EXCLUSIVE— Fintech is continuing to grow, as more startups across payments, insurance, blockchain, and other areas carve out niches for themselves in the financial ecosystem. And with more funding and more innovations come more players. Here are three that Bank Innovation will be keeping a watch on next month:
Chip
At this point, the United Kingdom is a hotbed of neobanks, challenger banks, and personal financial management services all vying for attention. Today, let’s shine a spotlight on Chip, a UK-based PFM app focused on savings accounts.
The mobile app makes use of artificial intelligence-powered algorithms to come up with personalized savings amounts for users, based around their own financial circumstances. The app, which should be expanding soon thanks to a recent influx of funding, currently has about 25,000 accounts — not bad for a company that got its start in 2016.
Culu
Whether one is pro or anti-cryptocurrencies, ignoring them is getting harder and harder in the financial ecosystem. Culu, a Tel Aviv-based startup, is going after digital currencies in a different way.
Started in 2015, the company creates “local currencies” using blockchain technology, essentially creating currencies that can be used at local levels for daily financial transactions. By supporting these local businesses and merchants via blockchain-powered currencies, Culu’s aim is to create better economic growth.
So far, the company raised a Series B round of funding in earlier this month that brought its total equity to $26.6 million.
Honcho
The insurance industry is going through some changes of its own, with insurtech startups like Lemonade crafting faster, easier and more digital-based ways for both consumers and insurers to interact. Honcho, a UK-based startup, is seeking to make these changes to insurance with its “reverse marketplace.”
The company, which opened a round of equity crowdfunding in last month, works via mobile and allows insurers to enter “real-time bids” to offer the best prices to consumers. On the consumer end, all a user has to do to accept an insurer’s bid is buy directly from the Honcho platform.
Keep an eye out for more fintech startups from Bank Innovation.