Business

Spotlight Interview: How Andrew Delory Took A Degree In Communications And Built A Law Empire

Published

5 years ago

October 9, 2020

The world has been in the middle of a pandemic for much of 2020, and it is undeniable that many industries have been adversely affected. Despite the struggles, of the economy, the real estate industry has consistently strengthened, supported by the combination of interest rates and inventory both being at an all-time low. In these trying times, Andrew Delory has been a beacon giving buyers faith in the strength of the market.

Andrew Delory is the second part of the dynamic father-and-son duo behind Delory Law, a legal firm that specializes in helping people buy & sell real estate. They handle a range of legal affairs including zoning, development, condominium conversions, leases, evictions, and some civil litigation.

I got a chance to catch up with Andrew recently, and he goes deep into his story and how he became the successful attorney we all admire today.

How did you make the decision to become a real estate attorney? What was your educational journey?

I went to a small Catholic High School where I was the Captain of 3 varsity sports teams, Junior Class President, and a co-anchor of the school’s own morning news show. I was really into Journalism. Coupled with my love of sports, I thought for sure I would work on ESPN one day.

I enrolled in the University of Rhode Island in the fall of 2005 seeking a Communications Studies major specializing in Journalism. Halfway through college, Journalism got its own school separate from Communications. Instead of having to retake many of the same general elective style courses to get a Journalism degree, I turned my attention towards using my Communications Studies background to focus on marketing/advertising.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies in 2009, then enrolled at the Massachusetts School of Law in the fall of 2010 as a night student because I was working full time during the day as a paralegal. I worked extremely hard and successfully completed my studies in May 2013. Then I took the bar exams, passed, and was sworn in as an Attorney in November 2013.

So you run Delory Law alongside your dad. Was it always clear that you were going to join the family business?

I never intended to work with my dad, the circumstances just kind of presented itself. I enrolled in law school as a night student in the fall of 2010 and continued to work full time during the day. Unfortunately, after I completed my first semester I was laid off from the firm I was working at.

While I was searching for a new job, my father, who is an attorney, offered me the opportunity to start working in his office part-time, allowing me to transition to a full-time law school student. The rest is history.

By working together, we are able to deliver better service to his existing clients while also having the tools of the trade necessary to attract a new and younger generation of clients. This is critical for our growth as an office because Millenials are now reaching their prime life stage to purchase their first home, and our office is ready to serve them!

You mentioned working as a paralegal and eventually getting laid off. What was that experience like?

I graduated from college with a plan to leverage my Communications Studies degree to land a job in the advertising/marketing field. Unfortunately, in 2009 we were in the midst of a brutal economic recession that made it really difficult to find even an entry-level job.

A friend of mine reached out and said she worked at a law firm that had an opening for a paralegal. I interviewed and got the job!

The firm specialized in mortgage foreclosures but the job itself was very mechanical. After a few months, I had basically learned everything I could. The lawyers I was assigned to work for basically started rubber-stamping my work without even really reviewing. That’s when I decided I wanted to take control and get into business more for myself.

I decided that law school was the best option for me because I could venture into business for myself but could use my legal background to write strong contracts.

Do you have any final advice for anyone who wants to grow and succeed in their life right now?

If you want something in life, you have to go after it. Wake up every day and work towards your goals. Enjoy what you have accomplished but remember nothing is promised. You can’t get to the next level by spending all your time celebrating that you’ve reached the level you’re on.

You can follow Andrew’s journey on his IG, Facebook, and Twitter: @delorylaw

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.