Mobile banking — starting 2023 with new features that we love!
3 innovation and digital news in 1 minute. Every Monday. Episode 327
Year in review by Klarna — gamified tracking of own consumption
Klarna has launched the “Money Story” format in its German app. This format, which is based on a similar concept seen on social media, provides users with a comprehensive overview of their spend for the year 2022. Klarna aims to promote financial awareness through this feature. With interactive animations in a playful quiz-format, users can gain a deeper understanding of their spending patterns and set goals for the next year. Opinion: The new feature “Money Story” bears a resemblance to Spotify’s popular yearly review, “Spotify Wrapped”. By incorporating this feature, Klarna is effectively promoting consumer awareness within the app and on social media platforms. This move is particularly advantageous on social media, capitalising on the growing trend of consumers sharing their BNPL-induced Klarna debts.
A consumer-friendly feature!
ShareIt — a new payment app for Denmark
The Danish challenger bank, Lunar, introduces a new expense sharing app named ShareIt. With the discontinuation of the widely used Weshare app (payment app, similar to PayPal, popular in Scandinavia), Lunar is providing both its customers and non-customers (accessible without Lunar account) with an alternative solution. Currently, the app is offered at no cost, but a fee for non-customers will be implemented at a later time. Opinion: With the discontinuation of the Weshare app on 01.02.2023, Lunar has wisely positioned itself in the market, providing an opportunity to attract new customers. Also, the upcoming expansion of the app to Sweden and Norway will further solidify Lunar’s market presence.
When one goes, the next comes!
Crypto, crypto, crypto. Yes, at N26
Challenger bank N26 from Berlin is expanding its crypto trading services to Germany and other countries. As of October 2022, the service has been available in Austria through the N26 app, with crypto trading and custody handled by the crypto exchange Bitpanda. Users are charged a fee of 1.5% per bitcoin trade and 2.5% for all other cryptocurrencies. N26 Metal customers benefit from a reduction of 0.5% in fees. Opinion: N26 has ventured into the current tumultuous cryptocurrency trading market with its new trading feature. Following the FTX crash, there has been a growing sense of unease among crypto investors. However, the neobank has the support of a strong partner in Bitpanda, which should help ensure its success. The pilot launch of the feature in Austria was apparently well received, leading to its rollout in other countries.
Countermovement?
