Are challenger banks too ‘fun and friendly’ to really win our trust?

Challenger banks emerged out of the 2008 financial crash when people began to question the dominance of the big banks. More than a decade on, the new digital-only banks have managed to disrupt the industry and attract millions of customers, yet the way most people bank hasn’t changed that much.

Like any good brand strategy, the challenger brands did well at “defining their enemy,” says Rob Williams, director of the M&C Saatchi-owned consultancy Clear. “Their enemy was the high street bank. There hadn’t been any new entrants, the banks weren’t working in the best interest of their customers, they were quite slow, quite clunky and disconnected.”

Challenger banks were the pioneers of digital banking, winning people over with easy-to-use apps, innovative ways to bank while traveling and paying friends, all with slick design and UX. Customer satisfaction among challenger banks is high. According to YouGov research, Chase, Starling, Monzo and Atom have the highest UK customer satisfaction scores out of all banks.

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