Six futures of finance

Finance. No, wait, come back. We need to talk about it.

Not just that it’s a big part of how we manage our lives, but it’s also a big part of how people in general manage their lives. See, one of the fascinating parts of financial services is that most people would rather not think about it, and yet, like it or not, it’s a core part of our personal OS.

Saving, spending, investing, keeping a positive balance sheet, balancing present and future needs, these are all foundational life skills. And yet, they’re not taught. And therefore, most people are not fully aware of them. And then, bad practices happen. Shit shortly follows.

Over the last few years, I’ve been working with financial services brands of all kinds, from accounting software to B2B payment terminals to retail banking to investing apps. All the sort of stuff that you might yawn at, and yet, it’s some of the most intellectually stimulating work.

So, to try and decode where people are at with their relationship with money and wealth, I partnered up with Salmon Crew member Hemal Gill to research and organise six possible financial futures that startups and scale-ups in the financial services space should be aware of.

These are not answers. This is not a playbook. They are starting points to help marketers reflect on the right questions to help position their brands in a more culturally attuned way, and show up effectively through comms, content and experiences. Sushi-sized prompts, if you will.

If you’re a marketer, strategist or operator in this space, this report was written for you.

Get your financial futures report here.

And – although it’s finance, I’m gonna say it anyway – hope you enjoy it.