Most fintech founders dream of the same thing; building an innovative product that millions of people actually use. Not just early adopters who are there for the next new app, and not just the investors who have a stake in the game. They want the mainstream crowd. The people who actively keep their salary, savings, and all of their day-to-day payments in one place.
If you’re one of those founders, one of the most important things you need to recognize is that jumping on the bandwagon of the next big wave of fintech growth isn’t going to come from people who already have three banking apps on their phones.
It’s going to come from the younger generation. The more digitally enabled and open-minded group of users (Gen Z and the younger slice of Millennials). These are the digital natives who grew up with smartphones instead of debit cards, Venmo instead of wallets, and TikTok instead of cable TV.
Engaging with a financial product has likely never meant going into a physical store and withdrawing cash. At the same time, money isn’t just numbers in an account. They want speed, usability, and transparency, and they also want to feel like they are ethically and morally aligned with the brand they’re trusting with their finances.
Speak Their Language, Not Wall Street’s
While the younger generation is known for having their own lingo and meme culture, they don’t really want to be reading full-on banking and finance jargon. Compliance reports, earnings updates, and other corporate actions are all important, but if they aren’t packaged correctly, they won’t resonate with the next generation of users.
What they want (and most people, for that matter) is simple, explicit promises that they can act on immediately. For example, if they scroll through your website and see messages like “get paid two days early,” “send money instantly,” “split a bill in seconds, ” and “invest with no hidden fees,” All of these are clear, actionable messages that they can understand.
That’s why fintechs that took off didn’t try to wow users with technical specs. They just showed them how life gets easier the moment they sign up.
Trust Should Be Your Main Goal
Younger people may be quick adopters, but they’re not gullible. In fact, they are actually the opposite; skeptical. A large percentage of them have been on the wrong side of crypto rug pulls, dodgy influencers, and have watched financial apps freeze and disappear overnight. For them, trust isn’t assumed, it’s a currency that’s earned.
Because of this, your fintech marketing has to do more than just advertise. It needs to build credibility, establish trust, and demonstrate that you’re a legitimate company where they can safely store their money and investments.
If you’re looking for ways to make this happen, try to get your brand featured in leading publications in the finance sector. That’s a good place to start. This demonstrates that you’re credible enough to be featured on these sites, signaling legitimacy and building trust with a broader market.
Another idea is to humanize your company as much as you can. It’s challenging to trust a faceless corporation, but it’s much easier to resonate with and connect to a company that highlights its leaders. Show their faces on your site, get leaders on podcasts, and offer interview slots.
Traditional banks still win by default with many older generations because they feel “safe.” Fintechs don’t get that free pass. To attract younger users, credibility must be embedded into everything, from your website design to the tone of your customer support staff.
Community Is Stronger Than Campaigns
Community has become a cornerstone feature of new technology, ranging from cryptocurrency and Web3 to fintech. Just look at the hundreds (if not thousands) of active subreddits that service these spaces and you’ll see just how much people enjoy connecting and getting their information on a peer-to-peer basis.
Finetech founders need to keep this in mind. The younger generation doesn’t just want an app. They want to feel like they’re part of something. That’s why the fintechs that win often act less like banks and more like movements.
Look at any of the current market leaders, such as Revolut, Monzo, or Robinhood, and you can see how they have built feedback loops between them and their communities. In general, these companies have framed their services as “for the people,” moving away from the stuffy institutional feel of traditional banking. That’s where their edge lies, and they capitalize on it.
The next generation of users wants a voice. They want to swap tips, share wins, and ask questions without feeling judged. If you can give them that space, whether through social media, Discord, or community events, you’ll do more than attract customers. You’ll create believers who bring their friends along.
Instant Gratification Isn’t Optional
For better or worse, we live in a world where people want things today, not tomorrow. Waiting for benefits is now out of fashion, thanks to a generation that has grown up with services like Uber, Spotify, and Amazon. They expect speed in every corner of life, and if your fintech app takes days to transfer money or hours to respond to support queries, you’ve already lost them.
Instant sign-ups, real-time notifications, and fast customer support are now table stakes for users. They are baseline expectations. You need to get to work to meet these, and then even exceed them if you really want to get ahead.
If (or probably more like when) something goes wrong (because it always does), they expect your team to own it and fix it fast. This responsiveness builds trust. If your users tweet about a problem and you answer within minutes, they’ll remember. If you ignore them, they’ll remember that too, and you’ll quickly build up a reputation that you’d rather avoid.
Final Word
Slick apps, smooth user experiences, and built-in AI functionality are all beneficial. They might even bring people through the door. However, you want to attract a broader market, including the younger generation, and retain them as users. In that case, you need to work on making your brand feel authentic, trustworthy, and relatable.
Gen Z and Millennials don’t see money the way their parents did. They want financial tools that fit seamlessly into their digital lives, speak their language, and give them confidence that their money is safe. If you can give them that, they won’t just download your app. They’ll stick with you, tell their friends, and make your brand part of their financial journey for years to come.
