Compared to traditional financial services businesses, fintech startups require different valuation approaches. This article explores these differences and the best practices to apply when appraising a fintech investment.
Read MoreToptal launches HireGlobal 🚀 The most competitively priced global workforce payroll platform.
Michael Valocchi
GM of Management Consulting
35 Years of Experience
Michael is a senior executive with more than 35 years of experience running strategic consulting practices at IBM, PwC, and, most recently, as Head of Consulting for the Americas at Cognizant. He is also a guest lecturer at Columbia and Baruch universities.
Previously At
Connect With Michael Now
MessageSend a Message
Fintech Consulting –
Drive Innovation in Finance
Transform financial experiences with Toptal’s Fintech Consulting. Our skilled consultants combine strategy and tech expertise to transform aging infrastructure, deliver customer-centric products, and drive growth in the rapidly evolving digital finance landscape.
Get a Free Consultation NowClients Served
25,000+
Vetted Professionals
20,000+
Toptal Total Projects Delivered
64,000+
Industries Served
300+
TRUSTED BY LEADING BRANDS
Our Services
Toptal Fintech Consulting Services
Accelerate innovation with Toptal’s Fintech Consulting services. Our services span strategy development, digital transformation, and product innovation—empowering financial services companies to thrive in a rapidly evolving market.
Fintech Strategy
Define a future-ready strategy that aligns fintech goals with market needs and regulatory demands.
Digital Banking Transformation
Transform legacy systems into agile, digital-first platforms that deliver seamless, personalized banking experiences across all touchpoints.
Fintech Product Design
Design intuitive fintech products that enhance usability, security, and engagement in financial ecosystems.
Blockchain Integration
Leverage blockchain technology for secure, scalable fintech solutions and decentralized finance models.
Regulatory and Compliance Consulting
Navigate complex global regulatory frameworks to promote compliance, reduce risk, and maintain customer trust.
Fintech App Development
Build secure, scalable, and user-centric fintech applications that drive trust, innovation, and growth.
Go-to-Market Strategy
Launch fintech solutions with comprehensive strategies that align messaging, positioning, and targeting to meet customer needs and drive adoption.
Legacy System Modernization
Modernize aging infrastructure with scalable, cost-effective fintech solutions that deliver agility and long-term value.
Customer Experience Optimization
Boost retention and satisfaction by reimagining user journeys and delivering hyper-personalized experiences.
Data and Analytics
Use data-driven insights to refine decision-making, prevent fraud, and uncover new revenue streams.
Payment System Architecture
Build reliable payment systems that power real-time, secure, and compliant financial transactions.
Bank and Credit Union Innovation
Empower credit unions and financial institutions with digital solutions that enhance experiences, streamline operations, and drive growth.
Looking for guidance about the perfect fintech consulting service for your needs?
Get a Free Consultation NowPARTNERSHIP THAT WORKS
How We Deliver Fintech Consulting
Our fintech consultants, with experience at leading companies, develop and deploy tailored solutions to meet your business needs and unique industry demands for sustainable results and long-term success.
1
Discover
A leader from our team assesses your business challenges, identifies opportunities, and recommends the most suitable engagement model.
2
Define
A Toptal leader will work with you to define your goals and service needs – from full end-to-end delivery to consulting services.
3
Develop
Once your service is defined and you have your talent or team on board, they will create your unique project timeline, process, and initial proposals, whether you’re modernizing legacy software or defining your digital banking strategy.
4
Deploy
Toptal will get to work, tracking quality assurance, handling project management, and maintaining the delivery schedule.
Michael Valocchi 
GM of Management Consulting
GM of Management ConsultingMichael is a senior executive with more than 35 years of experience running strategic consulting practices at IBM, PwC, and, most recently, as Head of Consulting for the Americas at Cognizant. He has focused his career on building consulting practices and advising clients on business, financial, and technology challenges, as well as leading business transformations for clients in a variety of industries.Michael is a senior executive with more than 35 years running strategic consulting practices at IBM, PwC, and, most recently, as Head of Consulting for the Americas at Cognizant. He is also a guest lecturer at Columbia and Baruch universities.
Previously At
CUSTOMIZED SOLUTIONS
Fintech Consulting Solutions That Deliver Value
Toptal delivers leading fintech consulting through its diverse talent network and flexible delivery models. We implement the right skills at each project phase, blending expertise from various roles for seamless execution.
- Managed Delivery by Toptal
- On-demand Talent and Teams
Managed Delivery by Toptal
End-to-end project delivery per your specific requirements.
GM of Management Consulting
Delivery Manager
Fintech Consultant
Fintech UX Designer
Fintech Product Manager
Fintech Growth Strategist
Payments Integration Developer
Cybersecurity Consultant
Michael Valocchi
GM of Management Consulting
Michael is a senior executive with more than 35 years running strategic consulting practices at IBM, PwC, and, most recently, as Head of Consulting for the Americas at Cognizant. He has focused his career on building consulting practices and advising clients on business, financial, and technology challenges, as well as leading business transformations for clients in a variety of industries.
Previously at
Experience
35+ Years
Brad DeFrank
Delivery Manager
Brad serves as a principal delivery manager at Toptal with a focus on implementing cutting-edge technology solutions for our clients. He works across our entire portfolio, driving impactful business outcomes for startups and Fortune 500 companies alike. Brad specializes in product and go-to-market strategy, management consulting, and process optimization.
Previously Managed Client
Experience
10+ Years
Michael Ang
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
29+ Years
of Experience
Fintech Consultant
An MIT MBA graduate, Michael served large corporations at Bain and helped build new businesses at firms backed by top-tier VCs (Kleiner Perkins, Mayfield, Softbank). He's led pricing work at a Silicon Valley firm acquired for $185 million and joined Toptal to work on challenging business problems. His work has led to the discovery of multimillion-dollar business optimization opportunities and contributed to a client’s multi-fold revenue increase.
Previously at
Lee Shea
Verified Expert in Design
20+ Years
of Experience
Fintech UX Designer
Lee is a multifaceted product designer with a passion for developing great products and services. He has led design at leading Fortune 500 companies along with numerous startups to launch their MVPs. Lee leverages business and customer insights to collaborate on design solutions that are highly engaging and easy to use.
Previously at
Christine Chen
Verified Expert in Product Management
18+ Years
of Experience
Fintech Product Manager
Christine Chen, CFA, is a fintech product leader specializing in data, credit, alternative investments, and payments. She focuses on AI and ML and shapes product vision, design, and development for optimal market fit. Christine's achievements span democratizing a DTC investment app, orchestrating a multi-million-dollar investment platform, leading AI product discovery for an asset management firm, and leading enterprise-wide cloud transformation of the world's largest financial data provider.
Previously at
Peer Hackman
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
32+ Years
of Experience
Fintech Growth Strategist
Peer is a strategy consultant and executive with experience at McKinsey, PwC, Capgemini, and C-suite roles (COO, CCO, CMO, CSO). He specializes in growth strategies, transformation, and scaling for enterprises and startups. With success in TMT, retail, and fintech, Peer excels at strategic planning and cross-functional leadership. He drives operational excellence, implements solutions, and ensures strategy execution. Peer optimizes operations and delivers results in dynamic environments.
Previously at
Tao Zhang
Verified Expert in Engineering
24+ Years
of Experience
Payments Integration Developer
Tao is a senior full-stack developer and architect who worked on over 14 million lines of code on large-scale, real-time acquisition software projects. He primarily focused on the back end for more than 11 years. Tao's expertise is mainly in C++, C#, Java, Python web development, performance optimization, and troubleshooting in Azure and AWS.
Previously at
Vanessa Wood
Verified Expert in Engineering
10+ Years
of Experience
Cybersecurity Consultant
Vanessa is an energetic and highly competent Certified Information Systems Security and Project Management Professional (CISSP, PMP). She has spent 10 years successfully directing complex technical programs for companies like Salesforce, Microsoft, and Boeing. Vanessa also has an excellent track record demonstrating leadership abilities, executive decision-making, complex problem-solving, detailed project planning, and effective communication.
Previously at
On-demand Talent and Teams
20,000+ vetted professionals, ready to deploy individually or in teams.
Fintech Product Manager
Fintech Consultant
Fintech UX Researcher
Information Security Expert
Financial Business Analyst
AI Developer
Fintech UX Designer
Data Architect
Blockchain Developer
Verified Expert in Product Management
10+ Years
of Experience
Fintech Product Manager
Carson is a seasoned product manager with ten years of experience designing data-intensive solutions. He developed a broad range of products, from early warning systems to high-throughput data architectures and software-as-a-service cloud components. Carson is a strategic thinker, passionate about helping businesses scale through data-driven design and automation, who has made outstanding contributions to both Fortune 500 companies and hypergrowth tech unicorns.
Previously at
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
17+ Years
of Experience
Fintech Consultant
Animesh has 17+ years of experience in asset classes, including startup investments, venture capital, private equity, real estate, equities, fixed income, structured products, and fund investments. He is an expert in PowerPoint (preparation of pitch decks, investment memorandums, transaction decks, strategic M&A due diligence reports) and Excel (detailed financial modeling, including startup models, M&A models, LBOs, Macros, VBA, data tables, valuations, accounting, and management dashboards).
Previously at
Verified Expert in Design
14+ Years
of Experience
Fintech UX Researcher
Mini has worked with a diverse array of clients for over a decade in New York City. She enjoys learning about different industries and their unique challenges, having worked with healthcare, finance, and technology companies, amongst others. Mini strongly believes that UX is about collaboration between the business, users, and technology. In every project, she uses various UX methods and deliverables to get the best results.
Previously at
Verified Expert in Engineering
10+ Years
of Experience
Information Security Expert
Emmanuel is a cloud security engineer with experience in systems auditing, application security, and secure cloud deployment. He has delivered sensitive technology projects across the East African region and globally in the public and private sectors. Emmanuel's experience is backed by three Microsoft Azure and two AWS certifications. He is a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH). Emmanuel holds an MSc in Information Technology from Carnegie Mellon and a BSc from USIU Africa.
Previously at
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
19+ Years
of Experience
Financial Business Analyst
Juba is the founder of angioClast, a Cambridge-based biotech startup focused on cancer research. Before entrepreneurship, Juba was a seasoned CFO with multi-industry experience and worked on projects, ranging from an equity sale of a $150 million telecom company to a $50 million hotel business turnaround. He joined the Toptal network to resolve diverse FP&A, M&A, buyouts, and strategic analysis challenges.
Previously at
Verified Expert in Engineering
10+ Years
of Experience
AI Developer
Lorenzo is a senior software engineer experienced in building robust and scalable applications. He has worked at BMW Innovation Labs, CynaxLabs, DP World, Interjoin, and Deloitte, where he took responsibility for finding solutions to emerging challenges and implementing them seamlessly. With a background in mechanical engineering, Lorenzo is a critical thinker and a skillful software and AI developer eager to embrace new experiences.
Previously at
Verified Expert in Design
25+ Years
of Experience
Fintech UX Designer
Anton is an award-winning creative UX leader with more than 25 years of experience designing user experiences. He is skillful in UX strategy, design, processes, user research, and prototyping, promoting design thinking methodologies. Anton's previous clients spring from various industries, including JPMorgan Chase Bank, Pfizer (site intelligence for clinical trials), Newmind (legal firm), Epidemic Sound (music licensing), Sirius Energy (alternative energy), Monex (fintech), Hilton, and more.
Previously at
Verified Expert in Engineering
21+ Years
of Experience
Data Architect
Hans is a senior full-stack developer with a master's degree in computer information systems and over 21 years of experience delivering software solutions. He is proficient in various stacks, languages, and databases, focusing on full-stack development using the JavaScript stack (React/Node.js), TypeScript, Python, and the Google Cloud Platform, including Firebase. Hans was a technical lead at startups and Fortune 500 companies like Deutsche Bank and is a resourceful contributor to any team.
Previously at
Verified Expert in Engineering
12+ Years
of Experience
Blockchain Developer
Qijiong is an experienced software engineer focused on the information technology and services industry. He is skilled in Python, Django, Node.js, machine learning, and blockchain technologies. He led a team that implemented an international payment system based on Ethereum integrated with a core banking system. Qijiong is a blockchain consultant with a strong engineering background and a Master's degree focused on machine learning.
Previously at
Looking for guidance about the perfect fintech consulting service for your needs?
UNRIVALED EXPERTISE
Our Talent Has Worked With Top Companies
Having previously worked with these leading global companies, our talent brings valuable insights and expertise to deliver world-class outcomes.
WHY ORGANIZATIONS CHOOSE US
Toptal in Action
Discover the cutting-edge benefits our clients enjoy from the global Toptal network.
Toptal boosts fintech company’s sign-ups by 200% with user-centered redesign.
Challenge: A fintech company had invested in a platform design that proved inadequate, leading to multiple costly development cycles that failed to meet user engagement and functionality goals.
Solution: Toptal initiated a user-centered design process and employed iterative design techniques to facilitate rapid feedback and continuous improvements. The team also implemented a data-driven decision-making framework, creating a scalable design system that enhanced user engagement and informed key design choices.
Outcome: Following the platform redesign, the company saw a 200% increase in user sign-ups, demonstrating the effectiveness and scalability of the revitalized platform. User engagement metrics also surged, with a 28% month-over-month increase in active users—evidence that the redesign was contributing to improved retention.
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Explore Insights From the Fintech Field
Read the latest articles and resources to keep you current on emerging trends in fintech strategy consulting, digital banking, blockchain integration, and more.
Verified Expert in Product Management
Fintech Consulting Related Offerings
Explore Related Services and Roles
Pair Toptal’s Fintech Consulting with related competencies to effectively tackle your business challenges.
Strategy ConsultingFinance ConsultingFinance Transformation ConsultingIT Strategy ConsultingUI Design ServicesUX Design ServicesUX Research ServicesWeb Design ServicesResponsive Web Design ServicesWeb App Design ServicesMobile App Design ServicesBrand Design ServicesRebranding ServicesFront-end Development ServicesFull-stack Development ServicesSoftware Prototyping ServicesApplication Modernization ServicesProduct Design ServicesDigital Transformation ConsultingContent Strategy Services
Looking for guidance about the perfect fintech consulting service for your needs?
Get a Free Consultation Now