We recently compiled a list of the 13 Most Promising Fintech Stocks to Buy. In this article, we are going to take a look at where MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) stands against the other promising fintech stocks.

Global Fintech at a Glance

According to a report by Expert Market Research, the global fintech market was valued at $226.71 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow to $917.17 billion by 2032, at a compound annual growth rate of 16.8% between 2024 and 2032. CNBC has unveiled a comprehensive distribution of the fintech industry by category. Payments make up 20%, alternative finance 16%, neo banking 14%, wealth technology 12%, business process solutions 10%, financial planning 8%, banking solutions 10%, and digital assets 6%, of the industry.

The fintech market has witnessed a surge in growth over the last decade and continues to show resilience and strength. In research conducted by the World Economic Forum, 51% of fintech companies cited strong consumer demand for their services to be the main driver of growth. This trend remained consistent across all regions. Digital innovation by such fintech companies operating in developing economies has simply helped people escape the traditional banking system.

While the booming fintech sector is meant to offer the best of both worlds which means innovative banking and cutting-edge technology alongside safety, customers have recently encountered problems with safety and security. An estimated 100,000 Americans who were customers of fintech apps were locked out of their banking accounts in early May. This was after the bank-fintech middleman Synapse Financial Technologies filed for bankruptcy in April which led to the freezing of accounts for customers of its partner banks. Although the fintech apps in this scenario were relatively smaller as compared to dominant players, Hugh Son questioned the safety of the fintech model where fintechs partner with banks which is also followed by Chime and PayPal, in a talk with CNBC.

Regarding this, there has been a positive development for those using fintech apps whose funds can get stuck in case of a mishap. Recently, the U.S. banking regulator, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, proposed strengthened rules for banks working with fintech companies. Under these rules, such banks would have to identify the beneficial owners of each account and its balance. Hence, the proposal would ensure that third parties like Synapse would be allowed to maintain the records as long as the bank retains unrestricted access to that data even in the event of a middleman's bankruptcy.

Our Methodology:

In order to compile a list of the 13 most promising fintech stocks to buy, we first sifted through ETFs and online rankings to gather a preliminary list of 30 such stocks. We then selected the top 13 stocks that had the highest upside potential. The 13 most promising fintech stocks to buy are arranged in ascending order of their average upside potential, as of September 30. We have also supplemented our ranking with the number of hedge funds held by every stock, as of Q2 2024.

At Insider Monkey we are obsessed with the stocks that hedge funds pile into. The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

A customer using their phone to access an online commerce platform.

MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI)

Average Upside Potential: 8.97%

Number of Hedge Funds: 84

MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) is a leading fintech and e-commerce company in Latin America. The company has been democratizing commerce and financial services for 25 years. It has a presence in 18 countries including Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Colombia, and Peru.

MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) has emerged to be one of the leading fintechs in the region with its ecosystem as its competitive advantage. With financial services ripe for disruption in the firm’s markets, it successfully operates a fintech business that matches the lowest cost-to-serve in the region. Mercado has positioned itself well for market share gains across the region’s fintech landscape. Other than fintech, it operates as an e-commerce market leader in Latin America. Overall, the firm has a diversified mix of revenue with ample room for growth.

The firm delivered a good fiscal second quarter. The revenue increased by 42% year-over-year with a 20% increase in gross merchandise volume and a 36% increase in total payment volume. Net income climbed 103% as compared to the prior year period. The strength of MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) across its geographies is evident from revenue growth of 51% year-over-year in Brazil, 66% year-over-year in Mexico, and 36% year-over-year increase in its Others segment. The Commerce and Fintech revenue streams continue to grow, with 53% and 28% increases since 2023 respectively.

A large scale, a diversified mix of revenue, and low-cost structures with solid and sustainable profitability deem MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) an attractive fintech stock. As of September 30, the stock has an average upside potential of 8.97%.

Overall MELI ranks 6th on our list of the most promising fintech stocks to buy. While we acknowledge the potential of MELI as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some deeply undervalued AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for a deeply undervalued AI stock that is more promising than MELI but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.