Top 10 FinTech Startup Brands

The fastest growing startups and the ones with the most impact on the business world are a new breed of financial technology startups, also called FinTech Startups. These startups use software to provide financial services and have disrupted the traditional financial services models and landscapes. Here is a brief look at the top 10 fintech startups along with reviews of their logo designs. I have also written a report on blockchain brand identity that you may find interesting.

Monzo

More than 5.73M people use Monzo to manage their money and spend it around the world. The app UX, UI, and model are so awesome that Monzo is gaining rapid popularity. Their vision is “We’re building a bank, together” and the brand essence is one of transparency and fairness. Their tagline, “We believe in an alternative to the banking of the past,” positions them squarely against traditional banking.

The primary logo is the letter M in an origami style. Monzo uses bright pastel colors that may look a little chaotic on the face of it but careful inspection shows that the colors are not random and have been carefully selected to target several tiers of audience archetypes. Although the primary icon is not that exciting, the overall visual language is cohesive and does create differentiation. Since this is a fintech brand with user touchpoints on multiple platforms and devices, the simplistic icon-based primary logo makes sense.

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Starling Bank

Starling Bank is an award-winning, fully licensed, and regulated bank built to give people a fairer, smarter, and more human alternative to the banks of the past. Their mission is “branchless, paperless, and run on renewable energy.” The name comes from the Starling bird, which is sociable, adaptable, friendly, and supportive, all qualities the bank wanted to embody. The Starling also works as part of a team to make something as complex as a murmuration feel beautifully simple.

The primary logo is the letter S formed out of two abstract shapes enclosed in a blue circle. The icons are not too strong but do create recall because of the shape of the letter S. It could also be assumed that the two shapes forming the S are abstract hands coming together in a protective manner, hinting at the service. However, the overall brand identity and colors are quite muted and seem stuffy, almost like the very banks and institutions that Starling is trying to fight off and displace. A brighter identity that was more modern would perhaps align better with the brand message.

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Tandem

Amazingly, Tandem does NOT have any information about their brand, vision, mission, or anything else on their website. The reason I included them in this list is to show you how NOT to brand your startup. Their tagline is “Save more than just your money,” but that is about all you get.

The logo design for Tandem is as bad as its overall brand identity: its lack of brand essence messaging on the website and any personality whatsoever. The illustrations on the website look random and clipart-like. Not sure what the message is with the almost hand-drawn-looking illustrations randomly thrown around.

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Tide

Tide is a business financial platform and the leading provider of digital business banking services in the UK, regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Their vision is “We believe the world would be a better place if more people gave it a shot” and their tagline is “Ready for business.”

The primary logo is very simple: the word in plain typography with no apparent customization. Blue and crimson pink seem to be the corporate colors but they lack an overall storytelling aspect. Perhaps it is the simple logotype or perhaps even the name itself, which reminds me of the Tide washing liquid that is ubiquitous. The website looks quite barebones with not much effort put into the user experience. However, compared to Tandem, at least they have a decent about us page.

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Ally

The name Ally means “combine or unite a resource or commodity with another for mutual benefit,” proposing that this brand is an ally to people looking for better financial services. Their vision is to “be a relentless ally for your financial well-being” and their tagline is “Committed Beyond Banking.” Their core values emphasize looking externally for innovation, executing with excellence, acting with professionalism and integrity, and delivering results measured not just by success but by how it is achieved.

Although the brand essence of Ally is much more advanced than the other brands on this list, the brand identity is a little lacking. The primary logo is a simple typographic treatment of the word “ally” with the letter “a” custom drawn. Dark purple is the corporate color. However, there is no other visual language or storytelling on the website, which itself looks sparse and boring.

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Atom

Atom is a digital bank that you can only access through an app on your smartphone or tablet. Their vision is “to change banking for good, for the better, for everyone” and their mission is to help people who want to own their own homes and build their own businesses. The tagline is “The bank that works for you.”

The primary logo and brand identity are slightly better. The logo icon is the letter A made out of abstract colorful shapes. Dark purple and crimson pink seem to be the corporate colors but these are not unique and look like the colors of Ally or a few other financial institutions. The website is much better than others on this list and some care was taken to be consistent in branding and storytelling. The website has a lot of information including annual reports, which communicates the message that the brand is trying to be authentic and transparent.

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Venmo

Since 2009, Venmo has been the app for fast, safe, social payments between friends. It is where settling up feels like catching up, and where money enhances friendships rather than complicating them. Their vision is “bringing people together” and the tagline is “Fast, safe, social payments.” The name comes from vendere, Latin for “to sell,” and “mo” for mobile. Kortina says they just wanted something short that could be used as a verb, spelled intuitively, and purchased on GoDaddy for cheap.

Yet another primary logo that is a simple typographic treatment with one letter slightly customized. The strategy is that the custom letter can be used as an icon for social media avatars, app icons, and more. The pale color and website design give off “Web 2.0” vibes from several years ago. The layout and information flow is quite decent on the website though.

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WorldRemit

WorldRemit is an innovative, forward-thinking company that has grown to serve 5.7 million customers, using 70 different currencies, across 130 countries worldwide. Their tagline is “A better way to send money.” Unfortunately their brand essence, vision, and mission are poorly communicated on the website.

Despite that, I do like their brand identity. The primary logo is the letter W enclosed in a polygon. I like the website design and the layout of information, typography, colors, and imagery.

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Azimo

Azimo is an online remittance service headquartered in Amsterdam with offices in Kraków. Their vision is to be “the money transfer service for hard-working people” and their mission is “to make it faster, cheaper, and easier for people to support their loved ones back home.” The tagline is “Send money abroad the faster, cheaper way.”

I like the Azimo brand identity including the primary logo design and the teal color palette. The use of flat and modern illustrations is very consistent throughout the website.

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Zettle

Zettle makes modern point-of-sale (POS) products designed to simplify every workday. Their mission is “to help small businesses succeed in a world of giants” and the tagline is “Made for more.”

The brand identity of Zettle is quite sparse. The primary logo is the letter Z but without any design element or customization. However, I do like the website and the use of custom illustrations. It is clean, slick, and quite easy to navigate.

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