Business

Braidwood Capital Review: Not The Right Way To Manage Money During The Coronavirus

Published

5 years ago

August 15, 2020

Braidwood Capital has begun flooding the market with debt consolidation and credit card relief in the mail. The problem is that the terms and conditions are at the very least confusing, and possibly even suspect. The interest rates are so low that you would have to have near-perfect credit to be approved for one of their offers. Best 2020 Reviews, the personal finance review site, has been following Braidwood Capital, Tiffany Funding, Nickel Advisors, Coral Funding, Neon Funding, Ladder Advisors (also known as Carina Advisors, Corey Advisors, Pennon Partners, Jayhawk Advisors, Clay Advisors, Colony Associates, and Pine Advisors, etc.).

Several Americans have been affected by the ongoing pandemic that’s left them in a state of weakened financial health and financial devastation. The number of people losing their jobs and filing for unemployment is increasing with each passing day.

However, there are still plenty of employees that haven’t experienced the turmoil of a financial crisis. According to a recent survey conducted in the second week of April, almost a quarter of the working-class admitted that their financial circumstances hadn’t been impacted heavily by the coronavirus pandemic.

But that number is still not high enough as companies continue to lay off employees every day. The pandemic has forced many organizations to make salary cuts and hinder 401(k) match programs that have impacted the financial stability of the working class.

The citizens that continue to be employed are faced with an increased need to understand and manage their financial matters as the situation continues to be uncertain, and there’s no promise of employment security. This looming threat of financial uncertainty should push you to make smarter financial decisions and prepare for the upcoming uncertain times.

If you’re one of those lucky people who have managed to retain their jobs, then the responsibility of keeping your financial situation stable falls upon you even more. This time of social distancing and limited movement needs to be turned into your favor to eliminate the risk of a possible financial struggle and even help you improve your overall financial standing.

If you’re wondering how to turn this situation into your best interest, then we have some essential tips for you to accelerate your debt elimination process, increase your savings, and redesign your budget while you continue to work from home. Let’s get straight to it.

Shift from spending to saving

Staying at home has its benefits, especially financial. You cut a lot of costs on gas and commute. The absence of social commitments and outdoor activities saves up hundreds of dollars in your budget. The habit of eating out has changed to having homemade meals, which is a much cheaper alternative.

If the amount you’re saving isn’t going in helping others, it most definitely should make its way into your emergency funds. Ideally, you should have enough savings to cover your living cost for the next four to six months. However, that might not be possible for everyone to manage, so you should at least start saving up for the upcoming month and then build upon it from there.

If you’re fortunate enough to already have a substantial emergency fund, then the money saved from the lack of social interactions should go into paying off your debts and strengthening your retirement plans. Let’s discuss them below in further detail.

Prioritize paying off your student loans

In light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, most federal student loans have suspended payments and made them entirely interest-free until the end of September 2020. This was a very welcome decision and can play an especially favorable role in your situation.

If you start catching up on your student loan at this time, it would mean that you’ll be directly reducing the principal on your entire student loan. This has the potential to save you thousands of dollars in the longer run.

However, paying off your student loans shouldn’t take precedence in priorities if your savings are needs to meet other urgent situations. For example, if you also have a credit card loan to your name, then using your savings to pay off debt with higher-interest rates first.

Bulking up your emergency fund should also be higher on the list of your priorities if you aren’t covered for the upcoming months.

Moreover, if you’re already on a public service loan forgiveness program or any other program of the sort, then expediting your payments may not work in your best interest in the long run.

Boost your 401(k) contributions

In the ideal case of having a substantial emergency fund and a comfortably manageable debt, you should divert your attention towards boosting up your retirement savings.

You can make contributions to your 401(k) or 403(b) retirement plans by purchasing shares at discounted prices offered in these months compared to peak months like February. Planning a boost for your retirement plans this year gives you the opportunity to it at reduced prices and increased returns when the situation goes back to normal.

Lower your mortgage rate

If you’re a homeowner on a mortgage, this might be a good time to refinance your mortgage. The interest rates on mortgages have been lowered due to the pandemic, which can help you lower your housing costs.

The benefit also implies to new homeowners because mortgage rates are down by at least 1% compared to last year, and it makes a significant difference in the long run. However, with lowered interest-rates, more and more people will apply for refinancing, which could make it harder to qualify for it than before.

Help your community in crisis

Although helping your community financially doesn’t really add practical value to your standing, it can immensely help people in desperate need of it. If you use your stable financial standing to support small businesses, donating to local food banks, and helping the most vulnerable in your community, it will be an excellent way to give back to your community.

Spending money to help others reflect your moral values and will comfort someone in dire need in these times of uncertainty.

Conclusion

You’re indeed fortunate if you haven’t been that affected by the pandemic’s devastations, and that puts you in a higher position of responsibility towards improving your financial standing and helping those in need.

Business

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

Published

4 days 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.