YouTube star MrBeast buys youth-focused financial services app Step
Creator, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist Jimmy Donaldson, also known as MrBeast, speaks on stage during the 2025 New York Times Dealbook Summit at Jazz at Lincoln Center on December 03, 2025 in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, the world’s biggest YouTuber by subscribers, has acquired financial services app Step, marking his company’s foray into fintech by focusing on serving younger users.
Step is promoted as an all-in-one money app for teens and young adults to manage money, build credit, and access financial tools. The app will operate under Donaldson’s company, Beast Industries.
“Growing up, no one taught me how to invest, build credit, or manage money. That’s exactly why we’re joining forces with Step,” MrBeast told his millions of fans on Monday. “I want to provide millions of young people with the financial foundation they never had. I have a lot to share soon.”
Beast Industries did not disclose how much it paid for Step. CNBC contacted the company for comment but did not receive a response via broadcast.
Beast Industries has been raising funds over the past year, including a recent $200 million investment from Bitmine Immersion Technologies, the largest institutional owner of the cryptocurrency Ether and chaired by Fundstrat’s Tom Lee.
In addition to fintech giant Stripe, Step is also supported by venture capital companies such as Coatue, Collaborative Fund, Crosslink Capital and General Catalyst.
Newly acquired Step was founded by fintech veterans CJ MacDonald and Alexey Kalinichenko in 2018 with a mission to provide financial literacy tools to future generations.
Although Step is not a bank, it partnered with Evolve Bank & Trust, a consumer banking company, for banking services in 2022. The platform also includes the Step Visa Card, an account for saving, spending, sending money and investing without a monthly fee.
Step’s more than 7 million users, technology platform and in-house fintech team will complement Step’s large digital audience and philanthropic initiatives, Beast Industries said in a press release.
“This acquisition will connect us with our audiences where they are, with practical, technology-driven solutions that can better their financial futures,” Beast Industries CEO Jeff Housenbold said in a statement.
Beast Industries’ other ventures include Feastables, a snack brand, Beast Philanthropy, its nonprofit arm, and Beast Games, a reality competition series on Amazon Prime Video.
These initiatives leverage Donaldson’s YouTube brand, which has more than 450 million subscribers and 5 billion monthly views across channels as of early 2026.
