Finch, a Melbourne-based fintech startup that recently graduated from the number one fintech program in the US is looking to reshape the consumer finance experience through their app, which launches today in Australia.

Combining social payments and financial insights, Finch is targeted at millennials who have a habit of over spending.

“Socialising is a big part of a millennial’s life, whether it’s going out, dining out or travelling with friends,” says Finch CEO, Toby Gardner. “Not only do we want to make those financial interactions between friends fun and easy, we want to help build their financial confidence by helping them understand their current social spending habits.”

Though this habit of overspending is now doubt a reality for all of us.

When developing Finch, Gardner said, “the app was developed for the majority of Australians who are mobile-first, who expect the same seamless and beautiful user experience from banking as they get from other industries. Finch will benefit any Australian who likes to socialise, eat out with friends, travel or share expenses, regardless of age.”

The ‘financial app for your social life’ was born out of frustration of not being able to pay friends easily and to halt overspending, and is designed to assist in achieving financial wellness by empowering users to have a clearer grasp of their financial standing. Finch allows users to pay and request money almost instantly, run tabs in groups to track shared expenses, split bills and attain actionable insights to improve spending and saving habits.

Finch app interface. Image: Supplied

Finch is drawing attention not only in Australia but in the US as well, where some experts are calling it one of the best consumer fintech apps they’ve seen. Prominent fintech industry leader, Bradley Leimer (#5 most influential voice in global fintech) tweeted that Finch is “the best financial app for your social life (much better than Venmo).”

 

After twelve months in development, Finch beta launched in Australia in May with a group of students at Melbourne and Sydney University. Its four-week ‘Finch Innobeta Program’ offered students exclusive access to innovation and start-up workshops run by Finch co-founders Toby Gardner, Eric Kuhn and Shahirah Gardner, alongside app testing and feedback.

(Left to right) Finch Co-Founders Toby Gardner, Eric Kuhn and Shahirah Gardner. Image: Supplied

“I’ve not seen a financial app anything quite like Finch before,” said second year Economics/ Finance student, William Mullins from Melbourne University. “It’s simple, quick and easy. No other app is as suited to settling those awkward payments between a group of mates, whether on a holiday or after a Friday night catch up.”

Finch’s user experience and data-driven approach to behavioural finance landed them a spot in the number one fintech incubator program in the US, Envestnet Yodlee Incubator, which culminated in a Demo Day pitch to Silicon Valley investors in May.

“We’re meeting millennials at their current priorities in life, with the goal to continue supporting them as their priorities inevitably change over time,” says Gardner. “We believe there’s enormous opportunity to better serve customers by focusing on experiences and behaviours rather than financial products.”

Finch is available for free download on iOS and Android in Australia and is expected to roll-out into international markets from 2018. All social payment features will be available at launch with spending insights released in the coming months. Finch is supported by Pin Payments and NAB.

More information at www.finch.me