Global Financial Market Review (GFM) is a dedicated online news aggregation portal specializing in financial market news and industry updates. It combines original editorials with curated content from global news providers, reaching over 14 million readers annually. With a focus on reliability and depth, GFM has positioned itself as a trusted source in the financial sector, boasting a strong social media presence with over 180,000 Twitter followers.
As part of its coverage of this huge and multi-disciplined industry, GFM has developed a series of Awards. Using a wide range of criteria such as Transparency, Corporate Governance, Sustainability, Volume of Transactions, Innovation, Fintech and Customer Service, the Awards have been developed to recognise companies and institutions who have achieved notable success in their respective fields. This, in turn, has become a standard for reliability, performance and security within the financial community.
For 1st Week of February 2025, GFM Review's judging panel is proud to award the following institutions:
Step
- Best FinTech Banking Startup USA 2025
Step is a next-generation financial services company dedicated to helping young adults achieve financial independence. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Step offers a mobile-based banking platform that provides users with a free, FDIC-insured bank account, a secured Visa card to build credit, and a user-friendly app for managing finances. The platform emphasizes financial education, aiming to empower teens and young adults with the tools and knowledge to manage their money effectively.
Sudhan Gold Loan by Equifintech
- Most Innovative in Lending India 2025
Established in 2021, Sudhan Gold Loan is a financial institution that offers quick and secure gold loans with competitive interest rates, primarily serving rural and tier-III cities in India. In collaboration with an extensive network of credit societies across multiple states, Sudhan provides loans with interest rates ranging from 6% to 15%, disbursing funds in just 14 minutes and offering up to 90% of the gold's value. The company aims to empower individuals in underserved areas by providing accessible financial solutions.
SV Capital
- Best Alternative Investments Solution South Africa 2025
SV Capital is a South African alternative investment firm offering accessible opportunities in tangible assets. Their diverse portfolio includes cattle investments in partnership with Beefcor, a leading feedlot, providing expert-managed agricultural returns. They also offer short-term investments aimed at capital growth over five months, collaborating with industry specialists to select high-potential projects. Additionally, SV Capital's delivery bike investment allows participation in the growing delivery sector by funding bikes rented to drivers on platforms like Mr D and UberEats, ensuring profitable returns.
Rainforest
- Best Payment Technology Innovation USA 2025
Rainforest is a payment processing platform designed specifically for vertical SaaS companies. The company enables software platforms to embed payment processing into their systems, facilitating transactions via card, ACH, and Apple Pay. Rainforest handles risk and compliance aspects, including merchant onboarding, KYC, fraud monitoring, and PCI compliance, allowing SaaS platforms to focus on their core offerings while generating additional revenue through integrated payment solutions. The platform offers real-time merchant onboarding, next-day funding, and embedded reporting features.
LGR Global
- Best Web3 Solution Estonia 2025
LGR Global is a fintech company transforming global trade and finance through its $SRC Business Ecosystem. The platform offers seamless trade finance execution, a robust liquidity marketplace, advanced supply chain digital twin tracking, and streamlined cross-border payments, all underpinned by Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) for optimal security and efficiency. LGR Global aims to democratize trade finance for SMEs, importers, exporters, and traders by providing a comprehensive digital ecosystem that integrates financial institutions, logistics providers, and insurance companies.
State Labor Inspectorate Service of Azerbaijan
- Digital Innovation Award for Azerbaijan 2025
The State Labour Inspectorate Service, operating under Azerbaijan's Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population, is tasked with enforcing labor legislation across all employers, regardless of ownership or organizational form. It ensures adherence to the Labour Code and related legal acts, provides methodological assistance to employers and employees, and collaborates with various governmental and non-governmental organizations. The Service plays a pivotal role in developing and implementing state policies for labor law compliance, thereby safeguarding workers' rights and promoting fair labor practices nationwide.
About GFM Review
Global Financial Market Review (GFM) is an online news portal that is focused on the financial industry. It has been developed to deliver informative and independent news from around the world. The articles on GFM are both sourced from a number of independent news sources as well as written in-house. This is reflected in the quality and insight that the portal delivers to readers. GFM readership is comprised of decision makers from global businesses including FT100 and Fortune 500 companies as well as high net worth individuals.