The Startup Media Session showcases emerging companies and award-winning innovators shaping the future of financial services through AI, lending, payments, compliance and trade finance

Las Vegas, NV, 20 October 2026: Money20/20, the world’s leading fintech show and the place where money does business, today unveiled a group of high-growth startups and industry innovators selected to participate in its annual Startup Media Session at Money20/20 USA 2026. The session brings together founders, investors and journalists to spotlight the businesses driving the next wave of transformation across the financial ecosystem.

This year, the session featured:

• Charm Security, The Grand Prize Winner of the Startup Early-Stage Category at the Money Awards 2026
• Trace Finance, The Grand Prize Winner of the Startup Growth Stage Category at the Money Awards 2026
• Zerotier, The Winner of the Money20/20 USA Startup Pitch Competition
• Fuse
• Blee

"Money20/20 has always been where the fintech ecosystem comes together to connect, collaborate and shape what's next," said Dalia Kamar, Head of Investor & Startup Program at Money20/20."This year's Startup Media Session showcases the innovators building solutions across payments, lending, compliance and AI, while creating opportunities for founders, financial institutions, investors and partners to engage with the ideas transforming financial services. These companies reflect the ingenuity and momentum driving the future of money."

The two award-winning startups, Charm Security and Trace Capital, were unveiled on 18 October at the Money Awards 2026, having been recognised for developing innovative solutions that address some of the financial industry's most pressing challenges and accelerate the future of financial services.

Roy Zur, Co-Founder and CEO of Charm Security, said, *“Winning the Grand Prix at Money20/20 is a powerful validation of the shift we believe financial institutions need to make: from detecting fraud to taking action that changes the outcome. Scams and modern fraud exploit people, not just systems. Stopping them requires understanding the threat, the human behavior behind it, and what intervention will actually work in the moment. That’s why we’re building an Agentic AI Workforce that combines fraud expertise with behavioral science, helping institutions protect their customers and members, and resolve fraud at a scale that wasn’t possible before.” *

Zerotier was also named the winner of the Startup Pitch Competition held during Money20/20 USA 2026.

“We’re very honored to win the Startup Pitch Competition at Money20/20 USA, the Super Bowl of FinTech, and especially among such an impressive group of financial industry innovators. This win for ZeroTier underscores the importance of quantum-secure networking as protecting financial systems and data against emerging quantum threats becomes one of the largest priorities of our time. We’re very much looking forward to helping shape the future of secure financial connectivity.” said Robert Stevenson, Chief Commercial Officer at Zerotier.

Among the featured startups:

Fuse is an AI-powered loan origination platform helping lenders automate and streamline the borrowing journey from application through to closing. The platform enables faster decisions, greater operational efficiency and improved customer experiences.

“Fuse is the AI-native loan origination and account opening platform for credit unions, banks and finance companies. Lending software is a multibillion-dollar category still owned by sponsor-backed vendors that profit from lock-in: six-figure implementation fees, change orders, years between updates. Meanwhile, fintech lenders went from 5% to nearly 40% of loan share in five years. We built Fuse on the opposite model, flat pricing and automation we only get paid to deliver, and the market is moving: FIS announced a strategic alliance with Fuse to bring it to lenders across the country. Money20/20 is where the industry decides what comes next. We are coming to Las Vegas to show that the next great fintech story is happening inside community lenders.”, said Andres Klaric, Co-Founder, Fuse.

Blee is an AI-first marketing compliance platform that helps organisations review, approve and manage marketing content at scale. By identifying compliance risks early in the content creation process, Blee enables faster approvals while reducing regulatory exposure.

"We’re excited to be featured in Money20/20’s Startup Media Session alongside leading startups thinking about tomorrow," said Guy Shahar, Founder and CEO of Blee, "AI has changed how financial services companies create and deliver content. But from videos to influencers to chatbots and agents, legal, compliance, and brand teams are still accountable for every word. Blee provides an AI governance layer that lets teams move at the speed of AI with content and communications they can trust."

From AI-powered lending and marketing compliance to trade finance modernisation and next-generation payments experiences, the Money20/20 USA Startup Media Session highlights the innovators redefining how money is moved, managed and experienced.

As fintech evolves at an unprecedented pace, the Startup Media Session remains a premier platform for emerging companies to connect with investors, partners, and media while showcasing the technologies set to shape the industry's future.

About Money20/20

Launched by industry insiders in 2012, Money20/20 has rapidly become the heartbeat of the global fintech ecosystem. Over the last decade, the most innovative, fast-moving ideas and companies have driven their growth on our platform. Mastercard, Airwallex, J.P. Morgan, SHIELD, GCash, Stripe, Google, Visa, Adyen, and more make transformational deals and raise their global profile with us. Money20/20 attracts leaders from the world’s greatest banks, payments companies, VC firms, regulators, and media platforms, convening to cut industry shaping deals, build world changing partnerships, and unlock future defining opportunities in Las Vegas (October 19–21, 2027), Miami (March 16–18, 2027), Bangkok (April 27–29, 2027), Amsterdam (June 8–10, 2027), Riyadh (September 14–16, 2027), Melbourne (15 - 17 February 2028). Money20/20 is where the world’s fintech leaders convene to grow their brands. Money20/20 is part of Informa PLC. Follow Money20/20 on X and LinkedIn for show developments and updates.

Media Contact
Tina Loncaric
Global Head of PR, Money20/20
tina@money2020.com