The buzz around fintech is hard to miss—startups reimagining payments, banks, lending, and insurance, often outpacing traditional players in both innovation and customer adoption. But beneath the press releases and conference panels, the question for economists and policymakers is simple: how do you measure the real scale and trajectory of fintech growth? ISIC 6202, which captures computer consultancy and computer facilities management activities, offers a way to pin down at least one side of this dynamic sector.
The process begins by monitoring business registrations under ISIC 6202. This code is broad—it includes traditional IT consultancies, as well as the digital backbone for a swath of industries—but in many jurisdictions, fintech startups cluster here, especially those offering digital platforms, infrastructure, and support. By tracking year-over-year changes in ISIC 6202 registrations, analysts can sketch a baseline for how many new ventures are entering the space, and where.
Of course, not every ISIC 6202 firm is a fintech company. Some effort is required to filter the data. Analysts review business descriptions, website listings, or industry directories to isolate startups specifically engaged in financial technology: online lending, payments, robo-advisory, insurance tech, and digital banking solutions. Tagging and segmenting these companies yields a more focused dataset, ready for deeper analysis.
But registrations alone don’t capture the intensity or quality of growth. Venture capital (VC) funding is the next lens. By matching identified fintech startups with public funding announcements, deal databases, or regulatory filings, analysts can track how much capital is flowing into the sector—and where the momentum lies. A surge in small seed rounds might indicate a bubbling pipeline, while large Series B or C investments suggest maturity and scale. Regional disparities often emerge, with major cities or fintech hubs attracting the lion’s share of investment.
Adoption is the third—and perhaps most elusive—dimension. It’s one thing to count startups and their funding; it’s another to know whether consumers or businesses are embracing these new platforms. Surveys of financial institutions, small businesses, or end users, as well as payment volume data or user registrations (where available), help fill out the picture. Sometimes, government digital economy reports or central bank disclosures include clues about the spread and impact of fintech solutions.
No method is flawless. Some fintechs operate under different codes, or straddle categories if they combine consulting, platform development, and direct financial services. VC funding can be opaque, especially for deals in stealth mode or outside major markets. And the pace of adoption is notoriously hard to capture in real time, prone to hype as much as underreporting.
The discipline of starting with ISIC 6202 and layering in targeted research yields a map of the sector that’s both rigorous and responsive. It lets policymakers see where fintech growth is outpacing the infrastructure or regulation designed to support it, and where untapped potential still lies. As the sector continues to evolve, these methods offer a baseline for comparing waves of innovation—reminding us that behind every fintech boom is a story, not just of new ideas, but of how data, investment, and real-world adoption move together to shape the future of finance.