Better Fintech Stock: Chime Financial vs Upstart The Motley Fool

Tech CU is specifically relevant because it includes both personal loans and a roadmap to auto refinance. The most concrete headline feeding today’s UPST strength is Technology Credit Union (Tech CU) selecting Upstart to support personal loans now and auto refinance loans later. As a result, the real-time prices displayed may have minor discrepancies when comparing the information with other sites offering real-time data, or with brokerage firms.

This news sparked worries about whether the significant investments in AI across the industry would pay off, leading to a sell-off in related stocks. A number of stocks fell in the afternoon session after investors grew increasingly concerned that the billions of dollars being invested into artificial intelligence may not generate sufficient profits. For now, Upstart looks best suited as a hold, a stock worth watching closely rather than rushing to buy or sell amid short-term market turbulence. The company’s strong revenues, profitability and continued expansion into new lending categories suggest that it is far better positioned today.

Upstart Holdings Profile

Lender partnerships don’t help if loans can’t be funded consistently. Can Upstart reliably convert application demand into funded loans at scale, across changing economic conditions? MarketBeat, in an early trading note dated Dec. 18, said UPST traded up about 6.8% to roughly $48.09 at the time, while also pointing out that early-day volume was running well below its average. Under that network model, qualified applicants on Upstart.com who match Tech CU’s credit policies are routed into a Tech CU-branded application and closing flow. In the announcement, Tech CU—described as a nearly $5 billion Bay Area credit union serving 177,000+ members—said it partnered with Upstart to expand consumer loan offerings. Shares were trading around the high-$40s on Thursday, up roughly 8% on the session at the time of this writing.

Company Insights: UPST

The next xcriticalgs window in February 2026 is where that optimism usually gets audited. Investors will watch whether Upstart can continue stacking partnerships that expand product coverage (auto, HELOC, small-dollar) rather than only repeating one product line. Just as importantly for markets, Upstart also issued Q guidance. Castlelake-type announcements tend to boost confidence that the loans can keep getting funded without Upstart having to warehouse too much risk on its own balance sheet. On Nov. 6, 2025, Upstart announced a $1.5 billion forward-flow commitment from funds managed by Castlelake, L.P., with Castlelake agreeing to purchase up to $1.5B of consumer loans originated through the Upstart platform.

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  • That kind of purchase often gets read as a confidence signal—especially when UPST is being debated as either a recovering growth story or a structurally volatile lender-tech hybrid.
  • Upstart Holdings, Inc. engages in the provision of a cloud-based artificial intelligence lending platform.
  • On Nov. 6, 2025, Upstart announced a $1.5 billion forward-flow commitment from funds managed by Castlelake, L.P., with Castlelake agreeing to purchase up to $1.5B of consumer loans originated through the Upstart platform.
  • Lender partnerships don’t help if loans can’t be funded consistently.

Upstart Stock Trades at Premium Value: Should You Buy, Hold or Sell?

Its early pay tools are useful for people who live paycheck to paycheck, while its starter credit cards help them gradually build up their credit scores. It also issues a Visa (V +0.37%) debit card (with fee-free access to more than 50,000 ATMs) and an entry-level credit card. Chime’s online platform provides fee-free checking and savings accounts with overdraft protection, early pay tools, and other financial services. Both companies are democratizing financial services for lower-income consumers.

Often, a smaller spread suggests higher liquidity, meaning more buyers and sellers in the market are willing to negotiate. We sell different types of products and services to both investment professionals and individual investors. SoFi Technologies stands out as a diversified digital bank with strong revenue growth, profitability, and a robust customer ecosystem. Despite market concerns, large bank xcriticalgs confirm … Upstart’s AI-driven underwriting, expanding data, and rising conversion rates position it for accelerated growth as the Fed eases monetary policy.

  • Consumer demand remained robust, with loan applications jumping about 30% quarter over quarter to more than 2 million, the highest in more than three years.
  • The Auto Lending segment is involved in auto refinance and auto retail loans.
  • SoFi Technologies stands out as a diversified digital bank with strong revenue growth, profitability, and a robust customer ecosystem.
  • Its fully autonomous towers delivering 5G, ISR, and radar in under 30 minutes, anywhere.
  • Fundamental data provided by Zacks and Morningstar.
  • This data feed is not available at this time.

Upstart doesn’t issue any of its own loans. For 2026, they expect its revenue to grow 21% to $2.62 billion as its adjusted EBITDA nearly triples. But for 2025, analysts still expect Chime’s revenue to rise 30% to $2.17 billion as its adjusted EBITDA turns positive. That mix of slower sales growth and rising costs spooked the bulls.

Upstart Holdings Stock Price History

Recent insider confidence and growth projections indicate potential for future revenue increases despite recent stock performance challenges. The previous big move we wrote about was 4 days ago when the stock dropped 5.6% after broader weakness in the artificial intelligence sector weighed on the stock as tech giant Oracle raised investor concerns about an AI bubble. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business. Subsequently, the broader market questioned whether the massive spending on chips and data centers would produce a worthwhile return on investment.

The selloff was intensified after chipmaker Broadcom warned that increased sales of AI systems could lead to thinner profit margins, causing its stock to tumble. This sentiment fueled fears of a potential “AI bubble,” leading to a https://xcritical.pro/ significant downturn in the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite index. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. While the sell-off has created an attractive entry point for long-term investors, caution is warranted. Premium valuation is also justified, considering its strong xcriticalgs growth prospects and solid fundamentals. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 EPS suggests a significant growth from the prior-year quarter, while that for 2026 EPS projects 57.7% growth.

Trading Information

The decline has raised questions about whether this is another temporary stumble or a sign of deeper trouble in the credit landscape. Comparatively, its peers, LendingClub and Enova International, put up a better performance in terms of share price during this period. UPST is also trading at a premium compared to its fintech rivals, LendingClub LC and Enova International ENVA. Get stock recommendations, portfolio guidance, and more from The Motley Fool’s premium services. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close. That makes Upstart — which has stronger growth rates, a lower valuation, and clearer near-term catalysts — the better buy.

Upstart Stock News Today: UPST Jumps on Tech CU Partnership as Wall Street Weighs 2026 Outlook (Dec. 18,

Upstart’s December-quarter revenue is expected to slow more than Wall Street had been modeling. Upstart continues to deliver solid revenue growth and profitability, despi… Upstart delivered strong Q3 results on November 4, 2025, with 80% Y/Y origination growth and a 71% Y/Y increase in revenues, driven by robust loan demand. Upstart Holdings, Inc. experienced a disappointing quarter, with AI model errors and analyst mistakes contributing to weak results and a significant stock decline.

Upstart’s automation advantage remains significant, with 91% of loans in the third quarter of 2025 being fully automated, requiring no human intervention. Both of these fintech stocks seem like promising investments. Its business flourished when interest rates were low, but it stalled out in 2022 and 2023 as rising rates curbed the market’s demand for new loans.

Home-equity lending also picked up, with automatic home loan approvals surging to about 20% by October 2025, up from under 1% in June. Beyond automated loans, Upstart launched a machine lxcriticalg model to optimize take rates. However, despite this, Upstart posted a stellar third-quarter 2025 performance, with revenues surging 71% year over year to $277 million and loan originations climbing 80% to $2.9 billion. The drop also reflects concerns about Upstart’s lending models becoming more conservative during parts of the third quarter, temporarily limiting approval rates.

Its ARPAM also decreased sequentially in the second quarter and flatlined in the third quarter. But its purchase volume still dipped sequentially throughout the first three quarters of the year. Chime’s active member base grew to 9.1 million by the end of the third quarter of 2025. Its total revenue increased 31% to $1.67 billion. In 2024, its number of active members rose 21% to 8.0 million, its purchase volume increased 25% to $115.2 billion, and its average revenue per active member (ARPAM) grew 16% to $245. It generates most of its revenue by taking a cut of the swipe fees that Visa charges merchants whenever its cards are used.

Small-dollar relief loans advanced rapidly, too, with qualified borrowers now receiving funds in about xcritical courses scam 90 seconds. In the third quarter of 2025, these offerings accounted for nearly 12% of total originations and 22% of new borrowers. Over time, this framework will unlock significant improvements in its ability to monetize model wins that benefit borrowers.

These new businesses expand Upstart’s reach, reduce dependence on personal loans and provide long-term growth opportunities across the company’s markets. This uncertainty caused a market recalibration, with investors rotating capital out of more speculative tech stocks and into more stable assets. While personal loans remain the backbone of Upstart’s business, the company’s auto, home and small-dollar loans segments are gaining momentum. Partnered with Upstart to offer personal loans through Upstart’s marketplace, framing the move as part of expanding innovative financial solutions and access to credit.

Pillar 1: Lender adoption (banks + credit unions)

It will be decided by whether Upstart can keep proving—quarter after quarter—that its AI underwriting can scale profitably, maintain credit performance, and stay supported by durable funding in changing economic weather. Upstart has not confirmed its next xcriticalgs publication date in the sources available today, and estimates vary by data provider. That kind of purchase often gets read as a confidence signal—especially when UPST is being debated as either a recovering growth story or a structurally volatile lender-tech hybrid. Insider trading isn’t destiny, but in a sentiment-heavy stock, it can shape narratives.

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