The Boom
Over the last 10–15 years, a new wave of financial technology companies has fundamentally reshaped how people move, store, and manage money. Companies like Wise, Revolut, Chime, Cash App, Venmo, PayPal, N26, Monzo, and dozens of others have gained explosive global popularity by promising what traditional banks couldn't deliver:
- Instant account setup — no branch visits, no paperwork
- Lower fees — especially for international transfers
- Sleek mobile-first interfaces — banking from your couch
- Multi-currency wallets — one account, 50+ currencies
- Business accounts in minutes — freelancers, LLCs, startups
The pitch was compelling: banking without the bullshit. And for many users, it worked — at first. These platforms collectively serve hundreds of millions of users worldwide and process trillions of dollars annually.
The Problem
But with all big tech, there's a problem. These companies operate in a regulatory grey zone. They're not traditional banks — most are licensed as money transmitters, payment processors, or e-money institutions. That distinction matters, because it means:
Deposit protection not guaranteed
FDIC coverage depends on account type and settings you opt into. An unknowing user could easily be unprotected.
Automated enforcement
Algorithms freeze accounts. Humans are optional — and it's getting worse as companies shift to AI-driven support.
Jurisdictional arbitrage
Operations span countries to dodge specific regulations.
No branch, no face
Disputes handled by chatbots and scripted agents.
When something goes wrong — a payment held, an account frozen, a fee taken for a service that was then revoked — you're left navigating an intentionally opaque support system designed to exhaust you into giving up.
Traditional banks have branches you can walk into, human managers you can escalate to, and regulators with real teeth. Fintechs have a chat widget and a terms of service that says they can do whatever they want.
⚠️ This is not a call for violence against bankers, fintech executives, or anyone else, jackasses. It's a call for regulatory submission fests, public accountability, and possible class actions. Legally. Enthusiastically.
Why I'm Taking This So Seriously
Seriously? Is that even a question?
Look around. The world is crumbling. Every institution you were told to trust is either corrupt, complicit, or conveniently looking the other way. The systems that are supposed to protect regular people? They protect the people running the systems.
And while all of that is happening — while the walls are closing in from every direction — people like us are out here trying to do the right thing. Playing by the rules. Filing taxes. Setting up accounts the legal way. Running legitimate businesses. Doing everything by the book.
And on top of all that?
They're fucking with our MONEY.
And that's where it gets real.
Freeze an account for months with no explanation. Take fees for services you revoked. Hold transfers hostage behind “compliance reviews” that never end. Force people into a chatbot maze designed to make them give up.
When you mess with someone's livelihood — their rent money, their business payroll, their ability to eat — you're not just providing bad service. You're making a decision that has real consequences on real human lives. And then you hide behind a Terms of Service that you wrote.
So yeah. I'm taking this seriously.
Because nobody else is. Because the regulators are underfunded and overwhelmed. Because the media only cares when the dollar amount has enough zeroes. Because tech companies have figured out that the cost of screwing people over is less than the cost of doing the right thing — so they just budget for the complaints and keep going.
When you fuck with people's money, shit gets real.
This site is the “real.”
🔒 DISCLAIMER: Nothing on this page is a threat, an incitement, or a call for violence of any kind against any person or institution. This is consumer advocacy. We're talking about filing complaints, submitting regulatory reports, building class actions, and making public records. That's it. If you read this and thought otherwise, re-read it. Slowly. Then maybe read the First Amendment while you're at it.
Why This Site Exists
Fintech Fuckery exists because the people getting screwed over by these platforms don't have a centralized place to document what happened, build a public record, and show that they're not alone.
This is not a law firm. This is not a class-action recruitment site. This is a public, not-for-profit archive of real experiences from real people — with timelines, receipts, and regulatory filings — so that when the next person gets burned, they have proof that it's a pattern, not a fluke.
Because if it happened to you, it happened to hundreds of others. And the receipts matter.