The shift toward ecosystem-based business models is redefining how digital value is created and captured. Instead of standalone products, platforms increasingly aim to integrate multiple services into one user environment. What started with broad consumer all-in-one ecosystems like WeChat is now being replicated in more focused verticals, where finance is the most advanced example. In Europe, this is reflected in Revolut; in the US, in Robinhood; and in emerging markets, in Freedom Holding Corp., which represents an already-built financial and multi-industry ecosystem being actively scaled across new geographies globally.

Capital markets are betting hard on ecosystem players. Elon Musk is pushing X toward an 'everything app' model, integrating social, payments, and financial services into a single platform, like China's WeChat, the current leader in the global super-app race. And there's a strong economic rationale behind it.

McKinsey analysts arguethat the shift from industry sectors to customer-focused ecosystems may be the largest economic reorganisation in history. 'We expect the total revenue of these ecosystems to reach $70-$100 trillion by 2030. This would account for about 30 percent of the global economy, over 40 percent of total profits, and more than half of profits above the cost of capital', according to a recent report.

Ecosystems achieve these results through cost reductions. Ernst & Young, in its report 'The CEO Imperative: How mastering ecosystems transforms performance', finds that making ecosystem business models a strategic imperative helps companies drive stakeholder value. Its study of over 800 business leaders using at least one ecosystem business model revealed that 'ecosystems make up an average of 13.7% of total annual revenues, drive 12.9% in cost reduction, and generate 13.3% in incremental earnings.' High-performing ecosystems, according to Ernst & Young, 'achieve 1.5 times the cost reduction and 2.1 times the incremental revenue growth compared to low-performing ecosystems.' As Alibaba states in its2025 annual report, 'our ecosystem enables us to realise structural cost savings'. Network effects enable lower traffic-acquisition costs and synergies across our businesses, the group explains.

Another advantage - additional revenue streams from partnerships. In its report '2025 RevOps Trends: The New Backbone of B2B Sales Growth', Deloitte shows that companies are increasingly treating partners as a primary source of revenue, not just an extra channel. In the most advanced ecosystem models, partners can generate over 50% of total revenue, mainly through commissions and shared sales inside the platform, allowing companies to grow without building bigger sales teams, according to the report.

Another ecosystem benefit is data monetisation. Ecosystems gain an informational edge from ongoing access to users' daily behavioral data. For instance, if a user regularly pays rent with an app and starts looking for larger apartments or mortgage rates, the system can anticipate intent and proactively offer a mortgage or property insurance at the right moment.

Revolut was founded in London in 2015 by Nikolay Storonsky and Vlad Yatsenko as a low-cost app for currency exchange and international payments. In Europe (outside the UK), it obtained a banking license in Lithuania in 2018, which allowed it to operate as a bank across EU and EEA markets and offer services such as accounts, cards, and lending. In the UK, it operated for years as an e-money institution and only received a full banking license in 2026, enabling it to provide full banking services in its home market.

Over time, Revolut has evolved from a payments-focused fintech launched in 2015 into a global financial super-app. It expanded beyond basic currency exchange and international transfers into a full ecosystem that includes banking services, savings, credit, investing, crypto, insurance, and business tools, enabling users to manage most of their financial needs within a single platform.

The company has expanded into international markets, including the US and Latin America. In the US, it operates as a regulated fintech through state-level money transmitter licenses and banking partnerships rather than a full banking license. In Latin America, Revolut has begun building a banking presence, including obtaining regulatory approval in Mexico in 2024 to launch its digital banking operations.

As of 2025, Revolut has over 68 million customers and generates approximately $6 billion in annual revenue.

Source: International Business Times UK