Business

Common Goals That Leveraging Credit Can Help You Reach

Published

5 years ago

July 24, 2020

We often think of our credit scores as just something we’ll need down the line — when applying for a loan or renting an apartment. However, leveraging credit (which can only be done with an ideal credit score) may be the answer to achieving some of our biggest life goals.

Many don’t often think of credit as a way to fulfill these goals, and instead believe they must first make the money required to achieve them. But, in the spirit of Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad, one of the smartest ways to build wealth is to use “other people’s money.” This includes credit.

Not only is leveraging credit fairly straightforward, but it’s simply the smart thing to do – and it comes with its many perks, which can help you achieve other life goals. Just ask Colin Yurcisin, who’s been named the “Credit King.” He teaches students of all ages and backgrounds how to leverage credit to meet these goals and desires: many of which he’s been able to achieve in his own life with credit. His course, Credit Class, gets into all of the details on how to make credit work for you.

Here are the most common goals that leveraging credit can help you reach.

Starting a business.

There’s no way around it – starting a business typically takes some upfront capital. Even if you’re “bootstrapping,” there are websites, domain names, initial contractors – and these costs can feel significantly discouraging for first time founders. However, Yurcisin believes in the power of business credit.

“Business credit is truly a wonderful thing, especially because of the higher credit limits,” said Yurcisin. “Business cards typically give three times your highest personal credit limit – so if your personal credit score allows you to spend up to $5,000, a business card would allow you to spend $15,000 upfront,” he noted.

It isn’t just access to the capital, but what the capital can do for you in the long run. “There are many business cards that offer incredible deals upfront, so you can access capital and then get money back, or points to apply towards free travel.”

One of the cards that Yurcisin recommends in his Credit Class is the Business Ink Unlimited from Chase: it offers $500 cashback if you spend $3,000 in the first three months, 1.5% cash back on ALL purchases, and most pertinently: 0% interest for twelve months. This means you don’t have to pay back your initial investment for twelve months, which is plenty of lead time to make that money back. Yurcisin shared that with the Chase Business Ink Unlimited and Business Ink Cash you get 0% for 12 months and will just have to make small minimum monthly payments.

Buying other businesses or investments.

Credit is also commonly used to buy businesses or other forms of investments, such as real estate. Rather than applying for a business or personal loan from the bank, consider using credit, since you can get up to 1.5% cash back. Here’s one way to think about it: if you buy an Amazon e-commerce business for $10,000, you get $150 back. If you’re going to spend the money anyway on buying up businesses or other investments, you might as well get cash back.

Again, a twelve to fifteen month lead time to make the money back from that investment on these credit cards is ideal, as loans from a bank typically have high interest rates and payments start immediately upon accepting the money.

Traveling the world.

Finally, many entrepreneurs prefer to be digital nomads and travel the world constantly – or, at the very least, have a great vacation from time to time. This is also something Yurcisin lives by and helps with. “By leveraging credit, you can upgrade to a hotel’s most premium and lavish suite for pennies on the dollar of what someone else is paying for it,” he explained. In fact, many credit cards – such as the Chase Sapphire – make traveling in luxury easier than ever.

“Here’s an example: You can transfer your points from your Chase Business Ink Unlimited card to your Chase Sapphire Reserve for 1.5x more redemption points, so what you spend in your business can secure points that you can spend on travel,” he explained. And, that’s not even scratching the surface on what some credit card rewards can offer you: luxury lounge access at airports, such as the Centurion Lounge through American Express Platinum, free upgrades to first class, free checked bags, and more.

The beauty of leveraging credit is that you don’t need to choose just one of these three goals – they’re all accessible and possible through credit. Yurcisin’s Credit Class teaches the ins and outs of all available credit cards, how to repair or raise your credit score, and which order to get which credit card to maximize your line of credit and the rewards that you can access.

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.