Out Of Nowhere: Can BigTech's Antitrust Troubles Disrupt FinTech?

Nowadays, the new White House administration continues putting pressure on BigTech through active antitrust enforcement, trying to establish control over the technological sector, which notably depends on foreign companies. Many fintech firms may also attract government attention due to adopting decentralized technologies and partnering with global players. This growing tension could possibly pose a significant threat to fintech companies, which have to both stay compliant with evolving regulatory frameworks and maintain their development pace.

To understand possible consequences better, let's examine key BigTech cases and explore how the fintech industry could be affected.

BigTech Antitrust Cases

This situation around BigTech and antitrust issues against it appeared even before the new White House administration took office. During Joe Biden's administration, several noticeable cases were introduced, targeting major technology companies. These legal campaigns involved such corporations as Google, Amazon and Apple. Let's take a closer look at them.

In January 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) initiated an antitrust lawsuit against Google. The case puts emphasis on Google's influential presence in the digital advertising technology market and its growing activity in acquisitions of companies within the industry. Therefore, the main purpose of this lawsuit is to ensure a more balanced and competitive environment for advertisers and publishers. At this time, the court hasn't issued a final ruling on the case yet.

Ten months later, in September 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took legal action against Amazon, raising concerns about the company's practices to limit competition in the market. According to the lawsuit, such things as high seller fees, search result rankings and discounting policies are key points of discussion, as they may influence fair competition and limit the potential of other businesses. This antitrust lawsuit against Amazon is also in progress.
Most recently, in March 2024, the U.S. DOJ initiated an antitrust lawsuit involving Apple, addressing concerns about the monopolization of the smartphone market. The case explores how particular strategies may impact consumer choice and costs for developers and businesses. As of now, the case remains ongoing.

In reality, the current administration supports the rapid development of the technological sector. However, ongoing antitrust cases that involve major technology companies continue to be accurately reviewed. Undoubtedly, both BigTech and fintech are drawing considerable attention from the current U.S. administration. Still, the economy and trade have historically been given higher priority, as they are more essential for long-term stability and growth. Subsequently, decisions regarding fintech could be driven by what is more important for the economy and development.

The Impact on Fintech Amid BigTech's Antitrust Scrutiny

It makes sense to examine the impact on the fintech industry in this paragraph and define how it's affected. Despite Donald Trump's administration promoting a favourable agenda for fintech development, the sector remains a part of the White House's wider assessment. As a result, concerns may appear in the near future, especially since fintech companies often use non-American technologies, such as China's DeepSeek and form partnerships with BigTech corporations that may raise questions.

According to the global outlook for the artificial intelligence market in fintech, it was valued at $9.5 billion in 2021 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 16.5% from 2022 to 2030. Fintech companies intensively adopt AI in their projects and actively work on the development and integration of AI technologies across their workflows. So, companies are open to working with foreign technologies, such as China's DeepSeek. However, the use of Chinese AI could cause distrust for fintech firms if it results in dependency on foreign technologies or fair competition's notable impact. Eventually, it could lead to legal limitations on access to such technologies and the promotion of ideas to impose additional regulation.

Speaking about partnerships of fintech firms with BigTech corporations, it's worth noting that working with Google and Apple Pay alongside Amazon payment services could also result in significant changes in policies that might complicate transaction processing. In addition, if BigTech corporations are forced to reduce fees or open access to third-party wallets, fintech firms that rely on current payment solutions could bring considerable financial losses.

What Is Next for Fintech?

As the attention to antitrust regulations for BigTech corporations keeps growing, fintech firms should remain vigilant. It's important for them to evaluate potential risks and devise plans on how to adjust to changes in the regulatory landscape that could appear from the White House's increased scrutiny of the sector. Although the Trump administration has been supporting fintech and fostering a positive regulatory framework, this does not guarantee that future decisions of the White House won't affect this sector.