With the ubiquity of FinTech companies out there, it can be hard to stand out. But these three card providers have found unique ways to do just that.
The FinTech space is ever-evolving. New companies seemingly pop up every day, offering digital banking, anti-money laundering, insurance, wealth management, cryptocurrency or payment solutions.
The same goes for credit cards. A few years ago neobank Monzo made a massive splash with its coral-coloured banking card. But that was then. In the years since, Revolut has offered rainbow cards to promote LGBT rights, Curve has launched numberless credit cards and almost every challenger bank out there seems to be offering at least one type of metal card.
With all that’s going on it’s not always easy to grab customers’ attention. However, ANNA Money, Razer and TreeCard are three companies that have managed to do just that by offering bank cards that really stand out in a crowd.
ANNA Money’s miaowing card
In November 2018, ANNA Money announced that it would launch a debit card that cat lovers must’ve found to be puuurrfect. From looking at it, nothing would seem out of ordinary. It seemingly had the same features as any other card. It had a similar rectangular shape and the same amount of details to its design.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until you used it to pay for something, only to hear it let loose a short miaow.
That’s right. ANNA Money’s card miaowed when it was being used.
“Miaowing is the perfect form of communication – it’s short, sharp but not intrusive, and alerts us to a cat’s needs immediately,” Ellena Hinson, ANNA Money’s consulting animal psychologist, said at the time. “Less jarring than a dog’s bark, but loud and direct enough to do the job, a miaow is the perfect sound for business owners looking to emulate a cat’s communication skills.”
Furry nice.
Razer’s gamer card
In early October, Razer Fintech, the financial technology arm of of the gamer lifestyle brand Razer, announced that its collaboration with Visa had resulted in a new prepaid solution – the Razer Card.
Razer Fintech’s card came in a virtual format at no subscription, with the option to upgrade to physical Standard or Premium cards.
But while the company touted features like year-long cashback options and how it aligned to Razer Fintech’s ambition to establish the world’s first global youth bank, the fact that the logo lit up in neon stood out in particular. It was a card for gamers after all.
“With this Razer Card, we have co-developed a unique prepaid solution that further cements our position as the largest offline-to-online digital payment network in the [South-east Asian] region,” said Lee Li Meng, CEO at Razer Fintech. “This collaboration opens up many opportunities for us to reach out and meet the needs of consumers, particularly the youth and millennial.”
Game on.
TreeCard’s wooden card
Neobanks are getting serious about the environment. For instance, UK-based Starling Bank and Dutch rival bung have both initiated initiatives aimed at planting more trees over the last year.
However, TreeCard is taking it one step further. Not only is the Ecosia-backed FinTech pledging to use 80% of its profits to plant new trees, but it has also launched what it claims to be the world’s first wooden card. The new sustainably-sourced cherry wood cards will make the merchants you use it for pay a small fee. In the end, every $60 spent plants a new tree.
Jamie Cox, co-founder of TreeCard and self-confessed David Attenborough fan, has said that the card can be used just like any other bank card. “You can use it alongside your regular bank, so you don’t need to switch banks. It’s super simple to set up and use,” he said.
Cox said that he was inspired by his mum to launch TreeCard. “[She] has used Ecosia to plant 4,000 trees,” Cox continued. “She was like: ‘I wish I could attach Ecosia to my bank card so I could plant trees.’ She was just saying it as a daydream, but I thought her dream was a genius idea.”
Will it help save the planet? Knock on wood.
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