Business

Earning Extra Money While Driving as a Side Job?

Published

2 years ago

February 27, 2024

In the increasingly competitive ride-hailing industry, Uber and Lyft drivers are constantly searching for new ways to maximize their earnings, but one emerging trend involves advertising in the form of eye-catching car wraps. By allowing companies to place advertisements on the exterior of their vehicles, Uber and Lyft drivers drive sales as they drive their regular routes.

“Earning extra income for each mile your drive is as easy as downloading our app on your smartphone and telling us a little about your driving habits, your car, and yourself,” Says Judah Longgrear, CEO and co-founder of Nickelytics. “We analyze your daily routes and mileage to match you with the brand that will benefit most. Our team reviews your information and reaches out as soon as a campaign is available in your area.”

What is car wrap advertising?

Car wrap advertising is a highly effective marketing strategy that involves drivers partnering with companies to cover a vehicle’s exterior with a large advertisement. These advertisements often display a company’s logo, branding, and contact information.

Car wraps can also be partial or full, covering specific areas or the entire vehicle’s surface. This moving advertising allows companies to reach a wide audience as wrapped vehicles travel throughout various locations.

“Since campaigns depend on our advertisers’ needs, we can’t predict exactly when and where new campaigns will emerge,” Longgrear remarks. “However, if your primary driving route lies within a 30-mile radius of Dallas or Houston, Austin, or San Antonio Texas, we are actively recruiting to fill positions now.”

Benefits for Uber and Lyft Drivers

Uber and Lyft drivers can reap several benefits by participating in car wrap advertising, but perhaps the biggest advantage is the opportunity to earn passive income. By partnering with companies for rideshare advertising campaigns, Uber and Lyft drivers receive payment for allowing ads to occupy space on their vehicles. The amount of income depends on various factors, such as the location, duration of the campaign, and the driver’s route.

Since the primary occupation of Uber and Lyft drivers is offering rides, car wrap advertising provides them with the flexibility to earn added income for what they already do during their regular work hours. They continue earning their regular income by providing rides, while the advertisements generate passive income. The driver’s primary role is to maintain their vehicle’s appearance, ensuring the ad remains in good condition.

“We prefer to hire rideshare and delivery drivers, but we also welcome business owners and commuters if they meet our mileage requirements,” says Longgrear. “To earn extra income with car wrap advertising, our drivers must be able to log at least 30 miles each day, 150 miles each week, and 450 miles each month.”

Drivers also benefit when a well-designed car wrap makes them stand out from other rideshare drivers, potentially increasing their popularity. This heightened visibility benefits not only the advertiser but also the driver.

Drivers have the freedom to select campaigns that align with their personal preferences. When passengers take notice of advertisements, it can spark conversations, create connections, and lead to a boost in tips.

How drivers can get started with car wrap advertising

To get started earning extra money through car wrap advertising, Uber and Lyft drivers should look for reputable car wrap advertising companies that connect drivers with potential advertisers. Before signing on, they should ensure that the platform has a good track record, pays drivers fairly, and provides clear guidelines for the advertising process.

As drivers research, they will want to investigate the requirements for qualifying their vehicle for car wrap advertising. “At Nickelytics, we are currently looking for drivers over the age of 18 with valid driver’s licenses, clean driving records, and 2018 cars or newer,” says Longgrear.

Once approved, drivers choose the advertising campaigns they want to participate in. They do this by reviewing available options and selecting campaigns that align with their preferences and the target audience they generally encounter during their rides.

When an advertising company selects a driver for a new campaign, it reaches out to schedule car wrap installation. This process usually takes a few hours and is performed by professionals to ensure a high-quality wrap.

“Once we choose you to participate in a campaign, we’ll put you in touch with the nearest car wrap installer,” Longgrear explains. “You coordinate your wrap installation, but we cover all the associated installation and removal costs.”

After the wrap is installed, drivers earn additional income based on the terms agreed upon with the advertising company. Payments vary depending on several factors.

“Our drivers’ pay varies depending on the length of the campaign and type of advertisement,” notes Longgrear. “Typically, our drivers boost their regular income by an extra $175 and $250 monthly. However, select campaigns can enable them to earn up to $500.”

Car wrap advertising presents a win-win situation for both Uber and Lyft drivers and companies looking to expand their reach. With minimal effort, drivers benefit from increased income and visibility while companies gain exposure to a broad audience. As this innovative advertising approach continues to gain traction, it presents an excellent opportunity for drivers to earn extra money while doing what they love: driving.

Business

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

Published

17 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.