Influencer

Beast Industries Acquires Fintech Step To Add Financial Services To Creator Platform

Published on February 10, 2026

Beast Industries, the company founded by YouTube creator Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast), has acquired Step, a financial technology platform focused on younger users, the companies announced. The deal marks Beast Industries’ expansion into financial services and brings Step’s reported 7 million users under the creator-driven company’s umbrella.

The acquisition combines Step’s technology platform and fintech team with Beast Industries’ audience of more than 450 million YouTube subscribers and 5 billion monthly views across channels. Beast Industries did not disclose the purchase price.

“Financial health is fundamental to overall wellbeing, yet too many people lack access to the tools and knowledge they need to build financial security,” Jeff Housenbold, CEO of Beast Industries, said in a statement. “This acquisition positions us to meet our audiences where they are, with practical, technology-driven solutions that can transform their financial futures for the better.”

Step offers financial services, including credit-building, savings, and investing tools, targeted at teens and young adults. The platform operates through a partnership with Evolve Bank & Trust and provides a Step Visa Card with no monthly fees.

“Nobody taught me about investing, building credit, or managing money when I was growing up,” Donaldson wrote on X. “I want to give millions of young people the financial foundation I never had.”

Step CEO and founder CJ MacDonald said the acquisition would expand the platform’s reach. “There are a lot of synergies between Step and what Jimmy, Jeff, and the team at Beast Industries believe in when it comes to helping people and giving back,” MacDonald said. “We’re excited about how this acquisition is going to amplify our platform and bring more groundbreaking products to Step customers.”

Step, founded in 2018 by MacDonald and Alexey Kalinichenko, raised half a billion dollars in funding from investors including Stripe, Coatue, Collaborative Fund, Crosslink Capital, and General Catalyst. The platform also attracted celebrity investors, including Stephen Curry, Charli D’Amelio, Will Smith, Justin Timberlake, and The Chainsmokers.

Beast Industries has been fundraising over the past year, including a $200 million investment from Bitmine Immersion Technologies. The company’s existing ventures include the Feastables snack brand, Beast Philanthropy nonprofit, and Beast Games reality competition series on Amazon Prime Video.

A leaked pitch document from last year indicated Beast Industries’ interest in financial services, according to TechCrunch. The document also showed the company was exploring launching a mobile virtual network operator similar to Mint Mobile.