Fiat Growth Newsletter #13

The Fintech Summit 2025

Hey, it’s Fiat!

It’s been a minute since we hit your inbox—we missed you. The good news? We’ve been busy behind the scenes building a killer calendar of hyper-curated events (35 of them, to be exact), writing playbooks for the next gen of fintech brands, and finalizing details for what we believe will be the fintech event of the year.

This issue takes just 7 minutes to read, but if you’re in a hurry, here’s the quick rundown:

• The FinTech Summit 2025: 200 of the most important people in fintech. One day. One room. No fluff. It’s happening June 17th in San Francisco’s Presidio.

• Robinhood Gold is Raising the Bar: Finance has never felt this fun, approachable, or useful. Robinhood’s new Gold offering shows what fintech looks like when you combine aspiration, loyalty, and education.

• BNPL Meets Burritos: DoorDash and Klarna have partnered to offer ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ for your next taco run. It’s bold, it’s brilliant—but also a little risky. We break down the good, the bad, and what it means for fintech’s role in consumer wellness.

Happy reading,

Team Fiat 🚀

The FinTech Summit

200 leaders. One day. The room where the future of finance takes shape.

June 17th | Golden Gate Club

The Presidio, San Francisco

200 leaders. One day. The room where the future of fintech takes shape.

Fiat is hosting 35 events this year—but only two are summits. This is the first one. And it’s designed to be the single most valuable room you’ll step into all year.

The FinTech Summit is not your average industry event. It’s a hyper-curated experience with only 200 seats, reserved for the sharpest minds in fintech—founders, operators, and VCs shaping the next decade of financial innovation.

Every attendee is hand-selected through an application process. That means no guesswork. No wasted conversations. Just pure signal. Everyone in the room has something to offer—and something to gain. 

We’ll be joined by speakers including Mike Tannenbaum (CEO, Figure), Marco Mahrus (CRO, Bridge), Jason Mok (Head of Partnerships, Brex), Betsy Cohen (CEO, Cohen Circle), Avlok Kohli (CEO, AngelList), Stefany Bello (Head of Digital Partnerships, Mastercard), Nick Gilbert (CPO, Stellar Development Foundation) and many more.

The day is designed for high-impact interactions, with high profile fireside chats with the top leaders in fintech, two structured speed networking sessions (inspired by the breakout success of FinTech Meetup), built-in whitespace for meaningful connection, and no fluff content. Just candid, behind-closed-doors discussions with people who get it—people who are building it.

• This is where new partnerships start.

• Where deals get unlocked.

• Where fintech’s next chapter takes shape.

If you’re building something real, scaling something fast, or investing in what’s next—you should be here.

Attendance is application-only to ensure every conversation is high-value.

Apply now to reserve your spot. Access isn’t sold. It’s earned.

Apply here for your exclusive invitation.

See you in June.

Fiat Growth & Fiat Ventures

This issue is brought to you by The Fintech Summit.

Robinhood Gold is Raising the Bar

Making Finance Fun Again

Let’s be real: most premium financial services were built for people with seven-figure portfolios and private bankers on speed dial. White-glove wealth management? Invitation-only travel perks? Tax advisors named Preston? All of it was reserved for the ultra-wealthy. 

But Robinhood is flipping the script. With Robinhood Gold, they’re giving everyday investors access to elite-level financial tools—while keeping it fun, intuitive, and actually useful. And honestly, it's one of the most thoughtful lifecycle marketing strategies we’ve seen in fintech.

Here’s what you get (and why it hits):

• 4% Yield on Cash – Just for parking your money. This beats your savings account, easily.

• On-Demand Cash Delivery – Yes, money literally shows up at your door. (yes, ridiculous but kinda cool lol)

• VIP Event Access – Met Gala, Coachella, Oscars-level invites.

• Private Jets & Luxury Hotels – High-end travel, now part of your portfolio.

• AI Assistant (Cortex) – Real-time investment insights that don’t sound like finance bros yelling about stocks.

• Wealth Management Capped at $250K/Year – Active portfolio management for a flat fee. That’s wild.

Robinhood is doing what most fintechs talk about but rarely deliver—moving from transactional to aspirational. They’ve built trust with a massive base of first-time investors, nailed the product experience, and now they’re scaling up with perks that feel like they belong to people who “made it”—without forgetting the people still on their way up. It’s a clear evolution: keep the experience approachable, but make the customer feel like they’re leveling up.

They’ve also nailed something more subtle: fun. Finance has been stiff and exclusive for decades. Robinhood Gold is changing that—while still prioritizing clarity, education, and responsibility. Most of their users are middle-income, many just getting started with wealth building. That means Robinhood has a responsibility to not just hand over powerful tools—but to teach people how to use them. And so far, they’re threading the needle well.

This is more than just perks for show. Robinhood Gold is designed to deliver real value, elevate the customer experience, and reinforce long-term loyalty. It’s a smart retention play wrapped in an aspirational product.

Robinhood Gold isn’t just a subscription—it’s a signal. It’s redefining what premium finance can look and feel like in 2025. If you’re building in fintech, here’s the lesson: make your product feel personal, aspirational, and accessible—all at once. Educate your users. Elevate their experience. And make them feel like they’re part of something bigger. Big upside. Smart play. Real growth.

DoorDash x Klarna: Burritos Now, Pay Later

BNPL meets late-night cravings—but at what cost?

The Product

DoorDash has officially entered the Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) chat by teaming up with Klarna. That means yes—you can now finance your burrito. With this partnership, users can split the cost of their DoorDash orders over time, making fast food and late-night cravings even more accessible…financially speaking.

The Opportunity

BNPL continues to see explosive growth. The global market is projected to hit $560B+ by 2025, growing at over 13% annually. Adoption is being led by Gen Z and Millennials, with nearly half of both groups using BNPL services in the past year. It’s not just about financing bigger purchases anymore—it’s about creating financial flexibility across everyday spending, including food delivery.

The Challenge

Here’s where it gets murky. Offering flexible financing for one-off food orders feels risky—and a little predatory. For consumers already on the edge financially, giving them access to go into debt over a burrito or Taco Bell combo meal could be a slippery slope. The convenience is undeniable, and from a lifecycle marketing standpoint, it’s brilliant. 

But from a financial wellness lens? There are real concerns here.

BNPL can be empowering when used wisely, but without guardrails or education, it can just as easily become a debt trap disguised as convenience. This isn’t a $1,200 Peloton or a big-ticket electronics purchase—it’s a cheeseburger and fries.

The Takeaway

At Fiat Ventures, we believe deeply in financial mobility and inclusion. We back products that serve real needs, especially in underbanked and at-risk communities. And while we’re fans of Klarna’s innovation and DoorDash’s scale, we’re watching this one closely. Because the question isn’t “Will it work?”—it’s “Will it help?”

This rollout highlights the broader conversation we need to have about what we build, who we build it for, and the second-order effects of making instant gratification even more accessible through credit.

Cool product? Absolutely.

Smart growth play? Without question.

Financially responsible for everyday consumers? TBD.

We’ll be tracking this trend and its impact closely. And as always, we’re rooting for fintech that moves the world forward—one step (or one burrito) at a time.

That’s all for this edition. Cheers!

Fiat Growth Team