Business

5 Tips for Keeping Your Construction Project on Schedule

Published

3 years ago

January 18, 2023

Construction projects are known for getting behind schedule. In fact, McKinsey & Company reports that large projects across asset classes typically take 20% longer than planned and are up to 80 percent over budget.

There are many things that can delay a construction project: bad weather, supply chain issues, faulty workmanship, overbooked crews, and more.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. To keep your construction project on schedule, here are five things you can do:

Review construction plans

Before you break ground, it’s important to review construction plans. These include the scope of work, construction drawings, and other project documents.

Make sure you and all your subcontractors review them so that everyone is on the same page. If there are any questions, be sure to answer them.

Then have everyone sign a written contract outlining their responsibility and deadlines. When it’s all in the contract, things are more likely to stay on schedule.

Create a master schedule

Create a master schedule for everyone to see. Break the project down into phases and put tasks and assignments into the proper sequence.

The master schedule gives everyone visibility into what stage the construction project is currently at. For example, it can help painters know when the insulation has been installed so they know when the walls are ready for them to paint.

Communicate and collaborate

Next, you need to establish standard forms of communication, whether that be by text message, email, or some other method. Determining how information will be communicated is critical in avoiding confusion and disputes later on.

Good communication needs to be built on trust and respect for all team members. Everyone should have access to project updates so they stay in the loop. To prevent unnecessary delays, an open door policy with project managers is best.

Monitor and document progress

Unfortunately, projects rarely adhere to schedule 100% of the time. Chances are you will need to make minor adjustments here and there, and that’s okay.

The key is to closely monitor a project’s progress so you can quickly get back on schedule. One way to do this is to create daily reports on milestones hit. That way, everyone knows where the project currently sits.

Another way to monitor and document construction progresss is to use construction enterprise asset management (EAM) software. It allows you to input project updates and easily disseminate them across your team. But that’s just one feature of construction EAM software. It can also help you:

Meet construction industry safety and compliance requirements
Increase revenue and profitability
Reduce costs and capital requirements
Prevent equipment breakdowns
Maintain optimum parts inventories
And optimize project budgets

When it comes to construction project management, construction EAM software has you covered.

Make contingency plans

Lastly, it’s important to have a plan B (and C and D) if things don’t go according to plan.

For example, your construction project might be delayed by a storm or supply chain issues. In this case, you may want to alter the construction schedule or assign overtime to make up for lost time.

Keep a close eye on progress reports to manage risks and delays and find creative ways to minimize and make up for them.

The bottom line

Despite most construction projects getting delayed, you can still finish yours on time.

By reviewing construction plans, creating a master schedule, communicating and collaborating, monitoring and documenting progress, and making contingency plans, you can mitigate the threat of delays and even finish ahead of schedule.

The key is to have a proactive mindset. With good planning and prevention, you’ll be ahead of the game.

Business

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

Published

15 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.