The D2C fintech trust table: purpose before speed
25 brands. 2 rankings. Three Southern Hemisphere fund managers lead, and America's payment apps follow.
“A customer will forgive a slow app. They will not forgive a brand that loses their money.”
WCRC Intelligence Unit
The finding that frames the industry
Across WCRC's 2026 Most Trusted D2C rankings, 25 brands come from fintech and financial services. They average a D2C Trust Score of 75.71. The 16 American brands average 75.87, and the nine Australian and New Zealand brands 75.42. India's Most Trusted D2C ranking has no brands in this industry.
The averages are close, but the shape is different. The top of the table belongs to fund managers from Australia and New Zealand, while America supplies most of the apps, banks, lenders and exchanges.
Australian Ethical at the top: what the leader proves
Australian Ethical's 81.96 is the highest fintech score in the rankings. It has offered investment products guided by its Australian Ethical Charter since 1986, making it the oldest brand in the group alongside Rocket Mortgage (1985). It managed a record A$14.5bn at 30 June 2026, with operating revenue of A$129.5M in FY2026.
The lesson is that a public, written set of values is a trust asset. The weakness is execution: it is still completing work tied to APRA licence conditions.
New Zealand's KiwiSaver trust leaders
Three New Zealand investment managers rank. Simplicity (81.84) is owned by a registered charity and runs on thin income by design. Milford (81.36) says it has been Canstar's KiwiSaver Provider of the Year for seven years running. Fisher Funds (76.78) has operated for more than 25 years and is majority owned by the Toi Foundation, a community trust.
In Australia, Zip (77.50) had 6.52 million active customers and a statutory net profit of A$116.4M in FY2026. Raiz Invest (74.14), Harmoney (73.38), Wisr (68.16) and Beforepay (63.70) complete the group.
America: apps people use every day
Venmo (81.04) is a habit for splitting bills among friends, backed by PayPal, with revenue of about $1.7bn in FY2025. Chime (80.36) built its name on everyday accounts without monthly charges, and SoFi (78.98) holds a national bank charter, so its deposits are FDIC insured. Cash App (78.28) has 59 million monthly transacting actives.
Lenders and investors fill the rest. Rocket Mortgage (78.40) turned the mortgage into a largely digital process. Affirm (78.00) grew revenue 32% to $4,261.1M in FY2026. Robinhood (77.28) opened investing to everyday users at zero commission, and its revenue rose 52% in FY2025.
Crypto: trust at the edges
Three crypto exchanges rank in America, and they show how wide the trust range is. Coinbase (77.62) is publicly listed, US-regulated and holds customer assets 1:1. Kraken (73.94) was an early publisher of proof-of-reserves audits. Gemini (65.10, US #99) lost about $583M in 2025, and its Gemini Earn program froze customer funds in 2022.
Where the industry is exposed
Regulators are the biggest risk. The CFPB fined Chime in 2024 and ordered Block to pay $175M over Cash App fraud handling in 2025. The US Justice Department sued Dave in 2024 over its fees. Robinhood has a history of penalties, and Kraken settled with the SEC in 2023. Lenders such as Zip, Harmoney, Upstart and Oportun are exposed to rising bad debts, and Remitly faces US immigration policy changes and a new tax on remittances.
Five things that will define the industry
- Whether values-led fund managers keep their lead as American apps grow.
- How regulators treat American payment apps after recent CFPB actions.
- Whether crypto exchanges can win mainstream trust as prices swing.
- How Zip and other buy-now-pay-later lenders manage rising bad debts.
- Whether an Indian fintech brand enters the Most Trusted D2C ranking next year.
The combined table: all 25 brands by score
| # | Brand | US | ANZ | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Australian Ethical | — | #21 | 81.96P |
| 02 | Simplicity | — | #24 | 81.84P |
| 03 | Milford | — | #28 | 81.36P |
| 04 | Venmo | #12 | — | 81.04P |
| 05 | Chime | #15 | — | 80.36P |
| 06 | SoFi | #30 | — | 78.98P |
| 07 | Rocket Mortgage | #32 | — | 78.40P |
| 08 | Wealthfront | #33 | — | 78.34P |
| 09 | Cash App | #34 | — | 78.28P |
| 10 | Affirm | #38 | — | 78.00P |
| 11 | Remitly | #40 | — | 77.84P |
| 12 | Coinbase | #43 | — | 77.62P |
| 13 | Zip | — | #44 | 77.50P |
| 14 | Robinhood | #45 | — | 77.28P |
| 15 | Fisher Funds | — | #50 | 76.78P |
| 16 | Raiz Invest | — | #67 | 74.14P |
| 17 | Kraken | #69 | — | 73.94P |
| 18 | LendingClub | #71 | — | 73.66P |
| 19 | Dave | #72 | — | 73.60P |
| 20 | Harmoney | — | #70 | 73.38P |
| 21 | Upstart | #83 | — | 71.04P |
| 22 | Oportun | #85 | — | 70.48P |
| 23 | Wisr | — | #91 | 68.16P |
| 24 | Gemini | #99 | — | 65.10P |
| 25 | Beforepay | — | #99 | 63.70P |
P Provisional score. Unmarked scores are published scores carried over from the World's Most Powerful 100 Brands 2026 or validated by WCRC.
The industry in full, ranking by ranking
America's Most Trusted D2C Brands 2026
16 Fintech & Financial Services brands. See the full ranking
| Rank | Brand | Owner | Founded | Score | Latest revenue (as per company filings) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #012 | Venmo | PayPal Holdings | 2009 | 81.04P | $1.7B Venmo revenue (FY2025, up about 20% excluding interest on customer balances) |
| #015 | Chime | Chime Financial | 2012 | 80.36P | $2,186.8M revenue, FY2025 ($2,186,770K) |
| #030 | SoFi | SoFi Technologies | 2011 | 78.98P | $3,613.4M GAAP total net revenue, FY2025 |
| #032 | Rocket Mortgage | Rocket Companies, Inc. | 1985 | 78.40P | $6,695M total revenue, net (FY2025, Rocket Companies; includes Redfin and Mr. Cooper from their 2025 acquisition dates) |
| #033 | Wealthfront | Wealthfront Corp. | 2008 | 78.34P | $365.0M total revenue, FY2026 (year ended 31 Jan 2026; $364,993K) |
| #034 | Cash App | Block Inc. | 2013 | 78.28P | $15,425.0M Cash App segment revenue (FY2025), of which $8,347.3M bitcoin revenue |
| #038 | Affirm | Affirm Holdings Inc. | 2012 | 78.00P | $4,261.1M total revenue, net (FY2026, ended Jun 30 2026, up 32%) |
| #040 | Remitly | Remitly Global | 2011 | 77.84P | $1,635.1M revenue (FY2025) |
| #043 | Coinbase | Coinbase Global | 2012 | 77.62P | $7,181.3M total revenue (FY2025); consumer transaction revenue $3,322.8M |
| #045 | Robinhood | Robinhood Markets, Inc. | 2013 | 77.28P | $4,473M total net revenues (FY2025, up 52%) |
| #069 | Kraken | Private | 2011 | 73.94P | $2.2B adjusted revenue (FY2025, up 33%) |
| #071 | LendingClub | LendingClub Corp. | 2006 | 73.66P | $998.8M total net revenue, FY2025 ($998,848K) |
| #072 | Dave | Dave Inc. | 2016 | 73.60P | $554.2M revenue, FY2025 (up 60%) |
| #083 | Upstart | Upstart Holdings, Inc. | 2012 | 71.04P | $1,043.9M total revenue (FY2025) |
| #085 | Oportun | Oportun Financial Corporation | 2005 | 70.48P | $956.7M total revenue (FY2025) |
| #099 | Gemini | Gemini Space Station Inc. | 2014 | 65.10P | $179.6M total revenue (FY2025, up 26%) |
Australia & New Zealand's Most Trusted D2C Brands 2026
9 Fintech & Financial Services brands. See the full ranking
| Rank | Brand | Owner | Founded | Score | Latest revenue (as per company filings) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #021 | Australian Ethical | Australian Ethical Investment Ltd | 1986 | 81.96P | A$129.5M operating revenue (FY2026, year ended 30 Jun 2026) |
| #024 | Simplicity | Simplicity Foundation, a New Zealand registered charity | 2016 | 81.84P | NZ$21.05M total income of the Simplicity Foundation, which owns the fund manager (FY2026, year ended 31 Mar 2026) |
| #028 | Milford | Private | 2003 | 81.36P | NZ$304.6M fee revenue, Milford Funds Ltd (FY2026, year ended Mar 2026) |
| #044 | Zip | Zip Co Ltd | 2013 | 77.50P | A$1,347.4M total income (FY2026, year ended 30 Jun 2026) |
| #050 | Fisher Funds | Toi Foundation, a Taranaki community trust | 1998 | 76.78P | NZ$228.6M fee income (FY2026, year ended Mar 2026) |
| #067 | Raiz Invest | Raiz Invest Ltd | 2016 | 74.14P | A$29.2M revenue (FY2026, year ended 30 Jun 2026) |
| #070 | Harmoney | Harmoney Corp Ltd | 2014 | 73.38P | A$145M revenue (FY2026, year ended 30 Jun 2026) |
| #091 | Wisr | Wisr Ltd | — | 68.16P | A$108.8M revenue (FY2026, year ended 30 Jun 2026) |
| #099 | Beforepay | Beforepay Group Ltd | 2019 | 63.70P | A$50.6M revenue (FY2026, year ended 30 Jun 2026) |
Questions people ask
- What is the most trusted D2C fintech brand in 2026?
- Australian Ethical, with a WCRC D2C Trust Score of 81.96. It ranks #21 in Australia & New Zealand's Most Trusted D2C Brands 2026.
- What is the most trusted American D2C fintech brand?
- Venmo, with a score of 81.04 (#12 in America's Most Trusted D2C Brands 2026).
- Which New Zealand fintech brands are in the 2026 rankings?
- Simplicity (81.84), Milford (81.36), Fisher Funds (76.78) and Harmoney (73.38).
- How many fintech brands are in WCRC's 2026 Most Trusted D2C rankings?
- 25: 16 in America's ranking and nine in Australia & New Zealand's. India's ranking has none in this industry.
- Which crypto exchanges are in the 2026 rankings?
- Coinbase (77.62), Kraken (73.94) and Gemini (65.10), all in America's Most Trusted D2C Brands 2026.
Methodology in brief
This analysis groups every brand from WCRC's Most Trusted D2C Brands rankings of 2026 into newsroom industries and compares them on the scores, ranks and facts published in those rankings. The WCRC D2C Trust Score rates each brand from 0 to 100 across seven pillars led by Consumer Trust and Sentiment, Brand Recall, Brand Positioning and Brand Love. The detailed methodology is available on request.
About WCRC. WCRC (World Centre for Research and Consulting) is an independent research and consulting organisation. It publishes brand rankings including the World's Most Powerful 100 Brands, regional and national Most Powerful 100 Brands rankings, and national Most Trusted D2C Brands rankings, through its sites wcrcint.com, wcrcleaders.com and mostvaluablebrands.com. The WCRC Intelligence Unit publishes research briefings and industry analysis.
© 2026 World Centre for Research and Consulting (WCRC). This article may be quoted with attribution to WCRC and a link to this page.