Fintech wants to change the world with new models of finance, but if this sector really wants to meet that aspiration, firms should come up with new ways to give consumers access to finance, not just create nice looking apps with novelty functions.
As a financial journalist I spend a lot of time reading press releases sent to me by brand new companies. It’s heartening to see the depth and breadth of new entrants, innovators and ambitious start-ups looking to provide for consumers. I am still left somewhat bemused, however, by many brands that style themselves as innovators – when often all that has been created is a novelty app to dress up traditional financial products.
Open Banking, for example, was widely touted as a game-changer a year ago. The updated rules allowing brands to access other providers’ customers’ financial data through APIs was heralded as a big step for consumer data control.
But so far, Open Banking has largely only led to a proliferation of big banks creating apps that capture consumers into their own infrastructure. And those that do use API technology tend to just do so to create nice-looking budgeting apps, but don’t actually use data in a meaningful way to help customers access new financial products.
'A firm that commits financial business errors does not illicit much confidence. If it cannot look after its own affairs properly, I for one would not trust it with my money.'
Powerful new firms have also been beset by old-fashioned problems. Revolut is a high-profile example of this. The company positions itself at the very cutting edge of fintech but underlying problems have affected its reputation. A PR debacle around tone-deaf Tube advertising, which exposed the use of fictitious data, and an emergent investigation by the regulator over compliance failures have exposed the hubris of a business outgrowing its own capabilities.
