European digital bank N26 has increased its customer base by 200,000 users in just 14 months as digital bank solutions become increasingly more popular in Europe; the company has also reported a new transactions milestone of 3 billion euros ($3.1 billion); the Berlin-based company is targeting tech savvy millennials and has introduced a number of competitive features to attract new customers including a lending product that allows for mobile loans up to 25,000 euros ($26,556); the business has raised over $55 million in capital and is planning to expand to Britain in 2017. Source
UK digital bank Starling Bank is now available to a broader set of users; still in a beta testing phase, the firm is now adding additional clients beyond just friends, family and product testers; as enhancements to the platform it recently announced its public API, which will allow for a product marketplace, and it has also partnered with TransferWise; Starling Bank will be offering its users full current account functionality with a contactless MasterCard debit card also including international payment services. Source
Business Insider provides data on the number of challenger banks by country; this week Carrefour Banque, a subsidiary of Carrefour, that also operates a multinational retailer, shared that they were launching a new current account under the name C-Zam; the retailer operates in 30 countries and has over 1,000 stores in France which puts them in a unique position to acquire customers; other players prevalent in the French market include BNP Paribas which launched Hello Bank in 2013 and ING Direct which launched in 2010; startups Qonto and N26 also operate in Europe. Source
After launching as savings product two years ago the app only bank is approaching £1bn ($1.3bn) in deposits; after disclosing in March they were at 17,000 customers and over £500mn ($663mn) they have seen a significant acceleration in growth; they also reported growth in small business loan applications and mortgages. Source.
Writing a guest post on FT Alphaville Victor Basta, the managing director of Magister Advisors talks bout the struggle digital banks face in making a profit; digital banks have certainly made a name for themselves and offer a better product to the consumer; rising customer acquisition costs and the tough scaling of affiliate agreements are just two of the reasons these banking startups will find it a challenge to reach profitability; the future looks like potential acquisition of digital banks for technology or merging with other fintechs to form a stronger conglomerate. Source.
UK digital bank startup Monzo has listed a new crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube and is seeking to raise 2.5 million British pounds ($3.09 million) as part of a broader fundraising for a total of 22 million British pounds ($27.18 million); Business Insider provides details on growth plans outlined in the crowdfunding campaign; Monzo is currently showing a seven year plan to an initial public offering which will include an estimated 75 million British pounds ($92.67 million) in new capital in the next five years; Monzo says it will raise capital again in May 2018 and it expects to report a profit after 2020; the firm has been granted a banking license and will begin offering deposit accounts as well as overdraft lending which it expects to help improve profitability. Source
Revolut is launching a premium account giving members a range of benefits; the premium account will cost 6.99 British pounds ($8.75) per month or 72 British pounds ($90.10) per year, and will include unlimited money transfer, a premium Mastercard, overseas medical insurance and 24-hour customer support; the digital bank is also launching a crowdfunding campaign on Seedrs for 4 million British pounds ($5.01 million) with investing priority for its first 5,000 premium customers. Source
N26 has partnered with Auxmoney to offer consumer loans; the partnership will open the loan offering to the digital bank's over 300,000 customers, providing options for self-employed, freelancers and students; loans will range from EUR1,000 ($1,181) to EUR25,000 ($29,527) with terms ranging from 12 to 60 months and annual interest rates beginning at 3.95%. Source
While publishing the results of the latest stress tests on the UK’s biggest banks the Bank of England warned that fintechs could take significant market share; the Bank of England identified three main areas of concern for banks: competition from fintechs, cost reduction while delivering services and low interest rates; these key areas could hurt profitability at banks in the coming years and app based disrupters could be the beneficiaries. Source.
We learned recently that UK digital bank, Atom Bank, is exploring new funding that could lead to a possible sale...