Web3, blockchain, and crypto innovation in financial services.

Months after the UK entered a coronavirus-induced lockdown and financial services firms are struggling to service their customers. Building a digital first approach now can alleviate immediate issues and set firms up for sustained customer success.

Digital-only banks have been all the rage for some time now. Who hasn't heard of Monzo and Starling or, if your gaze is stateside, Chime? This is taken from our Unfiltered newsletter. Subscribe now for a no BS, uncensored analysis of fintech news and hot topics delivered to your inbox each fortnight.

If you change how money moves, you change the world. Money touches everything. Want to build a school? You need money. Want to prevent unsustainable business models? Want to prevent human trafficking? Manage the money flow.

I wrote about the underbanked phenomenon in Eastern Europe a few weeks ago. Mainly I talked about which basic services are used, not used, and why.

Happy 2023, fintech fans!

Around the globe, millions are feeling the pinch as the cost-of-living crisis continues. The biggest fall in living standards since records began is forecast in the UK, while inflation rates are starting to cool after a tumultuous year across the pond.

One of the phrases you often encounter when reading things about mental health is "It's OK to not be OK." Whilst I get the sentiment, as someone who has been there, it really isn't OK. It sucks.

Despite the global economic climate, a lot of banks and fintechs have dipped their toes into the crypto waters in recent months.

This is the second article in a three-part series on how fintech for good (FFG) is helping people and the planet. The first touched on consumer behaviour. If you missed it, check it out here.

It’s happening. After months of ‘will they, won’t they’, Monzo is heading Stateside.

At this point we can all agree that the financial market as a whole has gone through a period of lows. Paired with increased inflation (even in developed countries), and the US confirming a recession, things seem to have really taken a turn for the worse - the so-called bear market.

When I see headlines about “hipster” banks and “trendy” cards, it strikes me that the narrative is missing a huge shift about the consumer. Ethical is the new luxury. Private is the new showy. Transparent is the new trusted.

As part of the editorial process for Fintech Insider we review a lot of stories and see how media outlets report on challenger banks. Some recent pieces had the distinct feel of unhappy incumbent bankers lobbying hard to change the narrative.

Fintechs regularly provide updates on how many customers they have. Motivations for doing so are varied — garnering headlines, proving naysayers wrong, or right, keeping investors happy and so on. More interestingly, they also have a variety of definitions of “customer” that are not always clear.

Everyone’s got a bike these days, right? How many bikes would you admit to owning? Is your ‘multi-bike’ strategy paying off? Now ask yourself the same questions about your use of cloud.