Paystand, the blockchain-fueled B2B payments disruptor, just landed a coveted spot on CNBC and Statista’s list of the world’s top 300 fintechs—placing among the top 75 in the competitive payments category. That puts it in the same league as heavyweights like Stripe and Klarna, and marks a sharp rise for a company once tagged as a “Startup to Watch” in 2018.

For Paystand, it’s more than a ranking—it’s validation that decentralized finance is gaining serious traction in the B2B space.

From Promising Startup to Payments Power Player

CNBC and Statista’s annual fintech list is no lightweight roster. Selected from over 2,000 companies based on KPIs like revenue, user growth, and product innovation, this year’s top 300 features global juggernauts and a few strategic newcomers. Paystand is among 24 new entrants in the payments category, which accounts for a quarter of the entire list.

And while venture capital has cooled its feverish pace across fintech—Statista reports a slowdown in investment—Paystand has bucked the trend. It’s grown capital-efficiently while processing over $14 billion through its blockchain-based network, all without charging transaction fees.

What Sets Paystand Apart?

At its core, Paystand’s model is built on the Bitcoin blockchain, positioning it not just as a fintech player, but as a pioneer in bringing decentralized finance (DeFi) into enterprise-level B2B transactions.

Instead of relying on checks or high-fee credit cards, businesses using Paystand can reportedly reduce payment costs by over 50% and accelerate cash collection by 30%. Even better, those funds reconcile automatically into enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.

This efficiency is driven by several recent innovations:

• ZeroCheck: A clever on-ramp for businesses still stuck on paper. It converts check images into digital payments.
• AI Smart Match: Automatically reconciles external direct deposits within ERPs—cutting down manual accounting work.
• Expanded ERP Integrations: Now playing nice with Acumatica and Microsoft Dynamics, alongside earlier integrations with NetSuite and Sage Intacct.
• Geographic Expansion: Paystand has officially entered Canada, offering EFT capabilities to mirror its U.S. ACH services.

And with the acquisition of TeamPay, the company has extended its reach to over one million payers.

A Blockchain Bet That’s Paying Off

Unlike most fintechs chasing growth via VC rounds, Paystand’s founder and CEO Jeremy Almond says the company has opted for infrastructure-first economics. “While most fintechs chase capital, we’ve built capital-efficient, decentralized infrastructure that helps businesses in the real economy escape the predatory nature of the legacy financial system,” he said.

It’s a not-so-subtle jab at traditional finance—and a clear signal of the company’s long-term ambitions.

Those ambitions extend to employee compensation in bitcoin, bitcoin-driven corporate education, and philanthropic investments via Paystand.org, which promotes blockchain-fueled financial inclusion in underserved communities. With regulatory headwinds easing around crypto, this strategic alignment with Bitcoin may give Paystand a competitive edge, especially as institutional appetite for digital assets rebounds.

Fintech’s Next Phase?

Paystand’s rise comes at a time of fintech recalibration. With interest rates up and VC money more selective, infrastructure-led fintechs—especially those with scalable, fee-free models—may have the upper hand.

B2B payments, in particular, remain one of the final frontiers of digital transformation. While consumer payments have been revolutionized by the likes of Venmo and Apple Pay, business-to-business transactions are still mired in old-school methods like checks, bank wires, and opaque fee structures.

By reimagining payments as a software-driven, blockchain-backed service, Paystand may be ahead of the curve—and just getting started.

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