Fintech Wars - by James Da Costa

About the Book

Discover the rivalries, conflicts and success stories from the fascinating world of fintech, from cryptocurrencies and NFTs to the rise of digital banking.

Book Synopsis

The Sunday Times Bestseller

Fintech touches every part of our lives, from cashless economies to crypto, and even our climate. This book draws back the curtain on this fascinating world full of friction, failure and fortune.

Fintech Wars delves into one of the world's most lucrative and fast-growing sectors. Witness the bold strategies, groundbreaking innovations, and relentless drive that propelled fintech unicorns like PayPal, Nubank and Monzo to transform the world. Featuring interviews with generational founders including Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn), Nigel Morris (Capital One), and Martha Lane Fox (Lastminute.com), the narrators of this book have built companies that represent over one trillion dollars in market capitalization.

As the founder of a digital bank, James da Costa is a fintech insider. He draws upon his network and first-hand experiences to offer a fascinating look into the intricacies and motivations behind building billion-dollar disruptors. Step into the fascinating, unpredictable and inspiring world of fintech.

Review Quotes

"A history-and much more-of the evolution of financial technology, Fintech Wars provides strategic insights along with some amazing stories of the characters and strategies that have built multi-billion businesses. Insightful and accessible, this is the book for people thinking about investing or working in fintech and also for those just curious about what all of the hype is about."-- "Jeffrey Pfeffer, Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business and author of 7 Rules of Power"

"An unmissable account of many of the most influential fintechs of our generation. James da Costa is a performance superstar and this book is just another example of his ability to get to absolutely everyone and find the story in everything."-- "Heidi Roizen, Partner at Threshold Ventures, Board Director at Planet Labs, Lecturer at Stanford, and Former VP of Worldwide Developer Relations at Apple"

"In one of the most extensive collections of fintech stories from across the world, James da Costa examines the success factors and failure modes of unicorn fintechs. A must-read for aspiring fintech entrepreneurs and business students."-- "Ali Tamaseb, bestselling author and Super Founders and General Partner at DCVC"

"James da Costa has the inside scoop on billion-dollar companies you know like PayPal as well as some you haven't heard of... yet. He takes those stories and breaks them down into lessons that everyone can use to start, or grow, their business."-- "Nicole Lapin, New York Times bestselling author and host of finance podcast Money Rehab"

"The principles mentioned in the book helped us build Nubank, and they will help you too."-- "David Vélez, CEO and Founder of Nubank"

About the Author

James da Costa is the co-founder and COO of digital bank, Fingo. He is a researcher at Stanford University's Digital Economy Lab and a guest lecturer at the University of Warwick. He is an expert and leading voice in the Fintech space and has been recognized as a Forbes 30 Under 30 and an MIT Innovator Under 35. He is a Diana Award recipient and is a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Goalkeeper. He is based in San Francisco, USA.