TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2025: Plaid
Chances are decent that some of the apps that run your financial life—from how you pay friends back for dinner to how you invest—have a common connection: Plaid. Connecting over 12,000 financial institutions and 8,000 fintech apps including Robinhood, Venmo, and Google Wallet, Plaid provides the digital plumbing through which money flows. 'I don't want to give ourselves too much credit, but I think we were a meaningful part of helping financial services become as digital as they are today,' says co-founder and CEO Zach Perret. The sheer breadth of its connections offers Plaid a uniquely comprehensive view of financial activity, which it now leverages to combat fraud. In 2024, it also began using real-time cash flow data to help businesses go beyond credit scores when assessing consumer risk levels. The startup, valued at $6.1 billion, says this opens new avenues for immigrants, gig workers and others with limited credit profiles to access loans.
Disclosure: Investors in Plaid include Salesforce, where TIME co-chair and owner Marc Benioff is CEO.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Cathie Wood's Ark Invest Cashes Out $109 Million Out Of Circle Internet Stock As Shares Spike, Pivots Into Robinhood And These Chip Stocks
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. On Monday, Cathie Wood-led Ark Invest made significant trades involving Circle Internet Group Inc. (NYSE:CRCL), Robinhood Markets Inc. (NASDAQ:HOOD), Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD), and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd (NYSE:TSM). These trades highlight Ark's strategic positioning in the market amidst evolving industry dynamics. The Circle Internet Trade Ark Invest executed a notable sell-off of Circle Internet shares across multiple ETFs, including Ark Fintech Innovation ETF (BATS:ARKF), ARK Innovation ETF (BATS:ARKK), and the ARK Next Generation Internet ETF (BATS:ARKW). The sale amounted to a total of 415,844 shares. Circle shares surged more than 9% on Monday, closing at $263.45. At that price, the value of Ark's trade totaled $109.55 million. Trending: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — This move comes as Circle's stock reached new heights following its announcement of a partnership with Fiserv to develop stablecoin-enabled solutions for financial institutions. The collaboration aims to enhance the adoption of stablecoins within the Fiserv ecosystem. The Robinhood Trade Ark Invest's ARKK fund acquired 319,640 shares of Robinhood Markets Inc. Robinhood stock closed at $76.35 on Monday, valuing the transaction at $24.4 million. This purchase follows a recent trend where a Robinhood director sold millions in shares, yet the stock continues to show potential for gains. As of June 2025, director Baiju Bhatt sold up to $31 million worth of stock, according to an earlier report. It should be noted, however, that another director, Christopher Payne, purchased nearly $2 million worth of stock in the same period. The AMD Trade Ark Invest made a sizable move on AMD, with its ARKF, ARKK, and ARKW funds collectively picking up 130,256 shares. AMD closed at $129.58 on Monday, putting the total value of the trades at $16.9 million. This decision aligns with recent positive analyst forecasts, which predict a potential rally of over 36% for AMD. The stock's recent surge is attributed to rumors of a significant 'GPU win' with Amazon Web Services and a favorable analyst rating update from Piper TSMC Trade Ark's ARKK and ARKW funds acquired a total of 65,102 shares of TSMC. This move follows a series of analyst upgrades for TSM, driven by its strategic positioning in the semiconductor industry. With TSMC closing at $210.32 on Monday, the trades were worth approximately $13.7 million. Analysts have been boosting their ratings, recognizing TSM's critical role in the global tech supply chain, as reported by Benzinga. Other Key Trades: ARKW and ARKF added 4,198 shares of Coinbase Global Inc (COIN). The transaction in the platforms that allows for trading in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) and Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) was valued at $1.3 million. ARKF, ARKW and ARKK together purchased 112,658 shares of Shopify Inc. (SHOP). Read Next: Invest early in CancerVax's breakthrough tech aiming to disrupt a $231B market. Back a bold new approach to cancer treatment with high-growth potential. If there was a new fund backed by Jeff Bezos offering a 7-9% target yield with monthly dividends would you invest in it? Photo Courtesy: ChrisStock82 on This article Cathie Wood's Ark Invest Cashes Out $109 Million Out Of Circle Internet Stock As Shares Spike, Pivots Into Robinhood And These Chip Stocks originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Miami Herald
5 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Taco Bell makes major business move to answer consumer trend
Anyone who has experienced the broke college student era knows Taco Bell is the go-to spot when you only have $5 left in your bank account after a long weekend bender. The downside of going out with friends is that most places no longer accept split checks, so people have resorted to online payment services to repay one another while keeping their accounts secure. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter However, transferring that money is an extra step many are too lazy to take. In addition, the transaction sometimes comes with a fee. Related: Taco Bell announces new menu items to battle McDonald's Slowly but surely, retail and food chains have started to allow these forms of payment so consumers can more conveniently make purchases. Although a significant development, if this move had been made sooner, it would've prevented many of us from having awkward card declines at fast-food chains and a couple of skipped meals. Yum! Brands' (YUM) Taco Bell is adding two new digital payment options when customers order via its website or mobile app. Starting today, Taco Bell customers may now use PayPal (PYPL) or Venmo as payment methods at checkout. To encourage fans to use these new payment methods, Taco Bell is offering 20% cash back until July 31 on any order over $5, with a maximum of $10 cash back. More Retail News: McDonald's brings back unexpected breakfast item after 6 yearsIconic fast-food burger chain announces late-night hours expansionMcDonalds' menu brings back breakfast items Chick-fil-A fans love Those purchasing with PayPal can download the app and save the new Taco Bell offer on the deals tab, place their order in the Taco Bell app or website, and choose PayPal when checking out. The cash back will then be reflected in the customer's PayPal account. PayPal Debit Mastercard holders may also earn an additional 5% cash back if they select restaurants as their monthly cash back category. This latest business move is part of Taco Bell's Relentlessly Innovative Next-Generation Growth (R.I.N.G.) plan, focusing on menu innovation and enhancing its digital sales experience. The strategy aims to increase the fast food chain's U.S. average unit volume (AUV) from last year's $2.2 million to $3 million and expand its brand recognition internationally by tripling its current store count. The chain plans to accomplish these goals by 2030. Adding PayPal and Venmo at checkout gives fans faster and more flexible ways to purchase their meals, prompting them to choose Taco Bell over competitors with less convenient payment options. Although a recent innovation for Taco Bell, other major chain restaurants, including McDonald's (MCD) , Buffalo Wild Wings, and Panera Bread, have been accepting PayPal for a long time. This allows the Tex-Mex fast-food chain to better compete with rival brands and adapt to trends. Related: Taco Bell reveals 30 new menu items launching in 2025 PayPal is an online payment company that allows users to send and receive money and make online purchases more securely through its digital wallet, to which customers can link their bank accounts and debit or credit cards. The company acquired Braintree in 2013, making it the owner of Venmo, one of its brands. Venmo is also a mobile payment service. However, it has captivated younger audiences by implementing a social media aspect where users can add friends and comment on transactions. Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Time Magazine
6 hours ago
- Time Magazine
TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2025: Plaid
Chances are decent that some of the apps that run your financial life—from how you pay friends back for dinner to how you invest—have a common connection: Plaid. Connecting over 12,000 financial institutions and 8,000 fintech apps including Robinhood, Venmo, and Google Wallet, Plaid provides the digital plumbing through which money flows. 'I don't want to give ourselves too much credit, but I think we were a meaningful part of helping financial services become as digital as they are today,' says co-founder and CEO Zach Perret. The sheer breadth of its connections offers Plaid a uniquely comprehensive view of financial activity, which it now leverages to combat fraud. In 2024, it also began using real-time cash flow data to help businesses go beyond credit scores when assessing consumer risk levels. The startup, valued at $6.1 billion, says this opens new avenues for immigrants, gig workers and others with limited credit profiles to access loans. Disclosure: Investors in Plaid include Salesforce, where TIME co-chair and owner Marc Benioff is CEO.
