A newly unveiled service now lets any company offering “banking.”
Prepaid player Synchology and savings platform provider Social Money have come together to offer a bank-like product that brands can sell to their customers. The “integrated financial services product” features a Visa prepaid debit account, goal-based savings, a rewards program and personal financial management (PFM) tools. The product works both online and on mobile devices. The upshot is the debit account can act like a savings account, and the rewards and PFM rounds out the banking service — all under a white-labelled brand.
Synchology provides the white label-ready debit account, as well as the rewards program and PFM. Social Money, formerly known as SmartyPig and still offering a savings product by that name, delivers the saving account, which was built to be offered by banks as well as other retailers, ranging from big-box stores to prepaid card providers.
Compliance oversight, identity management and back office management are handled by Synchology, a startup based in Chicago. Social Money’s CorePro platform includes core processing (including moving funds via ACH), interest accrual and payments and account-opening tools, as well as reporting functionality. Funds deposited with Social Money are held by BBVA Compass.
T-Mobile was ahead of the competition in offering a prepaid card to its customers. Will a major brand now step forward and offer this suite of banking services, using its stores branches? A grocery chain, which sees customers on a regular basis and is in a position to offer meaningful discounts, might be a good option for this banking SaaS.