“Covering where Fintechs and Sport collide, at the Fintech Sports Club we keep readers up to date with the latest in partnerships, sponsorships and the deepening relationship between the world's favourite sports and the game-changing innovation of financial technology.”

Padel on the Olympic stage? If Checkout have their way, it’s only a matter of time.

To have padel at the Brisbane Olympics in 2032 in front of the biggest sporting audiences, and alongside the world’s most famous athletes, would mark an incredible rise for the world’s fastest growing sport - which has continued to explode in popularity in recent years.

But to take a grassroots phenomenon and give it a sustainable place amongst the giants of professional sport is a serious task - and one that takes substantial financial muscle. However, for those with deep pockets, the returns have the potential to be both significant and self-sustaining.

For Checkout, the benefits are already numerous. Their existing padel presence has all the hallmarks of traditional sports sponsorship, such as brand visibility and alignment of values - in this case, ‘high performance, precision and partnership’.

They’ve entered lucrative sponsorship agreements including front-of-shirt presence with two of the very best professional players, Ale Galan and Delfi Brea, creating a formidable Checkout padel team.

What makes padel investment different is the potential for scaling. With a fledgling professional scene, an ever-growing player base, and investment in infrastructure increasing to keep up with demand, the ceiling isn’t even in sight. Estimates put the projected global value of the padel industry at €4.02 billion.

This is where Checkout’s role evolves from simple sponsorship to being a benefactor of the sport’s future. By partnering with professionals they are creating an environment where playing padel professionally is an attractive financial prospect and a realistic career path, encouraging the growth of a healthy path to pro ecosystem.

For Checkout, getting padel to the Olympics is both a top-down and a bottom-up project - as to qualify for Olympic inclusion, there are numerous requirements on international participation that need to be met.

A particularly pressing hurdle is the requirement for padel to be played by men in 75 countries across 4 continents, and by women in 40 countries across 3 continents.

Cultivating a popular and sustainable professional scene is certainly an important step in enabling this, but Checkout have committed their financial resources to an even more proactive and long-term project - the creation of padel academies in over 50 countries.

For padel to have the global participation required for Olympic inclusion, academies are a natural step in a healthy and self-sustaining professional system. By making the sport accessible for younger people everywhere, Checkout are providing the solid foundations on which the sport needs to support a global presence.

And while this may sound like a significant outlay, it’s sure to be of huge benefit to Checkout in the long run. Through their involvement, padel wins and Checkout wins - a perfect example of corporate symbiosis.

And Checkout aren’t just focusing on the professional side of the game, they also sponsor our Corporate Padel League.

Sokin continue to expand their presence across world-class sport, penning a new deal with The Hundred’s most successful team - MI London. This adds to existing arrangements with Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and the Professional Triathletes Association.

The 2026 season will see the business payments and finance brand across the front of the cricket side’s new shirts, for both the men’s and women’s teams - putting the company front-and-centre of TV screens as well as match going fans at the Oval.

The depth of the partnership is another demonstration of the impact fintechs can have when collaborating with top sports teams, especially when compared to traditional sponsorships based purely on visibility.

As part of the deal, MI’s international franchise, which encompasses 7 time Champions Mumbai Indians and Major League Cricket outfit MI New York, will use Sokin’s platform to manage multi-currency accounts, FX and treasuries - allowing the organisation to more efficiently operate across borders and continents.

Sokin have secured a partnership with huge growth potential, both within the MI franchise and cricket as a whole. MI’s international presence presents the possibility of expanding into markets important for the brand’s continued growth, such as North America and India.

Cricket, meanwhile, is among the world’s fastest growing sports, and is 2nd only to football with a fanbase of 2.5 billion. Showcase events continue to break viewership records, with the latest edition of India’s Premier T20 tournament passing 1 billion viewers over the season. The 2028 Olympics in LA will see cricket return for the first time since 1900.

Will we continue to see fintechs utilising cricket’s global appeal to grow visibility and expand into new markets?

Season 11 of the Fintech Football Championships got underway last night with two cracking matches in Division 2.

We're delighted to be welcoming back both new and returning teams, as well as our FFC regulars, for what is bound to be a riveting new season full of twists, turns, and high quality corporate football!

We picked up where we left off with goals flying in across the board!

Vocalink, took down Verto 7-5 in a hard fought tie.

Equals overcame Capital on Tap 14-8 in an instant classic!

The new season kicks off properly over the next two weeks, will Wise make it an unprecedented 4th title in a row, or will a new challenger stake their claim?