Hello Clever named in CB Insights fintech 100 list

Hello Clever has been named in CB Insights' 2026 Fintech 100, one of only two Australian companies on the global list.

The payments company was selected from more than 70,000 private fintechs worldwide and placed in the Payments section under cross-border payments. Now in its ninth year, the annual ranking covers companies from pre-seed to Series C.

CB Insights assessed companies using deal activity, industry partnerships, investor strength, hiring momentum and revenue. It also applied its own measures of each company's likelihood of success and commercial traction.

According to CB Insights, the 2026 cohort has raised USD $10.9 billion in equity funding and disclosed more than 330 partnerships since 2025. The research firm ranks the selected businesses among the top 10% of private companies globally for overall health and growth potential.

For Hello Clever, the listing comes during a period of overseas expansion. It has opened a New York office as its global headquarters, while keeping Sydney as its founding base and a major Asia-Pacific hub alongside teams in Singapore and Tokyo.

The company has also entered Latin America through a partnership with Infinia, covering Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay and Paraguay. Merchants can now sell into those markets through a single integration, with customers able to use local payment methods.

Earlier this year, the business appointed former Bolt President and Chief Executive Officer Justin Grooms as President. It also launched Clever Connect, a real-time payments platform aimed at software-as-a-service platforms, marketplaces and cross-border businesses.

Hello Clever was founded in Sydney in 2021 by Caroline Tran and Gavin Nguyen. It supports more than 27 currencies across global payment networks.

Industry focus

CB Insights said this year's list points to growth in parts of fintech that sit behind consumer-facing products. Many of the selected companies are working on problems such as moving money across borders, often supplying banks, lenders and other financial firms rather than competing directly with them.

Only one of the six sections in the ranking focuses on products for individuals. The remaining sections largely cover businesses serving companies and financial institutions.

Caroline Tran, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hello Clever, linked the company's inclusion to that shift in the market.

"Being named in the Fintech 100 is recognition of our team and what we're building," Tran said.

"Moving money across borders is still slow, costly and complicated for most businesses. We're building the infrastructure to fix that, connecting businesses to the right payment rail for every transaction."

Hello Clever said its platform connects businesses to multiple payment rails and providers through one system. It routes each transaction according to cost, speed and the customer's payment choice, aiming to help businesses enter new markets without rebuilding payment systems for each country or method.

Tran said the wider ranking reflects a change in where fintech companies are finding demand.

"The biggest opportunities in fintech now sit in the infrastructure underneath payments. That means working alongside banks, payment networks and providers, not against them. That's how we've built Hello Clever from day one."

The company framed the recognition as part of a broader international push since its launch in Australia.

"We started in Sydney in 2021 with a simple idea: money should move as fast as business does," Tran said.

"Every market and payment rail we connect makes it easier for our merchants to sell globally. This recognition tells us we're on the right track, and we're only getting started."