About Payments sector in North America
The Payments sector in North America comprises 6.84K companies, including 1.89K funded companies having collectively raised $99.6B in venture capital money and private equity. Out of these, 1.14K are Series A+ funded, and 39 have achieved unicorn status.
Payments sector in North America has seen 690 acquisitions and 74 IPOs. This represents almost 11.2% of all such companies - which is higher than the 5.0% exit rate of tech companies in general.
This sector includes companies which participate in traditional web based and offline payment cycle. Also includes companies which provide alternative mode of payment, companies which support the payment companies in terms of security, analytics, platform etc.
Payments sector is also known as Payments Tech, paytech or e-payments.
Gateways, PoS, Processors, Network, Wallets. Also includes companies which provide alternative modes of payment (cash, barter etc.), companies which support the payment companies in terms of security, analytics, platform etc. Mobile-based payment companies, payment card issuers, traditional banks which act as acquirers, b2b invoice settlement companies are excluded.
Top Payments Companies in North America
There are 6,836 Payments startups in North America which include Bill.com, Ramp, Brex, Square, Mogo. Out of these, 1,887 startups are funded, with 1,142 having secured Series A+ funding, and 39 achieving unicorn status.
Over the past 10 years, an average of 320 new companies have been launched annually. Notably, several of these startups have been founded by alumni of Stanford University, Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Here is the list of top Payments startups in North America
1. Bill.com
Cloud-based accounts payable and receivable software for businesses. Its features include invoice management, workflow approval management, payment management, reconciliation, automated billing, customer management, and more. It also offers solutions for international and domestic payment and ACH payment processing.
Key facts about Bill.com
- Founded Year: 2006
- Location: Palo Alto (United States)
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $326M
- Investors: August Capital, Icon Ventures and 28 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Post IPO, Nov 30, 2020, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 85/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 1 of 310 Competitors
2. Ramp
Provider of a spend management and accounts payable solutions. The platform provides corporate cards, expense management tools, and automated accounting features. It streamlines bill processing, integrates with accounting systems, and helps control spending through customizable policies and approval workflows. The platform aims to improve efficiency and reduce manual tasks for finance teams. It also offers travel and procurement solutions.
Key facts about Ramp
- Founded Year: 2019
- Location: New York City (United States)
- Stage: Series E
- Total Funding till date: $2.44B
- Investors: Founders Fund, Coatue and 59 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series E, Nov 17, 2025, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 83/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 2 of 197 Competitors
3. Brex
Online platform for financial tools that support business operations. It helps users manage spending and organize financial activity through structured digital features. The platform supports handling transactions, tracking expenses, and maintaining oversight in one place.
Key facts about Brex
- Founded Year: 2017
- Location: Draper (United States)
- Stage: Series D
- Total Funding till date: $1.2B
- Investors: DST Global, Greenoaks and 60 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Conventional Debt, Jan 13, 2025, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 82/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 5 of 358 Competitors
4. Square
AI-powered programmatic job advertising platform. The platform features in AI-powered job distribution to optimize talent acquisition. It partners with job boards across the US, UK, and other countries, targeting audiences via Google, Bing, social media, and niche sites for college grads, diversity hires, veterans, and more. It customizes campaigns to attract qualified candidates while controlling costs, serving fast-growing startups and companies that have raised over dollor three fifty million in funding. Features include job ad exchanges for in-house hosting, CV screening, and integration with ATS providers.
Key facts about Square
- Founded Year: 2009
- Location: San Francisco (United States)
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $520M
- Investors: Victory Park Capital Advisors, Colchis Capital Management and 59 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Post IPO, Mar 03, 2020, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 82/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 3 of 6,488 Competitors
5. Mogo
Provider of an app-based platform for consumer loans and debt management solutions. It features an online account with a VISA reloadable prepaid card. It offers personal and mortgage loans to customers with a step-based interest rate, tools for checking credit scores, crypto trading platforms, and more. The application is available on Android and iOS devices.
Key facts about Mogo
- Founded Year: 2008
- Location: Vancouver (Canada)
- Stage: Public
- Investors: Fortress Investment, VERTU Capital and 7 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Post IPO, Jun 08, 2017, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 80/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 1 of 83 Competitors
Companies founded year-on-year in the Payments sector in North America
627 Payments startups in North America were founded in 2021 - this is the most number of startups founded in any year in the last 10 years.
- Total Number of Companies
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | - |
2025 | 25 |
2024 | 89 |
2023 | 242 |
2022 | 319 |
2021 | 627 |
2020 | 584 |
2019 | 532 |
2018 | 418 |
2017 | 365 |
Stage-wise distribution of Payments sector companies in North America
Out of the total 6,836 Payments companies in North America, 1,887 have secured funding. Among them, 1,142 have reached Series A or higher, and 947 to Series B or beyond.
Founded - 6,836
Funded - 1,887
Series A+ - 1,142
Series B+ - 947
Series C+ - 857
Company Stage | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Founded | 6,836 |
Funded | 1,887 |
Series A+ | 1,142 |
Series B+ | 947 |
Series C+ | 857 |
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Funding Trends in the Payments sector in North America
Total funding year-on-year in the Payments sector in North America
The Payments sector in North America saw a total funding of more than $75.1B in the last 10 years. The most amount of funding was in 2018 at more than $13.6B. There has been a total funding of $22M in 2026 till date.
- Total Funding
Year | Total Funding |
|---|---|
2026 | $22M |
2025 | $5.16B |
2024 | $4.79B |
2023 | $10.8B |
2022 | $9.27B |
2021 | $12.3B |
2020 | $8.5B |
2019 | $6.37B |
2018 | $13.6B |
2017 | $4.27B |
Recent Funding Rounds in Payments in North America
In the year 2026, till January 2026, Payments companies in North America have raised $22M in equity funding across 1 round.
In the same period last year (i.e. till January 2025), Payments companies in North America had raised $71.7M across 9 rounds.
So, 2026 has seen a 69.34% drop in funding in Payments companies in North America as compared to 2025.
Here are some recent, important funding rounds in Payments companies in North America:
Company | Round Raised | Amount Raised | Funding Date | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Series B | 5471 | Jan 07, 2026 | ||
Series D | 5436 | Dec 18, 2025 | ||
Seed | 6019 | Dec 12, 2025 | ||
Series C | 4796 | Dec 11, 2025 | ||
Seed | 2271 | Dec 05, 2025 | - |
Top Investors in Payments in North America
Y Combinator is the top investor in Payments companies in North America based on number of companies invested.
Here are some top investors in Payments companies in North America:
Investor | Location | Top Portfolio Companies |
|---|---|---|
Mountain View (United States) | ||
New York City (United States) | ||
Menlo Park (United States) | ||
Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) | ||
Palo Alto (United States) |
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M&A activity in Payments sector in North America
In the year 2026, till January 2026, 1 acquisition happened in Payments sector in North America. Last year, in 2025, a total of 39 acquisitions happened in Payments sector in North America.
Here are some recent, important acquisitions in Payments sector in North America:
Company | Acquisition Type | Acquisition Date | Acquirers |
|---|---|---|---|
Business Acquisition | Jan 07, 2026 | ||
Business Acquisition | Dec 04, 2025 | ||
Business Acquisition | Dec 03, 2025 | ||
Business Acquisition | Dec 02, 2025 | ||
Business Acquisition | Oct 30, 2025 |
Acquisition trends in Payments sector in North America
Here are the acquisition trends in Payments sector in North America:
- Total Number of Acquisitions
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | 1 |
2025 | 39 |
2024 | 43 |
2023 | 33 |
2022 | 63 |
2021 | 80 |
2020 | 65 |
2019 | 47 |
2018 | 63 |
2017 | 49 |
IPOs in Payments in North America
In the year 2025, till May 2025, 2 IPOs happened in Payments sector in North America.
Here are some recent, important IPOs in Payments sector in North America:
Company | IPO Date | Exchange Symbol |
|---|---|---|
May 16, 2025 | Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FRA) | |
Feb 19, 2025 | National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) | |
Dec 08, 2023 | Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) | |
Nov 29, 2023 | National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) | |
Jun 14, 2023 | Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV) |
Colleges which produce the most Payments companies in North America
Companies founded by alumni from top colleges in the Payments in North America
Most number of Payments startups in North America have been founded by alumni from Stanford University, Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
College | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Stanford University | 60 |
Harvard University | 53 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 49 |
University of California (Berkeley) | 48 |
University of Pennsylvania | 37 |
Harvard Business School | 27 |
Carnegie Mellon University | 26 |
University of Chicago | 22 |
Columbia University | 20 |
Stanford Business School | 19 |
Total funding in Payments companies founded by alumni from top colleges in North America
In the last 10 years, Harvard University graduates' Payments companies in North America have raised the most funding among top colleges. Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni are second, and Stanford University alumni are third.
College | Total Funding |
|---|---|
Harvard University | $15.6B |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $13.4B |
Stanford University | $6.59B |
University of Chicago | $6.12B |
Wharton School | $3.01B |
University of California (Berkeley) | $2.22B |
Stanford Business School | $1.87B |
University of Pennsylvania | $1.78B |
Carnegie Mellon University | $1.5B |
Duke University | $1.47B |
Top News in Payments in North America
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Nuvei and FreedomPay Announce Partnership to Unify Enterprise Payments, GloballyPR Newswire•Jan 07, 2026•Nuvei, FreedomPay
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Shift4 Launches Global Stablecoin Settlement Platform, Unlocking Faster Payments for MerchantsBusiness Wire•Dec 22, 2025•Shift4
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PayPal Extends Stablecoin Role into AI Funding with USD.AI PartnershipPYMNTS.com•Dec 19, 2025•PayPal
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PayPal Applies for Bank License to Expand Small Business Lending; Wise and Revolut Explore Banking OptionsFinance Magnates•Dec 16, 2025•PayPal
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Logicbroker & PayPal Make Agentic Commerce Accessible to Merchants at ScaleChannelX•Dec 12, 2025•PayPal, Logicbroker
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Mastercard & TerraPay Partner to Expand Digital Wallet UsePYMNTS.com•Dec 11, 2025•TerraPay, Mastercard, HBX Group, Interchecks and 3 others
