• Your fitness tracker helps you improve your physical health.
  • Your calendar helps you manage your time.
  • Your bank helps you __ __. 🤔

I’ve spent the last 6 years working with some of the world’s largest banks. Using technology, design, and behavioural psychology make financial services more human - from mortgages anyone can understand to investing platforms that don’t require a finance degree.

While this work has been deeply rewarding, I can’t help but feel we’re only scratching the surface of what’s possible when we truly align financial technology with human wellbeing.

Everyone has a bank account. But most people have never experienced banking designed to actively improve their financial wellbeing.

Imagine if…

🛒 Mon 8:45 PM: While shopping online, your bank overlays a small notification: “This exact item was 30% cheaper last month and has followed a seasonal discount pattern for 3 years. Historical data suggests waiting 3 weeks could save you £67. Would you like us to alert you when the price drops below £120?”

🔄 Wed 8:15 AM: A forgotten subscription is about to renew. Your bank sends a “Still using this?” reminder with one-tap cancellation.

✈️ Thu 12:30 PM: You’re browsing holidays. Your bank calculates a “possible by” date based on your savings, and offers to add £1 for every £10 you save toward this goal.

🏆 Sun 9:15 PM: Your weekly financial summary arrives: “Great job this week! you spent 12% less on your “stuff I don’t really need” spending and moved your home purchase timeline forward by 2 weeks. We’ve automatically distributed the £157 you saved: 60% toward your emergency fund, 40% to your home purchase goal, and added a bonus 5% from us to your ‘fun money’ space as a reward for staying on track.”

AI can analyze your spending patterns to give you insights you’d never see. It can recognize when you’re ready to save for a home before you do. It can nudge you toward financial wellness in moments when you’re most receptive.

The technology exists. The behavioral science is proven.

What’s missing isn’t innovation - it’s imagination about what banking could be.

The most exciting financial innovation won’t be a new payment method or credit card - it will be the fundamental shift from profiting from financial products to profiting from financial progress.

Perhaps the most important question isn’t directed at banks, but at us as customers: What would we demand if we truly believed our financial institutions could be partners in prosperity rather than just processors of transactions?

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This post was adapted from my original LinkedIn post published in March 2025.