Did you know that 70% of all US credit card and debit card transactions are processed in Atlanta?

John Yates shared an article on LinkedIn on a topic I’ve thought a lot about since moving to and falling in love with Atlanta: How can Atlanta maintain bragging rights as the world’s ‘Fintech Capital’?

My answer: Build, Attract, and Keep.

We've got the Build stage well laid by way of the strong startup ecosystem and recent proof: Kabbage (acquisition), Greenlight (unicorn), and early-stage, high-potential fintechs like MaxRewards and Nectar.

We are Attracting 'big tech' in Microsoft and Amazon and Google adding a large presence, and the 'big fintech' in the Stripes and Blocks and Chimes of the world are soon to follow given the talent pool and track record in Atlanta.

Keeping companies is easier now that every growing fintech doesn't feel required to relocate to the Bay Area or New York City. However, now that companies can be based anywhere, stronger financial incentives for companies will need to play a part in the years ahead both to keep and attract fintechs.