Methodology
How we source and maintain the database. Every record has a source URL. Unknown fields are left blank. No fabricated data.
What we track
Windsor Drake Market Intelligence is a sourced database of fintech market events from January 1, 2020 to the present. Eight event types are in scope:
- Transactions — M&A. Strategic and private equity acquisitions, focused on the $5M to $500M enterprise value band, with larger marquee deals included when they materially shape a sub-sector.
- Funding Rounds — Priced equity rounds, Series A through pre-IPO. Convertible note rounds tracked when round size is disclosed.
- Strategic Partnerships — Material commercial agreements between fintechs, or between a fintech and a non-fintech distribution partner.
- Product Launches — New product lines, market entries, or capability additions material to a company's competitive position.
- Regulatory Events — Final rules, enforcement actions, and consent orders from CFPB, SEC, OCC, FDIC, FinCEN, Federal Reserve, FCA, MAS, and other relevant regulators.
- Buyer Theses — Public statements (earnings calls, conference remarks, 10-K MD&A) where strategic acquirers signal a sub-sector or capability they're hunting.
- Personnel Moves — Senior leadership changes (founder/CEO/CFO/CRO/Chief Product) at fintechs material to the market.
- Customer Wins — Publicly disclosed wins where the customer signals validation of a category or vendor.
Sub-sectors
Every event is classified into Windsor Drake's fintech sub-sector taxonomy, including payments rails, B2B payments, embedded finance, lending tech, treasury and cash management, wealthtech, insurtech, regtech, capital markets tech, crypto and stablecoin infrastructure, and vertical SaaS payments. When an event straddles two categories the primary economic rationale determines the classification.
Sourcing rules
Every record carries a Source URL. We use acquirer or company press releases, SEC filings (8-K, S-1, Form D, 10-K), regulator publications, and credible trade coverage (Reuters, Bloomberg, TechCrunch, Finovate, FinTech Global). We do not use Wikipedia as a source.
Blank fields
We never invent numbers. When a transaction is announced without a disclosed deal value, or a funding round is disclosed without a round size, those fields are left blank. The presence of a record with blank financials means the event occurred and we sourced the principals, but the financial terms remain private.
Transaction-specific fields
For Transactions only, we additionally classify Acquirer Type (Strategic, PE, or PE-backed Strategic), Deal Type (Cash, Stock, Mixed, Undisclosed), and capture Target Revenue, Target EBITDA, and EV multiples when those figures were publicly disclosed.
Updates and corrections
The database is updated continuously. If you believe a record is incorrect or have an event that should be tracked, contact us at research@windsordrake.com.
About Windsor Drake
Windsor Drake is a boutique fintech M&A advisor focused on founder-led sell-side processes. Market Intelligence is a proprietary research output of the firm.