METHODOLOGY · THE FIREWALL
What can be earned,
and what can be bought.
Fintechly runs two things that look similar and are kept deliberately separate: editorial recognition, which is decided by journalists and cannot be purchased, and commercial membership, which buys a better profile and useful tools. This page explains the line between them.
THE ONE RULE
Money buys visibility. It never buys recognition.
EARNED · EDITORIAL · CANNOT BE BOUGHT
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The Fintechly 101
The 101 most influential people in fintech, published annually.
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The Fintechly 47
The 47 most significant fintech companies, published annually.
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The Fintechly Index
A rolling editorial index of people who matter, across Power Players, Rising Stars and Ones to Watch.
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The Fintechly Awards
21 categories judged against a published rubric by an independent panel.
COMMERCIAL · MEMBERSHIP · DOES NOT AFFECT RECOGNITION
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A claimed profile
Free. Verify you are who you say you are and keep your page accurate.
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Pro & Company membership
A verified badge, an enhanced page, featured placement, analytics and tools.
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Featured placement
Paid prominence in the Directory and sector pages. Always labelled as paid.
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Member Voices
Bylined commentary by a paying member. Always labelled sponsored. Never editorial.
THE FIREWALL, STATED PLAINLY
Membership buys a better profile, visibility and tools. It never buys a place on the Fintechly Index, the Fintechly 101, the Fintechly 47, or a Fintechly Award. Those are decided independently by editorial and cannot be purchased.
HOW THE LISTS ARE BUILT
Nominate freely.
Earn it on merit.
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01
Open nomination
Anyone can nominate a person or company, including themselves. Nomination carries no advantage and no cost.
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02
Editorial longlist
Fintechly journalists build a longlist from nominations, original reporting, and the year's events. Membership status is not a factor and is not visible to the list editors.
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03
Evidence & verification
Claims are checked. We weigh verifiable results over narrative. Where we cannot verify, we do not include.
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04
Final selection
Selections are made by the editorial team. Commercial staff have no vote and no veto. Conflicts are declared and recused in writing.
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05
Published & dated
Lists are published with the date they were decided. Corrections are logged publicly, as with all Fintechly editorial.
THE AWARDS RUBRIC
How entries are scored.
Results & impact (evidenced)
Hard, verifiable outcomes - growth, savings, access, market effect.
Innovation & differentiation
How genuinely new or distinctive the work is versus the field.
Execution & delivery
Quality of build, operations and follow-through.
Scalability & sustainability
Whether the result can endure and scale responsibly.
Quality of entry
Clarity, evidence and rigour of the submission itself.
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