Business

How to Take Back Control of Your Finances

Published

4 years ago

July 28, 2021

Living your life without financial worries is something we all aim for, avoiding the stress that comes with settling bills on time. However, this is difficult to achieve for many, especially if you earn a low income but still need to make ends meet. Whether you have been living paycheck to paycheck with very little in savings or have been enjoying the past few years using credit for the things you want, it is probably time to take back control. It is easy to put off financial issues until they become a much greater problem, but this only makes climbing out of it a tougher task. Here’s how you can start to take back control of your finances today.

Review Your Outgoings

Having a picture of your financial situation is the best way to start and will quickly show you where your efforts need to be focused. By reviewing your total outgoings against your income, you will be able to determine your disposable income – money that is left over after all essential outgoings are paid. If you are left with very little after your essential bills, such as rent or mortgage payments, are paid, this will indicate you will need to address your other monthly expenditure. If you have disposable income and this comes as a surprise, it could be because your spending on non-essential items is high.

Borrow Only When You Need To

If you are in a cycle of relying on credit to make purchases, this could be slowly increasing your level of debt. The best way forward is to only choose to borrow credit when it is necessary and avoid borrowing to pay for non-essential items. It can be tempting to take advantage of buy now pay later schemes or store cards, but this can quickly mount up. By only turning to credit if you have no other options in an emergency, for example, savings or available credit, you can reduce credit dependency. Lenders who offer payday loans online can help to provide a short term option when you need it most and when you have few other options. In the long-term, you’ll want to have an emergency savings fund to rely on instead.

Build Your Savings

Whilst it may seem you have very little to save, you may have discovered opportunities to reduce your outgoings when reviewing your finances. By reducing non-essential spending, you will have more money to save. Your essential outgoings should always be your top priority, but from the money that is leftover in your disposable income, starting to put some of this aside will build a stronger financial outlook. You should aim to build both your savings and an emergency savings fund so that you have money you can grow as well as savings to cover the unexpected. Start with you can afford to save and build from there.

Budget Your Spending

One of the most difficult habits to stick to that will help gain control of your finances is being consistent. The best way to achieve this is by creating a budget that will help curb any impulse buying. Your budget will be determined by how much disposable income you have, which you can then break down into weekly spend. This way, you’ll know if you are on track to achieving your savings goal, for example. Sticking to a budget will ensure your essential bills are always covered and you do not run out of money too quickly after your salary date.

These are just some of the ways to start and help you take back control of your finances. If you are currently in debt, you will be able to start reducing this quicker than before and focus on a healthy financial future.

Business

Inside the $4.3B Quarter: What’s Fueling Black Banx’s Record Revenues

Published

9 hours ago

January 16, 2026

Matthew Wiles

Every quarter brings fresh headlines in fintech, but few make the kind of impact achieved by Black Banx in Q2 2025. The Toronto-based global digital banking group, founded by Michael Gastauer, reported an extraordinary USD 4.3 billion in revenue and a record USD 1.6 billion in pre-tax profit, while improving its cost-to-income ratio to 63%.

These results not only highlight the company’s operational efficiency but also mark a pivotal moment in its journey from challenger to global leader. The big question is: what’s fueling such impressive financial performance?

Customer Growth as the Core Driver

One of the clearest engines of revenue growth is Black Banx’s expanding customer base. By Q2 2025, the platform had reached 84 million clients worldwide, up from 69 million at the end of 2024. This 15 million net gain in six months demonstrates both the attractiveness of its services and the scalability of its model.

Unlike traditional banks, which rely heavily on branch expansion, Black Banx leverages digital-first onboarding that allows customers to open accounts within minutes using just a smartphone. This approach is especially effective in regions underserved by legacy institutions, where access to affordable financial tools is in high demand.

More customers don’t just mean higher transaction volumes—they generate a compounding effect where network size, brand trust, and service adoption reinforce one another.

Real-Time Payments and Cross-Border Solutions

A major contributor to Q2 revenues is the platform’s real-time payments infrastructure. Black Banx enables instant cross-border transfers across its 28 supported fiat currencies and multiple cryptocurrencies, helping both individuals and businesses bypass the traditional bottlenecks of international banking.

For freelancers, SMEs, and multinational clients, this means faster liquidity, reduced foreign exchange costs, and simplified global operations. The demand for real-time financial services is growing rapidly—Juniper Research projects global real-time payments turnover to hit USD 58 trillion by 2028—and Black Banx is strategically positioned to capture a significant share of this market.

Crypto Integration as a Revenue Stream

Another key revenue driver is crypto integration. While many traditional institutions remain hesitant, Black Banx embraced digital assets early and has built infrastructure to support Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the Lightning Network. In Q2 2025, 20% of all transactions on the platform were crypto-based, reflecting strong customer appetite for hybrid banking services that bridge fiat and digital assets.

Revenue comes not only from transaction fees but also from value-added services like crypto-to-fiat conversion, staking yields (4–12% APY), and blockchain-enabled payments. For customers in markets with unstable currencies, these services act as a financial lifeline, further expanding the platform’s relevance.

AI-Powered Efficiency and Risk Management

Record revenues would be less impressive if costs ballooned at the same rate. But Black Banx has proven adept at balancing growth with efficiency. Its cost-to-income ratio improved to 63% in Q2, down from 69% a year earlier, thanks to heavy reliance on AI-powered automation.

AI now drives fraud detection, compliance, and customer onboarding—areas where traditional banks often struggle with cost inefficiencies. By automating these processes, Black Banx can process millions of transactions securely while maintaining profitability at scale. This level of efficiency is rare in fintech, where high growth often comes at the expense of margins.

Regional Expansion and Untapped Markets

Geography also plays a role in fueling revenues. Much of the Q2 growth came from Africa, South Asia, and Latin America—regions where demand for mobile-first banking continues to soar. In 2024 alone, Black Banx reported a 32% increase in SME clients from the Middle East and Africa, signaling the strength of its positioning in underserved markets.

By extending services to populations previously excluded from formal banking—migrant workers, rural communities, and small businesses—Black Banx taps into vast pools of latent demand. The strategy proves that financial inclusion and profitability are not mutually exclusive but mutually reinforcing.

Diversified Revenue Streams

Another factor behind Q2’s record revenues is Black Banx’s diversified business model. Income is not tied to a single service but spread across multiple streams, including:

Transaction fees from cross-border transfers and payments.
Crypto trading and exchange services.
Premium account features for high-net-worth clients.
Corporate services for SMEs and international businesses.

This diversification insulates the company against volatility in any single segment, creating stable revenue growth even in shifting market conditions.

Michael Gastauer’s Strategic Blueprint

Behind these results is Michael Gastauer’s long-term strategy: scale aggressively but with efficiency, innovation, and inclusion at the core. His vision has always been to create a borderless financial ecosystem, and Q2 2025’s performance is evidence that this vision is not only achievable but sustainable.

By balancing mass-market accessibility with premium features, and by blending fiat with digital assets, Gastauer has positioned Black Banx as a category-defining player in global finance.

The Road Ahead: Toward 100 Million Clients

Looking forward, the company’s goal of reaching 100 million customers by the end of 2025 will likely be the next catalyst for revenue growth. More customers mean more transactions, more data insights, and more opportunities to refine and expand its service offering.

If current momentum holds, the USD 4.3 billion quarterly revenue milestone could be just the beginning of an even larger growth story. The challenge will be ensuring systems scale securely while maintaining trust in an environment where privacy and compliance are paramount.

A Record That Signals More to Come

Black Banx’s Q2 2025 performance—USD 4.3 billion in revenue, USD 1.6 billion in pre-tax profit, 84 million clients worldwide, and a lean 63% cost-to-income ratio—is more than a financial milestone. It is a signal of how the future of banking is being rewritten by platforms that are borderless, crypto-inclusive, and data-driven.

What fueled this record-breaking quarter is not one innovation but a combination of strategies—scalable onboarding, real-time payments, crypto integration, AI efficiency, and expansion into underserved regions. Together, they form a model that doesn’t just challenge traditional banking but actively builds the foundation for global dominance.

For Black Banx, the road ahead is clear: the $4.3 billion quarter is not an endpoint but a launchpad for even greater scale and profitability.