By Zennon Kapron
Publication Date: 2026-02-01 09:34:00
Although both companies have had a solid run at fintech, Google is by far ahead in the fintech race. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
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Google and Meta are both Web 2.0 giants that are among the largest companies in the world by market capitalization. Google dominates search globally outside of China, while Meta – including Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram – has a huge share of social media platforms ex-China.
One area in which the two tech juggernauts differ sharply is fintech. Google has achieved considerable success in the burgeoning digital financial services segment, best encapsulated by Google Pay and its 150 million users, while Meta has been slower to capitalize on the opportunities fintech provides.
Despite the vast digital ecosystems over which Meta presides, in hundreds of countries and involving billions of users, the company has never been able to sell itself to consumers, businesses, or regulators as a capable financial services provider.
