Finance

30 Under 30 Finance 2025: Game-Changing Innovators in Fintech and Wall Street

Credit card transactions often lack detailed information about the recipients, making it difficult for banks to determine whether they're sending money to a bakery, a marijuana dispensary, or even a fraudulent operation. “Banks are using data systems from the 1960s,” says Oban MacTavish, 29, who co-founded Spade alongside Cooper Hart, 28, and Tess Bloch, 30. Through strategic data partnerships, AI, and human review, the three-year-old New York City-based startup has developed comprehensive databases covering tens of millions of businesses, helping banks access accurate details about merchants, their business categories, and locations.

This information is crucial for financial institutions battling credit and debit card fraud, which cost banks $36 billion globally in 2023, according to Nilson. Today, Spade employs 18 people and processes over $1 billion in monthly transactions for more than 20 clients, including Stripe and Corpay. The company has raised $16 million in funding from investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Gradient Ventures, and Flourish.

TECH

From Support to Scandal: How a Tech Charity Imploded Over Gaza

SMiliaku Nwabueze, a senior program manager at Code for Science & Society, had long been concerned about the role of technology in state violence. Then, on October 7 of the previous year, Hamas attacked Israel, killing and kidnapping around 1,400 people. Less than a week later, as Israel began its deadly retaliation and ordered 1.1 million Palestinians to evacuate northern Gaza, Nwabueze decided to send a message to her colleagues via the US-based nonprofit's Slack channel.

“Hey y’all … I have been watching multiple genocides around the world,” she began, mentioning Palestine, Sudan, the Congo, and Artsakh. “All of these are deeply connected to the tech industry.” The 30-year-old went on to suggest that CS&S – which aims to “advance the power of data to improve the social and economic lives of all people” – should at least express support for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“Can this be a topic of discussion at our next All-Hands meeting?” she asked.

Six of the organization’s 12 core staff members responded positively, using the “100 [percent]” emoji.

However, Nwabueze did not expect her brief Slack message to spark a chain of events that would eventually unravel the organization, leading to the resignation of nearly all core staff members and the firing of two, including Nwabueze herself in September of this year.

CRYPTO

Bitcoin Soars Past $100,000 as Trump 2.0 Sparks Crypto Frenzy

Bitcoin soared past $100,000 for the first time on Thursday, a milestone that even skeptics are acknowledging as a turning point for digital assets. Investors are betting on a pro-crypto U.S. administration to solidify cryptocurrencies' role in financial markets. After crossing the $100,000 mark in Thursday's Asian morning, fueled by President-elect Trump's nomination of crypto supporter Paul Atkins to head the Securities and Exchange Commission, Bitcoin quickly reached an all-time high of $103,619. It was last trading at $102,675, marking a 5% increase for the day.