How to Scale a Fintech Company in a Volatile Market
Tracking engagement doesn’t suffice—brands must dive further into which users stay, what keeps them around, and where potential customers drop off before converting.
The cryptocurrency and fintech sectors are maturing. After a time of expansion, we’re now entering what is likely to be a period of consolidation, driven by the increasing focus on regulation. For many small businesses, this will be a pivotal moment, where strong growth strategies will be needed to prevent business failures.
So, how can crypto and fintech businesses approach growth in a volatile sector at a time of consolidation?
What does it mean to grow in crypto and fintech today?
Scaling in crypto and fintech used to mean growing at all costs – chasing users, burning cash, expanding globally. It was heavy work in a cut-and-thrust industry that created many casualties. Data from CoinGecko shows that more than 24,000 cryptocurrencies have been listed on its website since 2014. Of that total, just over 14,000 have since died. Meanwhile, 75% of investor-backed fintech startups ultimately fail. With such a high attrition rate, it’s clear that that strategy was unsustainable. With lessons learned, we’ve moved into a new era, where successful growth is driven by strategic scaling.
Growth Strategies for Today’s Crypto and Fintech Brands
Data-Driven Decisions
If you’re looking for advice on how to scale in any tech or finance industry, time and again you’ll find the words, “Data is your best asset – use it wisely.” In volatile markets, you can’t afford to guess what’s working. Every decision needs to be backed by data.
At Iconomi, we don’t just track engagement – we analyse which users actually stay, what keeps them around, and where potential investors drop off before converting. So, when we noticed that users hesitated at the final step of portfolio creation, we ran A/B tests on our onboarding process. Minor tweaks were made and we ultimately increased our conversion rates by over 600%.
Most people don’t leave a platform because they dislike the product. They leave because something confused them, slowed them down, or broke their trust. And data can show you where those problems lie, providing insights on how to remedy them.
While fintech is slowly becoming more mainstream, crypto remains intimidating to the average investor. So, finding out what works, what doesn’t, and what’s holding your users back is integral to not just adding new users, but making sure they stick around.
User Experience
When you’re working in an industry that feels slightly ‘other,’ user experience (UX) becomes paramount. If your UX makes customers feel uncertain, they’ll leave. So, a frictionless experience – intuitive interface and design, no hidden costs, no surprises, a mobile-first approach – is crucial.
The best fintech companies today aren’t just competing on features – they’re competing on simplicity. So, the less complex and technical the platform is, the more likely it is to be able to scale, because it opens the door to non-crypto/fintech natives.
Niche Focus
In any business model, it’s really easy to spread yourself too thinly. Too many startups fail because they try to appeal to everyone and end up with no real audience. Scaling in 2025 isn’t about attracting as many users as possible. It’s about attracting the right ones and keeping them engaged.
When you focus on a niche group, it becomes possible to tailor everything to their specific needs, from product features to marketing. This not only helps you attract your core audience, but to retain it. Once you’ve answered the needs of your niche, and put systems in place to ensure that your business continues to evolve to meet your core customer’s needs, you may be able to look at scaling to meet similar markets. But maintaining that core niche is essential.
Trust
Where any financial processes are involved, trust is integral. But in fintech and crypto, trust isn’t just another marketing strategy – it’s the entire game. The cryptocurrency industry’s reputation, in particular, has taken major hits in recent years. With scams, collapses, and bad actors, the entire industry was harmed, and the fall out from that continues.
At this point, the only companies that will survive will be the ones who can prove they are legitimate, transparent, and built for the long haul. There’s a rumbling consensus that regulation will make or break fintech and crypto companies, but that’s really how it should be. If you can’t tow the line and stand up to the safeguarding standards implemented by the regulators, then you shouldn’t be trusted with other people’s money.
Too many crypto startups have treated regulation as a burden. That’s a mistake—not just on a moral level, but on a business one. Regulation is the gateway to mass adoption, so it’s always been front and centre for Iconomi. We’re already prepared for MiCA regulation in the EU. And clear security protocols were not only embedded into the foundation of the business, but we keep them public so investors know exactly where their funds are.
We’re already at a point where regulated platforms are the only ones banks and institutions trust. And despite crypto’s unorthodox origins, it’s not going to be long before consumers share that view. So, if you’re ignoring compliance, you’re writing your own exit strategy.
Transparency
If there’s one fundamental shift in the approach to business in the last decade, it has to be the drive towards transparency. Consumers and investors are tired of the hype. They don’t want to hear big promises – they want to see proof. That means upfront communication, with no hidden risks. And third-party security audits, because if you’ve got nothing to hide, there’s no reason not to prove it.
Education and Authority
The reason why crypto has remained a niche investment for so many years is because most people don’t invest in what they don’t understand. So, while a lack of regulation may have been a deterrent to some would-be investors, for the majority, it’s a lack of knowledge that has held them back.
Traditional investors know about stocks, ETFs, and real estate. Crypto is a foreign country. If you’re going to make a success of crypto or fintech, you need to help your customers to see the product or system through a lens they already understand. For Iconomi, for instance, that means creating content that translates crypto into traditional finance terms. And by providing live Q&A sessions with real investors, we help them understand the process more.
Growth in crypto and fintech is no longer about ruthless investment and territory grabbing. To be in it for the long haul, you have to invest in your customers. That starts with security, transparency, and user experience, and continues with education, guided at all points by data. Your goal as a crypto or fintech business is to make your users comfortable enough to invest. Once you’ve done that, you’re more than halfway there.
