Business

Ladder Advisors Won’t Get You A Better Deal on Personal Loans

Published

6 years ago

April 11, 2020

If you are looking for a better deal on personal loans and you are considering Ladder Advisors, keep on looking. Our advice is to take a step back and check the Credit9 reviews before making a decision.

Very often in our lives, we need large amounts of cash for different purposes, be it for buying a car, renovating our home or paying medical bills. If you are seeking a loan, you should try to get a better deal on personal loans because it can save you a lot of money, make repayments much easier, and keep you out of debt collection.

Personal loans may range between $1,000 and $100,000. Online lenders and banks offer personal loans under their own terms and conditions. You should look for terms and conditions that will give you a better deal on personal loans.

The Coronavirus Crisis May Give You a Better Deal on Personal Loans

The coronavirus crisis has wreaked chaos everywhere around the world. However, there do exist opportunities for those seeking personal loans since the Federal Reserve is moving in aggressively to contain the devastating coronavirus fallout that the economy will have to endure and try and limit the number of coronavirus bankruptcies.

In short, the Fed has cut down interest rates to almost zero. The Fed did this to give impetus to an economy staggering and reeling under the unprecedented impact of the coronavirus. You shouldn’t be surprised that the Fed resorted to this measure considering that entire industries are currently stagnating and some like hospitality, travel, tourism and airlines are in danger of closing down.

Depending on your credit score, history and other factors, you may find loans with APRs ranging from 5% to 36%.

To get better deals on personal loans, you can visit certain sites to compare various loans. However, you can now expect to find very competitive interest rates as the interest rate that the Fed charges on loans have a strong influence on the finance industry.

Why is that?

It is all about the prevailing economic scenario. Back in the ‘80s when the economy was facing the shock of steep inflation, the Fed had used very high interest rates to battle the rising prices. At that time, the interest on personal loans was a stunning 19.2%.

Now the Fed has to work the other way round. It has to stimulate an economy that has been virtually knocked out by the coronavirus epidemic. The Fed is doing this by slashing interest rates to unprecedentedly low levels in order to stimulate enterprise and business activity, which have hit unthinkable lows. You can take advantage of this situation to get a better deal on personal loans.

In addition to personal loans, credit card rates are also falling. However, credit card rates still stand at an average of almost 15%, according to Fed’s research. You can play it smart and bring down your credit card costs by taking out a debt consolidation loan. You can now get a better deal on personal loans if you are seeking to consolidate debt. So, if you were looking for the right opportunity, then now is the time to act.

The Fed has brought down interest rates to new lows that were not seen since the last major financial crisis in 2008. Since the Fed has dramatically slashed interest rates, the effects will reverberate across the finance industry and they will be forced to follow suit. Hence, you should look around for personal loans because the times are ripe for deals that were previously unimaginable. Considering how aggressively the Fed is bringing down interest rates, you should not be surprised when you come across lenient terms and conditions. There has never been a better time to get a better deal on personal loans.

Apps for a Better Deal on Personal Loans

Even before the coronavirus crisis, personal loans were on the rise. Credit bureaus reported that in 2017 and 2018, there was a substantial 15% rise in personal loans.

Depending on the credit score of the borrower, most personal loans during this period ranged between $11,000 and $20,000.

Advances and developments in fintech are the key reasons behind the pre-coronavirus proliferation of personal loans. Financial apps now exist that allow you to get better deals on personal loans. These apps provide a seamless procedure for personal loan application that is both simple and convenient.

How important are these apps now? Towards the end of 2018, personal loans taken out through fintech apps accounted for a substantial 38% of the total, according to major credit bureaus. In 2013, these apps accounted for just 5% of all personal loans. Hence, the major rise in personal loans can be attributed to the relentless popularity of finance apps that allow seamless borrowing and make a better deal on personal loans easier than ever.

Personal loans are typically unsecured. This means that you do not have to forward any of your property as collateral for the loan. If you default on payments, the lender may be able to sell off the collateral to recover the loan amount. Since personal loans usually do not involve any collateral, you can have peace of mind knowing that your property is not directly at stake if you are late on a few payments. This is one of the reasons why you get a better deal on personal loans.

The repayment schedule of personal loans typically ranges from 3 to 5 years. Hence, you have plenty of time to pay back your personal loan. You can get a better deal on personal loans due to this generous payment schedule.

These loans also carry a lower debt than credit cards on average. If you have accumulated large amounts of credit card debt, you can take out a debt consolidation personal loan through which you can pay a lower cumulative interest rate on your combined credit card balances. A better deal on personal loans like this can help you with repaying credit card debt.

Hence, in order to get a better deal on personal loans, you may select an app that will help you to compare interest rates and other loan terms between different lenders.

Bottom Line

Fed interest rate cuts, combined with finance apps, can help you to get a better deal on personal loans. Given the current scenario, it is likely that the Fed may be forced to reduce the interest rate even further to bolster an ailing economy.

Business

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

Published

5 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.