Best Fintechs to Work For 2019

From free food to foosball to unlimited paid leave, fintech firms offer a variety of unique perks.

All of those benefits — and more — are offered by the 50 companies that made SourceMedia’s second annual list of Best Fintechs to Work For. The list includes a wide variety of companies, such as small-business lenders, wealth management software developers, direct mortgage lenders, digital banks and payments platforms. The smallest company, Fountain City Fintech, has just 15 employees, while the biggest, Ally Financial, has more than 8,000.

These companies go out of their way to ensure their employees are having fun — whether it's competing in office Olympics or escaping to the nap pod. Others are focused on serving their communities through organizing 5k races that raise money for charity and hiring local artists to create masterpieces. And many promote a healthy work-life balance by limiting after-hours meetings and providing sabbaticals.

Below are highlights of the 50 fintechs that made our list. Employee totals for each company are for U.S. staff only, and some companies may have higher overall headcounts.

1. nCino

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Location: Wilmington, N.C.
Employees: 513
CEO: Pierre Naudé
Business: Cloud banking
Website: ncino.com
Twitter: @ncino

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: From May through September, all employees in the Wilmington, N.C., office can participate in free paddle boarding on Friday or surf lessons on Wednesday mornings before the work day starts.

Employee recognition/appreciation program: nCino gives a quarterly “propeller hat” award to recognize a job well done and superior technical knowledge, with winners receiving a gift card to a local company. The honor is named after an employee who solved a difficult issue for the company in 2013 while on an airplane traveling to vacation and subsequently received a propeller hat to mark the accomplishment.

Pictured: Employees enjoy free paddle boarding on the Intracoastal Waterway in North Carolina.

2. Promontory Interfinancial Network

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J. Sasu Photography/Photo By Joseph Sasu
Location: Arlington, Va.
Employees: 196
President and CEO: Mark Jacobsen
Business: Provider of FDIC-insured deposit placement services
Website: promnetwork.com
Twitter: @Prom_Network

Employee recognition/appreciation program: Employees who have worked at the company for 15 years can take 30 days of sabbatical leave.

Bonus/incentive program: Promontory provides a match of up to $5,000 for employees who contribute to the retirement plan.

Pictured: Employees take pictures during the company's annual holiday party, which was hosted at The Showroom in Washington last year.

3. YCharts

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Location: Chicago
Employees: 45
President and CEO: Sean Brown
Business: Financial data research platform
Website: ycharts.com
Twitter: @ycharts

Popular with employees: Employees can enjoy kombucha, beer and cold brew on tap, as well as free lunches on Fridays.

Employee recognition/appreciation program: YCharts presents a monthly They Get It award for employees who have mastered their own jobs and help colleagues do theirs. The winner receives a gift card.

Pictured: YCharts employees play in a kickball league to raise money for the nonprofit Off the Streets Club in Chicago, which offers mentorship and after-school activities to children.

4. Redtail Technology

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Location: Sacramento, Calif.
Employees: 95
CEO: Brian McLaughlin
Business: Software for wealth management CRM
Website: corporate.redtailtechnology.com
Twitter: @RedtailCRM

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: The office includes fun amenities, such as an indoor office slide, game room, basketball court, lawn games and comfortable lounge spaces.

Community service initiative: Redtail partners with the Front Street Animal Shelter to provide dog fostering opportunities for its employees. The company provides a bed, food and toys for employees when they take the pup home with them overnight.

Pictured: Redtail employees attend their annual team-building retreat in 2018 in Austin, Texas.

5. Payrailz

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Mickey Goldwasser
Location: Glastonbury, Conn.
Employees: 20
CEO: Fran Duggan
Business: Money transfer and bill payment products
Website: payrailz.com
Twitter: @Payrailz

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: Payrailz hosts contests, such as physical fitness challenges and fantasy football competitions, at least once a quarter. Besides bragging rights, winners get gift cards and plaques.

Employee recognition/appreciation program: The Proud to be Purple award, a nod to the company’s branding, is given as often as once a quarter to a person or team whose work best exemplifies Payrailz’s values of integrity, respect and transparency. Winners receive a trophy and a gift card.

Pictured: Chief Operating Officer Paul Franko gives a company update to a group of employees.

6. PeerStreet

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Location: El Segundo, Calif.
Employees: 146
CEO: Brew Johnson
Business: Alternative investing platform
Website: peerstreet.com
Twitter: @PeerStreet

Popular with employees: At the end of the month when deadlines require people to stay late, the company provides lunches for all employees and caters family-style dinners all week.

Employee recognition/appreciation program: When a team has a strong month, their supervisor organizes a group outing to celebrate their efforts, such as go-kart racing or playing volleyball on the beach.

Pictured: Employees attend their annual trip to a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game.

7. Carpe Data

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Location: Santa Barbara, Calif.
Employees: 49
CEO: Max Drucker
Business: Data and predictive scoring products for insurance firms
Website: carpe.io
Twitter: @CarpeDataCorp

Popular with employees: Employees receive free daily snacks, sodas and fresh fruit and can request special items.

Employee recognition/appreciation program: A culture council organizes activities such as volunteer events and movie, game and trivia nights.

Pictured: Carpe Data employees enjoy a happy hour to celebrate the signing of a new client.

8. PayTrace

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Location: Vancouver, Wash.
Employees: 55
CEO: Scott Judkins
Business: Online payment processing
Website: paytrace.net
Twitter: @paytrace

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: Employees can enjoy playing PayTrace’s portable putting green and other yard games while at the office.

Employee recognition/appreciation program: The company provides lunch every other Tuesday to promote camaraderie and demonstrate its appreciation for employees’ work.

Pictured: In July, employees and their families relax during an all company meeting celebration.

9. Jumio

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Location: Palo Alto, Calif.
Employees: 45
CEO: Stephen Stuut
Business: Identity verification and mobile payments
Website: jumio.com
Twitter: @jumio

Popular with employees: At its Palo Alto, Calif., headquarters, a gas delivery truck will stop by once a quarter to fill up the cars of employees who signed up for the benefit.

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: Employees can be found joining in impromptu Jenga games.

Pictured: The company's marketing, support and sales teams gather in Thailand for the sales kickoff for 2019.

10. Quicken

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Rhys Chard
Location: Menlo Park, Calif.
Employees: 86
CEO: Eric Dunn
Business: Software for personal finance
Website: quicken.com
Twitter: @Quicken

Popular with employees: Quicken matches 5% of employees’ contributions, up to $10,000 annually, to the retirement plan. Employees can participate starting on their first day and they are immediately fully vested.

Communication tool/practice: Management encourages transparency by hosting weekly business operations meetings in addition to monthly all-hands meetings.

Pictured: Quicken employees get into the Halloween spirit during a costume contest.

11. Fundera

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Location: New York
Employees: 87
CEO: Jared Hecht
Business: Online marketplace for small-business financial products
Website: fundera.com
Twitter: @fundera

Fitness/wellness program: Employees regularly visit various dance and fitness studios to work out together.

Career development/training program: Fundera offers an education stipend of $1,000 for employees to take workshops and classes and earn certifications that will help advance their careers.

Pictured: Fundera employees brainstorm and work in the office's relaxed atmosphere.

12. dv01

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Location: New York
Employees: 44
CEO: Perry Rahbar
Business: Platform for analytics, reporting and data management
Website: dv01.co
Twitter: @dv01inc

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: On Fridays, employees kick back by playing League of Legends, an online multiplayer video game.

Fitness/wellness program: Employees enjoy attending yoga classes together through an all-access pass the company offers to Equinox Fitness.

Pictured: Employees chat inside dv01's kitchen.

13. Fountain City Fintech

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Location: Kansas City, Mo.
Employees: 15
CEO: Brian Unruh
Business: Accelerator for fintech startups
Website: fountaincityfintech.com
Twitter: @fountaincityft

Popular with employees: At their fifth anniversary with the company, employees receive an extra week of paid time off or a $1,000 travel voucher. At 10 years, they get four weeks off for a sabbatical to pursue what they are passionate about.

Fitness/wellness program: Fountain City offers an on-site fitness center that includes a yoga studio and a trainer, who works with employees in individual sessions.

Pictured: Zach Pettet, managing director, and Megan Darnell, program manager, celebrate Fountain City's fintech demo day.

14. Snappy Kraken

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Location: Ormond Beach, Fla.
Employees: 18
CEO: Robert Sofia
Business: Digital marketing for financial services
Website: snappykraken.com
Twitter: @SnappyKraken

Popular with employees: All of Snappy Kraken’s employees work remotely, giving everyone flexibility in their hours, work environment and choice of residence.

Employee recognition/appreciation program: After three years at the company, employees may be eligible for a paid one-month sabbatical. Since the company is just turning three years old, employees will begin to qualify for the time off at the end of this year.

Pictured: The Snappy Kraken team gathers in Clearwter, Fla., for their first client meeting in 2016.

15. Bankers Healthcare Group

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Location: Davie, Fla.
Employees: 400
Chairman and CEO: Albert Crawford
Business: Lender for healthcare professionals
Website: bankershealthcaregroup.com
Twitter: @BHGstat

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: Bankers Healthcare Group offers its employees an on-site gym with personal trainers.

Employee recognition/appreciation program: Employees can submit shout-outs for their peers by email, and the submissions are displayed on television screens around the office.

Pictured: At a local elementary school, Bankers Healthcare Group employees give away toys to encourage children to be active during the summer.

16. Braviant Holdings

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Location: Chicago
Employees: 56
Chairman and CEO: Stephanie Klein
Business: Online lender for underserved consumers
Website: braviantholdings.com
Twitter: N/A

Family-friendly benefit/practice: After parental leave, employees can work three-day workweeks for the first four weeks upon their return.

Communication tool/practice: Managers have midyear conversations with employees about their career goals at the company and beyond.

Pictured: Employees are all smiles during a happy hour on a boat.

17. Chime

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Location: San Francisco
Employees: 81
CEO: Chris Britt
Business: Digital bank
Website: chime.com
Twitter: @Chime

Popular with employees: Chime welcomes trained dogs in its office and offers dog-friendly snacks. Employees often volunteer to walk their colleagues’ pets, and there’s even a #dogs channel on Slack.

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: The entire office is encouraged to participate in a daily plank, which is a core strength exercise, for two minutes at 4 p.m. After planking, employees mingle or get coffee before returning to work.

Pictured: At a bowling alley, employees celebrate the end of tax season.

18. MX

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Location: Lehi, Utah
Employees: 185
CEO: Ryan Caldwell
Business: Data aggregation and analytics
Website: mx.com
Twitter: @MXenabled

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: MX has a library separate from the rest of the office with couches, dim lights and a strictly enforced quiet rule.

Communication tool/practice: Each morning, employees participate in a brief “stand-up meeting” where everyone reports on their goals for the day.

Pictured: Employees and their family and friends attend the company's "Incredibles 2" movie premiere day in June.

19. SmartBiz Loans

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Location: San Francisco
Employees: 132
CEO: Evan Singer
Business: Facilitates Small Business Administration loans
Website: SmartBizLoans.com
Twitter: @SmartBizLoans

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: The company hosts quarterly team-building events like the SmartBiz Olympics, which includes soccer, touch football, a ring-toss competition and an egg relay race.

Employee recognition/appreciation program: After reaching a goal for loans facilitated, SmartBiz sent employees on a local cruise to enjoy nature and relax for a few hours.

Pictured: Employees in the Austin, Texas, office participate in a team-building activity at a local mini golf course.

20. LendKey

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Location: New York
Employees: 128
CEO: Vince Passione
Business: Student loan marketplace
Website: lendkey.com
Twitter: @LendKey

Career development/training program: LendKey has an employment program that offers internships and part-time jobs to students with Asperger’s Syndrome, autism and other learning differences.

Communication tool/practice: Each year, the company brings in a work etiquette and customer care speaker to train its team members.

Pictured: Employees participate in the National Down Syndrome Society Buddy Walk in Central Park in New York to support LendKey's volunteer initiative, Lending Hands.

21. Kasasa

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Trey Biggs
Location: Austin, Texas
Employees: 416
CEO: Gabriel Krajicek
Business: Banking products
Website: kasasa.com
Twitter: @kasasa

Popular with employees: Employees form groups, called “bar camps,” for their shared interests. Current groups include ones for a book club, financial planning, board games, ukuleles and LGBTQA.

Community service initiative: Kasasa has a “love fund” that allows employees to give matched contributions to help cover expenses for their colleagues, such as medical costs and car repairs.

Pictured: Employees take part in Kasasa's arm-wrestling contest last year.

22. Cross River

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Location: Fort Lee, N.J.
Employees: 184
CEO: Gilles Gade
Business: Banking platform for fintech firms
Website: crossriverbank.com
Twitter: @crossriverbank

Popular with employees: On Fridays, employees get to leave at 3 p.m.

Employee recognition/appreciation program: Cross River brings in a barber and hairstylist about once in a month to give employees haircuts.

Pictured: Andrea Rooney, executive assistant, Randi Schochet, chief marketing officer, and Brooke Reid, senior vice president of strategy, celebrate Cross River's 10th anniversary during a gala in June.

23. Advyzon

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Location: Chicago
Employees: 21
CEO: Hailin Li
Business: Wealth management customer relationship management software
Website: advyzon.com
Twitter: @advyzon

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: Advyzon hosts semiannual outings for its employees. This summer the company rented a corporate suite at a racetrack near Chicago and took employees out to dinner after the event.

Employee recognition/appreciation program: Employees can receive additional pay and stock options for exceptional work, which is determined through client feedback, internal survey results and client retention rates.

Pictured: A group of Advyzon employees enjoy a dinner out together.

24. Apiture

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Location: Wilmington, N.C.
Employees: 123
President: Christopher Cox
Business: Open API banking platform
Website: apiture.com
Twitter: @apiture

Popular with employees: Employees who work at least 30 hours a week have 100% of their insurance premiums covered. Apiture also pays for out-of-pocket expenses for in-network medical care.

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: Apiture has a weekly happy hour each Friday in its Wilmington office.

Pictured: Employees in Austin, Texas, gather to spend part of their day sorting and pack food to help out the Central Texas Food Bank.

25. Fattmerchant

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Location: Orlando, Fla.
Employees: 69
CEO: Suneera Madhani
Business: Subscription-based payments platform
Website: Fattmerchant.com
Twitter: @fattmerchant

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: Fattmerchant’s office has amenities, such pool tables, snacks and quiet rooms, to create a working environment that is comfortable for everyone.

Employee recognition/appreciation program: The Benji Award is given annually to the employee who goes above and beyond in demonstrating the company’s core values. The winner and a guest are sent on an all-expenses-paid trip.

Pictured: Krystal Little, director of sales operations, and Ryan Remak, data intern, play a game of basketball during a break in Fattmerchant's downtown Orlando office.

26. MyVest

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Location: San Francisco
Employees: 94
CEO: Anton Honikman
Business: Tax-focused wealth platform provider
Website: myvest.com
Twitter: @Myvestco

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: MyVest sponsors friendly competitions between employees including pingpong tournaments, trivia night, a hackathon and NCAA brackets.

Family-friendly benefit/practice: The firm offers unlimited paid time off for full-time employees and lets employees work remotely.

Pictured: Employees show their spirit during the annual MyVest Festivus and ugly-sweater party.

27. CSI

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Location: Paducah, Ky.
Employees: 1,170
Chairman and CEO: Steve Powless
Business: Provider of bank software, IT, compliance and core processing
Website: csiweb.com
Twitter: @CSIsolutions

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: An ice cream or snow cone truck is hired to stop by employee cookouts.

Bonus/incentive program: The company’s annual contribution to its profit sharing plan ranges from a minimum of 7% to a maximum of 15% of the worker’s salary, and no employee contribution is required.

Pictured: A cornhole tournament is held during the employee appreciation cookout last summer at the CSI office in Amarillo, Texas.

28. Better.com

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Location: New York
Employees: 221
CEO: Vishal Garg
Business: Direct mortgage lender
Website: better.com
Twitter: @betterdotcom

Popular with employees: The company gives all full-time employees unlimited paid time off to ensure a good work-life balance.

Family-friendly benefit/practice: Employees receive $2,500 when they have a baby or adopt a child. The money can be paid out as a bonus or can be used through Apiari, a service that provides night nurses, day care and other services.

Pictured: Graham Storey, executive creative director, and Patricia Korth-McDonell, chief marketing officer, chat inside the company's office in New York.

29. FinFit

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Stephanie Linaburg-Ipock
Location: Stamford, Conn.
Employees: 46
CEO: George Skakel
Business: Financial wellness platform
Website: FinFit.com
Twitter: @FinFit_LLC

Fitness/wellness program: FinFit supports physical fitness for employees by offering twice-weekly boot-camp classes and a monthly nutrition meeting.

Employees recognition/appreciation program: Every quarter the company gives a “rockstar” award for outstanding performance to one employee. Winners are honored with a plaque in the lobby and a cash gift.

Pictured: FinFit employees participate in a Polar Bear Plunge event.

30. Jack Henry & Associates

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Location: Monett, Mo.
Employees: 6,448
President and CEO: David Foss
Business: Core processing and software provider
Website: jackhenry.com
Twitter: @JackHenryAssoc

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: Lighthearted activities, such as costume contests, office Olympics and mud-volleyball tournaments, are regularly held at the company’s offices.

Community service initiative: Since 2016, Jack Henry’s Kentucky office has organized the iPay 5K for United Way. Employees and their families and members of the community participate.

Pictured: Jack Henry's iPay team has fun during their annual mud volleyball tournament.

31. Nvoicepay

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Location: Beaverton, Ore.
Employees: 119
CEO: Karla Friede
Business: Accounts payable software for business-to-business payments
Website: Nvoicepay.com
Twitter: @Nvoicepay

Fitness/wellness program: The company offers and pays for a set of supplemental insurance policies for hospital stays, accidents and critical care.

Communication tool/practice: CEO Karla Friede provides updates, talks about strategy and takes questions during monthly “first Friday” meetings.

Pictured: A group of employees volunteer with the Oregon Food Bank as part of the NVP Gives initiative.

32. Alkami

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Location: Plano, Texas
Employees: 385
CEO: Mike Hansen
Business: Cloud-based mobile and digital banking services
Website: Alkami.com
Twitter: @AlkamiTech

Popular with employees: Alkami provides a free, catered lunch daily for all employees from local eateries, complete with vegan and vegetarian options.

Career development/training program: Every employee gets 24 hours annually for professional development. The company offers free online courses through Alkami University and instructor lead classes and has professional learning committees that share best practices.

Pictured: During a recent social hour, Alkami employees enjoy a bit of karaoke. The company hosts these events every first Friday of the month.

33. Bank OZK Innovation Labs

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Location: St. Petersburg, Fla.
Employees: 31
President: Marcio de Oliveira
Business: Bank innovation lab
Website: ozk.com/labs
Twitter: @BankOZK

Employee recognition/appreciation program: New hires receive $100 to spend on branded apparel through an online store.

Community service initiative: The fintech has commissioned more than 20 local artists to create art, which is then displayed at its office and around the community.

Pictured: Employees at Bank OZK can catch up on their sleep in the nap room complete with a sleep pod.

34. The Debt Exchange

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Location: Boston
Employees: 65
President and CEO: Kingsley Greenland II
Business: Adviser for consumer, commercial and specialty finance loans
Website: Debtx.com
Twitter: @TheDebtExchange

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: In 2017, the company moved to a new building with an amenity space that includes billiards and table tennis, beer taps and video games.

Employee recognition/appreciation program: Employees enjoy monthly appreciation events, such as free lunch, cupcakes and an ice cream sundae party.

Pictured: During a company outing to Kings Dining & Entertainment in Boston, an employee plays a giant game of Jenga.

35. TradePMR

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Location: Gainesville, Fla.
Employees: 73
President and CEO: Robb Baldwin
Business: Brokerage and custodian technology provider
Website: tradepmr.com
Twitter: @tradepmr

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: Every month there are free activities for employees. In March, staffers could sign up for cooking classes.

Fitness/wellness program: TradePMR hosts an annual wellness fair that includes free blood work, chiropractic adjustments, massages and information on healthy eating.

Pictured: TradePMR hosts a lemonade stand to raise money for pediatric cancer research.

36. Breakout Capital Finance

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Location: McLean, Va.
Employees: 48
CEO: Carl Fairbank
Business: Small-business lending platform
Website: breakoutfinance.com
Twitter: @breakoutcap

Employee recognition/appreciation program: When teams reach a milestone or go above and beyond, they receive a pizza or ice cream party to celebrate their hard work.

Career development/training program: Breakout Capital hosts monthly lunch and learns where in-house experts cover a variety of topics, including factoring and small-business finance. Its director of engineering also teaches a biweekly course on the basics of coding.

Pictured: Breakout Capital employees and their families participate in the Teddy Bear 5K in McLean, Va., which raises money for charity.

37. Expansion Capital Group

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Location: Sioux Falls, S.D.
Employees: 63
CEO: Vincent Ney
Business: Small-business financing
Website: expansionadvance.com
Twitter: @ExpansionCap

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: Once or twice a month, the company caters a meal or provides a snack for employees. For example, last summer, an ice cream truck stopped by several times.

Employee recognition/appreciation program: Every month during the all hands meeting, one employee with outstanding results wins the “Vinny” award. Winners receive a bobblehead-doll replica of the CEO they display on their desk and a cash prize.

Pictured: Two members of Expansion Capital's leadership team play ladder golf during the 2018 summer picnic.

38. SOLE Financial

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Location: Portland, Ore.
Employees: 80
President: Thomas Secor
Business: Payroll card provider
Website: solepaycard.com
Twitter: @SOLEFinancial

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: Once a week, breakfast or lunch is provided to employees.

Employee recognition/appreciation program: Employees can submit shout-outs to recognize their colleagues through the platform Teamphoria. Those who were recognized are entered into a drawing on Friday and can win prizes such as tickets to Portland Trail Blazers and Timbers games and gift cards.

Pictured: Employees take time to plant trees for the Paperless Trees Project, the company's corporate social responsibility initiative.

39. Finicity

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Location: Murray, Utah
Employees: 96
CEO: Steven Smith
Business: Provides financial data aggregation and analysis
Website: finicity.com
Twitter: @finicity

Fitness/wellness program: Employees can participate in walking teams, which promote camaraderie and exercise. The group that gets the most steps in a given month are recognized during the monthly company meeting.

Employee recognition/appreciation program: Employees who show passion and innovative and strategic thinking are recognized each month with the Finitizen, Finovator & Fintigist Awards. The winners receive a reserved parking spot, a $50 gift card and an award to display at their desks.

Pictured: Finicity works with its local fire department to collect clothing to help the homeless.

40. Prosper Marketplace

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Location: San Francisco
Employees: 407
CEO: David Kimball
Business: Peer-to-peer lending platform
Website: prosper.com
Twitter: @prosperloans

Popular with employees: Employees have access to Udemy, an online platform that offers a variety of classes on career development.

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: The company hosts social gatherings complete with food and drinks after its monthly town hall meetings.

Pictured: Employees relax during the company's fourth annual Prosperfest, one of its social events after its monthly town hall meetings.

41. United Wholesale Mortgage

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ADAM SPARKES
Location: Pontiac, Mich.
Employees: 2,675
President and CEO: Mat Ishbia
Business: Mortgage lending
Website: uwm.com
Twitter: @uwmeasy

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: Each Thursday, employees take a break with a 3 p.m. dance party.

Family-friendly benefit/practice: The company enforces a “firm 40,” which means employees are encouraged to check out from their jobs after the work day to spend time with family and friends.

Pictured: Employees play basketball on the full-length indoor court at the company's headquarters.

42. Ally Financial

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Brett Mountain
Location: Charlotte, N.C.
Employees: 8,098
CEO: Jeffrey Brown
Business: Digital bank
Website: ally.com
Twitter: @Ally

Fitness/wellness program: Ally contributes $750 for an individual and $1,500 for a family to employees’ health savings accounts. Employees also enjoy free coverage for a range of preventive medicines.

Community service initiative: Employees can take off eight hours each year to participate in a volunteer activity of their choosing.

Pictured: An employee reads "Planet Zeee and the Money Tree," which Ally wrote and created, to elementary-school children.

43. MPOWER Financing

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Location: Washington, D.C.
Employees: 31
CEO: Emmanuel Smadja
Business: Educational lending
Website: mpowerfinancing.com
Twitter: @MPOWERfinancing

Popular with employees: Employees enjoy regular feedback, including weekly team check ins, monthly one-on-one meetings with their managers and semiannual reviews.

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: The company hosts “puppy day” twice a year where rescue dogs are brought in for employees to play with.

Pictured: Employees celebrate after MPOWER raised $110 million in funding.

44. Aura (formerly known as Insikt)

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Location: San Francisco
Employees: 148
CEO: James Gutierrez
Business: Lender providing small dollar loans to the underbanked
Website: myaura.com
Twitter: @aura_fair_loans

Employee recognition/appreciation program: Employees can submit praise for their colleagues through an online form. The submissions are presented during weekly companywide meetings and included in Aura’s intranet.

Career development/training program: Aura provides a development program for new managers that includes training on providing feedback, communication, running meetings effectively, delegation and coaching.

Pictured: Pedro Alvarez, left, an analyst in loan operations, and David Zhang, associate product manager, play pingpong at Aura's headquarters in downtown San Francisco.

45. BlueSnap

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Location: Waltham, Mass.
Employees: 64
CEO: Ralph Dangelmaier
Business: Payments platform
Website: home.bluesnap.com
Twitter: @Bluesnapinc

Popular with employees: Employees receive free, professional headshots to ensure their LinkedIn profiles are current.

Employee recognition/appreciation program: BlueSnap hosts an annual summer outing, usually to a Red Sox baseball game, to help foster a friendly work environment.

Pictured: A group of BlueSnap employees enjoy doughnuts while attending a local tech event.

46. Carson Group

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Location: Omaha, Neb.
Employees: 176
CEO: Ron Carson
Business: Wealth management platform provider
Website: carsongroup.com
Twitter: @CarsonGroupLLC

Fitness/wellness program: Carson Group hosts semiannual fitness challenges. This has included a hike up Mount Shasta, a 14,000-foot peak in Northern California, and a Spartan Race, which is an obstacle course that spans several miles.

Employee recognition/appreciation program: Carson Group sponsors a bring-your-dog-to-work day featuring dog bandannas, treats and lunch. The firm also organizes a presentation from a local rescue or animal shelter.

Pictured: Employees volunteer at a local homeless shelter for veterans during one of the Carson Gives days last year.

47. Oranj

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Location: Chicago
Employees: 41
CEO: David Lyon
Business: Wealth management software provider
Website: runoranj.com
Twitter: @runoranjdotcom

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: Oranj buys VIP tickets for all employees to spend one day at the music event Lollapalooza.

Communication tool/practice: Employees can ask tough questions, share ideas and discuss overall strategy during quarterly town hall meetings.

Pictured: Two employees enjoy a game of pingpong at the Oranj office.

48. Laurel Road

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Location: New York
Employees: 193
Chairman and CEO: Gary Lieberman
Business: Online lender
Website: laurelroad.com
Twitter: @LaurelRoad

Popular with employees: All full-time employees can receive 0.25% off of a mortgage through Laurel Road.

Fitness/wellness program: The company covers 100% of the premiums for employees and their dependents for a dental insurance plan and two medical insurance plans.

Pictured: At a town hall meeting, a coffee truck serves beverages and Laurel Road-branded pastries to employees.

49. IOU Financial

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Location: Montreal
Employees: 34
President and CEO: Phil Marleau
Business: Business lending
Website: ioufinancial.com
Twitter: @IOUFinancial

Employee recognition/appreciation program: Employees are encouraged to think big by submitting suggestions through an online system. If an idea is implemented, the person receives a $50 gift card and an extra paid day off.

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: IOU hosts an annual holiday party for employees and their spouses. Last year’s event, including exchanging of gifts, was at a restaurant in a small local airport.

Pictured: Employees gather to prepare for the solar eclipse.

50. Deserve

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Location: Menlo Park, Calif.
Employees: 35
CEO: Kalpesh Kapadia
Business: Credit card issuer
Website: deserve.com
Twitter: @DeserveCards

Popular with employees: The company offers a student loan repayment program by contributing $100 each month toward a student loan for each eligible employee.

Activity to relieve stress/promote fun: Birthdays are celebrated at Deserve. Employees get a cake, complete with candles and singing, and a card signed by everyone.

Pictured: Deserve hosts a patriotic-themed party after its CEO Kalpesh Kapadia took his oath to become a U.S. citizen.
This article originally appeared in American Banker.
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