and control.
Because in a fast-moving market, managing risk shouldn’t slow your growth: it should drive it.
🇬🇧 Revolut Adds 1 Million Users Every 17 Days, Powered by Word of Mouth and Loyalty Incentives
London-based neobank Revolut is adding 1 million customers every 17 days, according to chief marketing officer Antoine Le Nel (pictured above).
In a LinkedIn post, he confirmed the company has now reached 65 million users across 39 markets, with the company now looking to expand in Mexico and India “We earned this valuation by moving faster than the market thought possible. While others slowed down to consolidate, we accelerated,’’ he said, pointing to Revolut’s new $75 billion valuation, achieved just three months after it hit $45 billion.
More than 65% of new retail customers join through word of mouth or customer referrals, supported by $591 million (£463 million) in targeted sales, advertising, and marketing last year, according to a statement released by the company.
Revolut uses variable rewards, for example, “Invite a friend, get £50 (66 dollars USD) a year for accounts under 18 years old”, time-limited incentives and gamified progress bars that show users where their friends get stuck during onboarding.
Engagement is also deepening. Paid plan adoption climbed 45% year on year in 2024, and its loyalty programme RevPoints attracted 6.6 million users since launching in June 2024, creating additional recurring revenue.
Growth Metric: 1 million new users every 17 days
Revolut adds 1 million customers every 17 days, with growth remain largely organic with 65% of new retail customers join through word of mouth or referrals.
Sources: Fintech Growth Insider & Bloomberg
🇲🇽 Mexican Lending Startup Focused On Small Towns Records 85% Repeat Borrowing Rate
Mexican lending startup Aviva has raised a $50 million credit facility from Community Investment Management to expand its micro-lending operations in underserved communities in the country.
Aviva targets borrowers in towns with fewer than 500,000 residents, where access to traditional credit is limited. The company says the new financing will help it triple its size and reach 500,000 new customers, aiming at a segment avoided by larger players due to risk and limited data.
The company reported a 3.1% default rate in October 2025, with 85% of customers taking a second loan after repaying their first, indicating strong repeat usage. Aviva currently operates as a non-banking institution restricted to lending, but plans to pursue a banking license as it scales.
To underwrite loans without formal financial histories, Aviva uses AI-powered seven-minute video calls conducted through kiosks. These conversations are converted into structured data to generate real-time credit profiles. Co-CEO Filiberto Castro (pictured above) says the capital will go toward cities “the financial system does not see,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg.
Launched in September 2022, Aviva lends between $100 and $1,000 to cash-based micro-businesses and has built a distribution network of 200 kiosks across nine states in Mexico, serving about 200,000 customers to date. Borrowers repay through more than 50,000 small shops acting as cash in or out points.
Growth Metric: 85% repeat borrowing rate
85% of Aviva customers return for a second loan after repaying their first, signalling strong product-market fit in underserved communities.
Source: Bloomberg
🇷🇺 Russia’s Largest Bank Launches Dual-Screen ATMs With 30-Second Health Diagnostics
Russia’s largest bank Sber, has unveiled dual-screen ATMs that integrate traditional banking services with rapid health assessments, reports CFO Tech Asia.
The machines perform standard functions like cash withdrawals and deposits, but now include a 30-second health check using an onboard camera and AI. Users aged 18 and above receive instant readings for 10 health indicators, including pulse, blood pressure, stress levels, BMI, estimated cholesterol, blood glucose, arterial stiffness, heart rhythm variability, and glucose metabolism risk. Results appear on-screen and sync to the SberHealth app.
Deployments begin across Russia in December. Sber Bank First Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board Alexander Vedyakhin called it a “universal hub for human well-being,” reports CFO Tech Asia. Sber has integrated its GigaChat AI assistant for voice interaction, enabling customers to complete transactions using natural language.
The launches come as Sber reports RUB1,307.3 billion (16.87 billion USD) in net profit for the first nine months of 2025, up 6.5% year-over-year. The bank now serves 110.5 million active customers.
Growth Metric: 10 health indicators scan by new ATM
Sber’s new ATMs assess 10 health metrics in 30 seconds, transforming its ATM from typical cash machines into hybrid health-fintech service points.
Source: Fintech Growth Insider & CFO Tech Asia
🇸🇬 61% of Singaporean Investors Now Own Crypto, According to Survey
61% of Singaporean retail investors own cryptocurrency, according to a recent survey by personal finance company MoneyHero and crypto platform Coinbase.
Ownership is dominated by younger investors, with 70% aged 18-34 years old. The majority adopt a long-term stance, with 58% identifying as HODLers (hold on for dear life), investors who hold crypto regardless of market conditions, rather than active traders.
Despite high ownership, risk appetite remains measured, with 74% keeping crypto exposure below 10% of their overall portfolio. The survey points to growing market maturity, with 42% invested for more than two years, showing that Singapore’s retail investors tend to hold through cycles rather than exit quickly. When choosing platforms, 65% of respondents prioritize security, followed by regulatory compliance (58%), over lower fees (42%) and ease of use (34%).
Coinbase ranks highest in customer trust at 72%, followed by Binance (65%), Crypto.com (55%), Gemini (43%), and OKX (32%). Looking ahead, 27% of non-holders plan to invest within the next 12 months. The survey was conducted with 3,513 respondents from August 15-19, 2025.
Growth Metric: 61% crypto ownership rate
A new survey shows 61% of Singaporeans own crypto, a percentage that rise to 70% in the 18-34 years age group.
Source: MoneyHero & Coinbase Pulse of Crypto Survey report 2025
🇿🇦 Africa’s Largest Clothing Retailer Moves Into Banking, Targeting Millions of Underserved Customers
Africa’s largest family clothing retailer Pepkor, is officially entering banking after securing regulatory approval from South African regulators.
The company recently acquired a cloud-based digital banking software company, Cloudbadger, to support the launch of its new banking venture, according to Reuters. CEO Pieter Erasmus (pictured above) said the group’s scale and customer trust provide a strong foundation for financial inclusion efforts, adding that its digital and fintech strategy is now producing “tangible results.”
Pepkor’s fintech unit, which includes financial services like lending, retail credit, smartphone rental, digital payment infrastructure and insurance, surged in the latest fiscal year, with revenue up 31% to 16.6 billion rand ($970 million), representing 17% of total sales. The retailer operates over 6,000 stores across the continent, offering clothing, mobile devices and in-store financing.
Growth Metric: 31% fintech revenue growth
Pepkor’s fintech division generated 16.6 billion rand ($970 million), now accounting for 17% of total sales as it prepares to venture into banking.
Source: Reuters, Bloomberg, Moneyweb & Business Insider Africa
🇺🇸 Fintech Ad of The Week: Stripe Is Daring It’s Prospects to Ask ChatGPT What Payment Processor They Should Use
Stripe is leveraging its position as the dominent payment processor for small online businesses by running multiple ads on Meta and Instagram featuring a chatbot box in which questions are typed. The video ads are featured under different headlines such as “Go ahead, ask your AI” and the questions are ones that Stripe could be the answer to, such as: “How can my website start accepting credit cards today?”, “Which gateway works best for two-sided marketplace payouts?” and “What’s the best payment processor for SaaS subscriptions?”.
I checked on ChatGPT and, unsurprisingly, Stripe was mentioned before its competitors in each cases. While we don’t know if those answers were the result of a specific effort in term of generative engine optimization (GEO), what is interesting with this campaign is that Stripe seems to assume its clients value trust AI answers enough for it to be some kind of social proof vouching for Stripe.
Source: Fintech Growth Insider
Upcoming Fintech Events
🇬🇧 TradingTech Summit London will take place on February 26, 2026, at Hilton Canary Wharf, with tickets priced at £895, with speakers such as Nafisa Yusuf (Director and Head of International Market Structure, BlackRock), Stuart McDowell (UK Chief Information Officer, Societe Generale), and Monika Fernando (Head of Global FI Client Data Analytics and Head of FI eTrading Strategy EAP).
🚨 GFI Exclusive Offer: Enjoy a 15% discount on tickets using the GFI15 promo code
🇺🇸 T3 Technology Conference will take place from March 9 to 12, 2026, in New Orleans, with speakers such as John O’Connell (Founder and CEO, The Oasis Group), Raj Madan (Chief Information Officer, AdvisorEngine), and Oleg Tishkevich (Chief Executive Officer, Invent).
🚨 GFI Exclusive Offer: Save $200 on tickets using the T3GFI200 promo code!
🇬🇧 Insurtech Insights Europe will take place on March 18 to 19, 2026, in London, with tickets priced between £399 and £999. Speakers include Sirma Boshnakova (Board Member), Cécile Paillard (Group Chief Transformation Officer), and Pravina Ladva (Group Chief Digital and Technology Officer).
🚨 GFI Exclusive Offer: Enjoy a 25% discount on tickets using the GFI25 promo code!
Who Am I?
Hi, my name is Julien Brault.
From 2017 to 2024, I was the CEO of Hardbacon, a fintech I co-founded, which reached 400,000 unique visitors at its peak.
A Google update ultimately sealed the company’s fate, and I started this newsletter to keep myself busy in the aftermath.
I then launched an another fintech affiliate site called MooseMoney, but I still find the time to publish this newsletter weekly.
Why share this?
Because my goal is to use my experience as an economic journalist, fintech entrepreneur and product manager to present the most essential fintech news from around the world through the eyes of an insider.
If you like what I do, feel free to share this newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn, X, Reddit, YouTube & TikTok.
If you would like me to accompany you on your fintech entrepreneurship journey and provide you with ongoing feedback, feel free to hire me as coach on MentorCruise.
If all you need is to pick my brain on specific topic in the field of fintech marketing, product or strategy, feel free to book a one hour consulting call with me instead.
P.S : Once you refer a new subscriber to the newsletter using your unique share link, you'll receive a personalized social media shout-out from me to promote your work or professional profile. Just write to me at jrbrault@icloud.com once your referral is confirmed on our leaderboard and include your social media account(s) URL(s) and who you are.