The top FinTech branding trends and strategies in 2024

The FinTech (Financial Technology) industry is exploding. As it does, new FinTech branding trends are emerging – shaping how companies stand out, and forge valuable relationships with customers.

After all, the accelerating adoption of FinTech apps and products worldwide has introduced incredible opportunities for financial institutions, developers, and service providers.

In America alone, studies show that consumers are using around 3 FinTech products every day to manage taxes, budgeting, investments, and bill payments. On a broader scale, more than 55% of consumers worldwide say FinTech solutions are helping them to weather economic challenges.

But as demand grows, so does market competition. There were already more than 26,000 active FinTech brands in 2023, and new startups are emerging all the time.

Embracing FinTech branding strategies and trends is how leading companies stay ahead of new challenges, strengthen relationships with customers, and maintain visibility in a competitive market.

Based on our research, and our ongoing work with leading FinTech companies, these are the FinTech branding trends you should be watching this year.

The evolution of FinTech branding strategies

Not so long ago, branding for FinTech startups was heavily based on the strategies used by traditional banking and financial services companies. The top FinTech brands battled to position themselves as reliable, authoritative, and trustworthy players in the financial market.

While successful FinTech companies still need to highlight their credibility, they’re also discovering a need to differentiate themselves from traditional finance brands.

Potential customers in the FinTech industry are looking for brands that prioritize user experience, personalize interactions, streamline access to innovative new products, and contribute to improving financial literacy. This has led to a branding shift in the FinTech landscape.

New, innovative startups are investing in more educational content marketing to enhance their marketing efforts, adjusting their tone of voice with a “human” focus, and even aligning their branding with emerging customer priorities connected to sustainability and security.

Strong FinTech branding strategies, combining everything from bold visual identities – like Salad Money’s crisp color palette and modern logo, to user-centric product design campaigns are shaping a new revolution.

Increasingly, innovative, human-centric branding for FinTech companies is becoming the key to capturing market share, retaining customers, and ensuring sustainable growth.

FinTech branding trends from 2024: What to watch

The FinTech branding trends in 2024 showed us that the future of brand building in this industry will go beyond simply choosing the right colour schemes and creating stand-out logos.

FinTech companies will need to use their branding to elevate customer experiences, separate themselves from traditional financial management companies, and forge deeper relationships with their target market.

Here are the FinTech trends you’ll need to watch as you build your brand in the years ahead.

1. Human-centric branding for FinTech startups

The FinTech sector connects the dots between two notoriously complex spaces: finance, and technology. To drive user adoption in this space, and build valuable relationships with customers, FinTech companies need a human-centric approach.

The most successful FinTech companies are adjusting their messaging, visual marketing strategies and more to make complex technology and financial services feel more “accessible”.

Companies like Lendable (creators of the Zable card) are leaving impenetrable financial jargon behind. They don’t use confusing industry-specific terms like “budget monitoring” or “budget optimization” in their marketing campaigns.

They use phrases that appeal to everyone, like “spend tracking” and “rent reporting”.

On a broad scale, we’re seeing a shift towards more empathetic, human-centric branding for FinTech companies, with messaging designed to inspire, motivate, and educate consumers.

This will become increasingly crucial in the years ahead, as 77% of consumers say they want financial companies to help them become more “financially literate”.

Investing in human, customer-first FinTech branding isn’t just about thinking more carefully about the words you use either. Aside from dropping niche slang to make products and services less intimidating, companies are looking for other ways to build trust with consumers.

They’re using customer stories in marketing campaigns, to help consumers better understand the benefits of their products. Some innovators are even using illustrations and simple images to make their solutions feel more “beginner-friendly” and easy to understand.

Just look at how Affirm draws attention to how easy its product is to use, with simple messaging and corresponding images:

2. Hyper-personalization and data-driven branding

More than 71% of customers now expect “personalized” experiences from brands that genuinely understand their pain points, goals, and needs. This has made FinTech brand personalization strategies a linchpin of success in the current industry.

By tapping into advanced AI tools and analytics, FinTech companies can now take a more intelligent approach to building trust in financial technology markets and strengthening brand loyalty.

Already, 55% of business leaders say their organization has adopted AI to help improve the FinTech user experience, and enable data-driven FinTech marketing.

For example, PayPal uses in-depth knowledge about customers, their previous purchases, and the feedback they share to suggest relevant products to buyers. The company even sends distinct marketing emails to different consumers based on their advanced segmentation strategy.

The top FinTech brands are even using their data to make intelligent decisions about how to design and optimize new products, and which niche audiences they should target with their marketing messages.

Some companies have even built product bundles and new solutions based on previous interactions with customers. For example, Coinbase built a series of “crypto tools” for customers, ranging from cards to digital wallets, based on audience insights.

Other firms have designed full in-app experiences that vary based on a customer’s geographical location, demographic data, and behavioral traits.

Drawing on market insights and customer insights means companies can gain a deeper understanding of the target audience they serve, creating branded assets that increase conversions, loyalty, and trust.

3. Prioritizing user experience (UX) and simplicity

One of the main reasons demand for FinTech solutions has grown in recent years, is that modern FinTech firms are taking an innovative approach to improving user experiences.

Customer satisfaction rates have dwindled in the traditional finance landscape, because classic banks and financial services brands aren’t focusing enough on “UX”.

Although the adoption rate of mobile banking apps has surged, customers often find solutions from classic vendors to be frustrating, and limited in features. Many traditional apps just offer a way to handle certain banking tasks, like tracking your income or transferring money.

They don’t deliver a seamless way to handle a full financial management journey. That’s why 90% of customers have abandoned apps for banking, due to a poor user experience.

Fortunately, that’s where FinTech companies can step in to steal the spotlight. Companies like Monzo, for instance, make it easy for customers to access financial services, track budget issues, monitor spending patterns and more in a single, user-friendly app.

User-centred FinTech interfaces simplify complex services with clean, intuitive interfaces that constantly delight users. This gives FinTech companies an effective way to earn the loyalty and respect of their customers; by showing them they’re putting their needs first.

Prioritizing UX/UI design in FinTech branding will increase your chances of converting customers and improve your ability to retain those customers over time.

4. Emphasis on security and privacy as brand foundations

Trust has always been paramount in the financial industry. Customers aren’t just relying on your company to help them address their financial needs with innovative new solutions. They’re putting their livelihood and financial wellbeing in your hands.

As cyber threats continue to evolve, consumers want to know you have the right security measures in place to protect their data. This means privacy-first branding in financial services, and FinTech landscapes is critical.

Maintaining a competitive edge and building a strong brand identity requires more than just a focus on establishing yourself as a reputable thought leader, with financial advice, data analytics tools, and access to insights on new trends.

You need to ensure you’re constantly drawing attention to how you preserve regulatory compliance with standards like GDPR and PCI-DSs. You’ll need to show customers how you’re taking advantage of the latest tools, like facial recognition systems, to improve authentication methods.

More than that, every FinTech startup will need to position security and privacy as a core brand promise in their strategy for growth. Adding trust signals to mobile apps (like secure log-in pages) and sharing security-focused messaging will be crucial going forward.

Fincore, a leading software development company, constantly highlights its professional approach to preserving data security.

The company is clear and transparent about its data handling processes and builds financial products that adhere to regulatory requirements from the ground up.

Other top FinTech brands build trust in financial technology with access to unique tools. For instance, Plaid created the “Plaid Beacon” to allow organizations to share information about entities associated with fraud, helping to tackle criminal activity on a wide scale.

A comprehensive approach to FinTech security branding, with transparent privacy policies, clear communication on security strategies, and the right secure-by design policies will continue to shape FinTech branding trends in the years ahead.

5. Sustainability and social responsibility

Like in all industries, consumers in the FinTech landscape are prioritizing working with brands that share their values and priorities. For many younger consumers, sustainability is a deciding factor in determining which brands to work with.

In fact, interest in global “green finance” rose 100 fold between 2012 and 2022. Sustainable FinTech brands are rapidly outshining their less eco-conscious competitors. This FinTech branding trend will only continue to grow as younger generations enter the market.

Younger consumers are prioritizing sustainability more than ever before, searching for brands that don’t just position themselves as ethical and eco-friendly, but actively contribute towards making a positive impact on the world.

Klarna, the Buy-Now-Pay-Later company, makes sustainability a key part of its unique value proposition. The company has a dedicated “sustainability” and social responsibility page on its website, and regularly shares relevant information users can leverage to become more sustainable.

Companies like Lemonade, the US-based digital insurance company, take a similar approach, highlighting the initiatives it invests in to compete with other eco-friendly finance companies.

They even have a “Giveback” program which they’ve used to donate more than $10 million to programs that build new homes, give people access to clean water, and enhance education.

Emphasizing sustainability and ethics in your branding FinTech branding strategy, whether it’s by advertising your carbon offset programs, or showing off relationships with ethical brands can help give you an edge.

It’s a great way to position yourself as a forward-thinking, progressive, and human-centric financial company. You could even go as far as to include green imagery in your visual branding – like Wise does with its modern green color palette.

6. Distinctive, bold visual identity and color schemes

Last, but not least, while there’s more to building a strong brand than optimizing your visual presence, your use of specific color schemes, logos, and even photography strategies will become more important in the years ahead.

As the market becomes more competitive, new FinTech visual identity trends are emerging. Companies are moving away from old-fashioned color schemes previously connected with the financial space – like shades of blue.

Instead, startups are embracing bold FinTech color schemes, like Monzo with its striking coral-colored card, and multi-colored logo.

Website designs are growing more colorful and eye-catching, like the Tap Global website with its bold typography, bright shades and high-quality human-focused photography.

We’ve evolved from the days of finance companies using simple abstract icons and cliché color palettes. FinTech companies are becoming brighter and bolder, using their visual assets to inspire and motivate customers from every landscape.

With brighter color schemes and more “youthful”, human-oriented imagery, successful FinTech companies are positioning themselves as “pioneers” in their industry. They’re capturing the attention of younger customers who want to work with confident movers and shakers in the finance space.

Revolutionizing branding for FinTech startups

The top FinTech branding trends in 2024 paint a clear picture of where the industry is headed. Successful FinTech companies are breaking free from old-fashioned trends, using their branding efforts to separate themselves from old-fashioned, stuffy finance organizations.

In 2025 and beyond, the top FinTech brands in the industry will be the ones that embrace a new era of customer-centricity, human-centric values, and hyper personalization.

This isn’t the time to ignore the latest trends and simply rest on your laurels. This is an opportunity to update your FinTech marketing strategies, and your wider brand image based on the changing preferences of an evolving target audience.

Whether you update your color palette and visual branding to become bolder or tap into data to strengthen brand awareness and develop more personalized experiences for customers, it’s time to innovate and evolve.

Discover how you can unlock the power of effective branding, with a company that knows how to make FinTech companies stand out. At Fabrik, we can leverage information about customer behavior and cutting-edge market research to help you build or update your brand.

With our support, you can stay one step ahead of the latest FinTech branding trends and build a more sustainable future for your company.

Fabrik: A branding agency for our times.

Now read these:
—How to brand a financial services product
—The most famous technology company logos
—Explore Fabrik’s FinTech branding services
—Your guide to the most popular bank logos
—Meet the most successful FinTech brands