The Edge of Embedded Finance: Why Every Company is Becoming a Fintech

For decades, financial services were the domain of banks. But in 2025, the most powerful financial interfaces may no longer be banking apps.

From Shopify offering loans to merchants, to Uber giving drivers instant payments, to Woolworths launching its own financial products, embedded finance is making every company a fintech company.

What’s Happening APAC’s largest tech platforms, retailers, and even logistics firms are embedding payments, lending, insurance, and wealth tools into their customer experiences. The drivers? Margin expansion, customer stickiness, and massive data advantages. As regulation liberalizes and fintech infrastructure matures, non-financial firms are claiming financial real estate.

The Strategic Angle This isn't about launching a credit card for branding. It's about vertical integration of value chains:

• A telco offering handset financing

• A grocery chain monetising loyalty data via financial products

• A rideshare platform becoming the payroll system for gig workers
  

Embedded finance reduces friction, builds proprietary data sets, and opens new revenue pools. Done right, it transforms the core business model.

3 Executive Takeaways:

• Identify financial touchpoints in your customer journey, these are high-leverage areas for embedded monetization.

• Partner with fintech infrastructure providers to move fast without banking licenses.

• Treat financial services not as a side hustle but as a strategic layer of your stack.