The Complete Guide to Building a Fintech App for Millennials and Gen Z

Fintech is projected to become a $1.5 trillion industry by 2030. The rise of fintech apps has been nothing short of meteoric, offering unprecedented convenience, accessibility, and innovation in financial services, leading to a wide playing field for fintech app development.

The Harris Poll’s Fintech Effect report found that in 2022, a massive 80% of Americans used digital apps and services for money management, with more than half using fintech on a daily basis, for tasks like payments, bill payment, tax filing, online banking, investing, budgeting, and lending.

The traditional banking experience remains subpar in terms of convenience and accessibility, and large demographics remain underserved. At the same time, smartphone penetration is soaring and populations are becoming increasingly tech savvy. The current horde of tech users that is Millennials and Gen-Z are increasingly preferring innovative fintech apps to handle their money.

The success story of top fintech apps like Stripe and Revolut are a testament to this phenomenon. In its latest round of funding, Stripe raised $6.5 billion at a $50 billion valuation, making it the most valuable fintech company in the United States. Revolut marked a $33 billion valuation in July 2021, making it the third-most valuable bank in the UK, behind only HSBC and Lloyd’s of London. A growing number of successful fintech apps including Cash App, Chime, and Robinhood demonstrate the irrefutable appeal of fintech among young users like millennials and Gen Z.

In this blogpost, we will unravel all aspects of developing a fintech app tailored to the preferences and needs of millennials and Gen Z, giving you all the insights and strategies you’ll need to build your own fintech app.

What Is A Fintech App?

A fintech app, short for financial technology application, is a software application that provides a wide range of financial solutions, including banking, investing, payments, budgeting, lending, and more, from the ease of your smartphone. Fintech apps provide various services, from peer-to-peer lending platforms (e.g., LendingClub) to investment apps (e.g., Robinhood) to digital banks (e.g., Chime). The diversity of options allows users to choose services that best match their financial needs.

Fintech apps aim to streamline traditional financial processes, enhance user experiences, and make financial services more accessible to a broader audience, with a particular focus on convenience and efficiency.

They prioritize user convenience, allowing individuals to manage their finances, make payments, and invest from the comfort of their mobile devices, without the need to visit physical bank branches, thus aiming to make financial services accessible to a broader demographic, including individuals who may have limited access to traditional banking services or those seeking alternatives to traditional banks.

Fintech apps can often provide cost-effective solutions compared to traditional banks, with lower fees, competitive interest rates, and more transparent pricing.

What is Fintech App Development?

Fintech app development refers to the process of creating software applications specifically designed for the financial sector. These applications provide a wide range of financial services, typically accessible through smartphones, tablets, or computers.

Fintech app development involves designing and building digital platforms after thoroughly researching the market, finding a unique value proposition, creating a custom design, and coding a seamless frontend and backend so that the app is easy to use, yet capable of heavy and highly secure money transactions. All of this while adhering to regulatory compliances and stringent quality assurance. Therefore, as you may have noticed, fintech app development is not for the faint of heart. You need a truly competent and experienced fintech app development company to make sure your app is the perfect balance of ease and high-performance.

Millennials, Gen-Z, and Fintech

Millennials were the first to usher in an era of fintech apps by adopting Venmo for payments and Robinhood for investments. They were the ones to lead the fintech revolution and propel a large wave of fintech app development. 32% of Millennials say they are likely to use banking services from a fintech or neobank in the next 12 months. Millennials comprise a large section of today’s workforce and their higher spending power combined with their tech savviness makes them seek user experiences that are fast, easy, and rewarding. That is why fintech apps that offer an experience better than traditional banks find loyal customers among millennials.

Gen-Z are the next generation after millennials, who don’t know a time before smartphones. Their interaction with traditional banks is minimal and declining, with fintech apps being the preferred mode of financial transactions.

Gen Z is the largest and fastest-growing global population, wielding an estimated spending power of $140 billion. This places this demographic at the forefront of the most coveted customer segments within the fintech industry.

During the pandemic, Gen Z doubled engagement with fintech apps, emphasizing a genuine commitment to their financial well-being. This robust interest in investing and saving, combined with the generation’s growing spending power, makes them an enticing customer segment.

A Great Time For Innovation In Fintech App Development

Startups looking to enter the fintech industry and target the lucrative segment of fintech app development have a fantastic opportunity ahead of them, as millennials and Gen-Z grow in spending power and new technologies like AI, Crypto, Blockchain, and 5G make fintech an even more lucrative, secure, and profitable segment.

Innovations in fintech are revolutionizing how financial institutions serve customers. They’re exploring automation, predictive analytics, digital-only banking, and blockchain, enhancing services while reducing costs. This shift aligns with consumer expectations, focusing on customizable digital processes for more satisfying experiences.

How To Develop A Fintech App – A Step By Step Guide

Startups aiming to target millennials and Gen Z with fintech app development need to focus on crafting extraordinary user experiences. This generation craves digital solutions that are not only efficient but also user-friendly, secure, and adaptable to their unique financial needs.

Millennials and Gen Z have grown up in an era where smartphones and online platforms are integral to their daily routines. They expect seamless digital experiences that streamline processes, reduce complexities, and save them time.

With these distinctive needs in mind, let’s dive into how you can seize this opportunity and develop a fintech app that resonates with millennials and Gen Z.

Step 1: Determine Your Fintech App’s Focus

Begin by determining the primary focus of your Fintech app. The financial technology landscape is diverse, offering opportunities in various sectors like payments, investments, insurance, peer-to-peer lending, and much more.

• Personal Banking: Personal banking apps like Chime or N26 are designed to offer a range of financial services, including checking and savings accounts, money transfers, and budgeting tools, all within a single app. These apps aim to simplify daily financial tasks for users and provide them with real-time insights into their financial health.
• Insurance: Insurtech apps such as Lemonade or Metromile use technology to streamline insurance processes, from purchasing policies to filing claims. They often feature AI-driven underwriting and chatbots for customer support, making insurance more accessible and efficient for users.
• Lending: Peer-to-peer lending apps like LendingClub or Prosper connect borrowers with individual or institutional lenders, simplifying the loan application and approval process. These apps provide borrowers with competitive rates and investors with opportunities to earn attractive returns on their investments.
• Investment: Investment apps, including robo-advisors like Wealthfront and stock trading platforms like Robinhood, are designed to make investing more accessible to a broader audience. They provide features like automated portfolio management, real-time market data, and commission-free trading, attracting both novice and experienced investors.

Step 2: Conduct Market Research

Market research is crucial in understanding what type of app will be a good market fit for your goals. Understanding gaps in what’s currently available and what consumers want will help you understand current and future market conditions to develop a successful app.

• Competitor Analysis: Analyze your competitors’ apps to understand their features, strengths, and weaknesses. Pay attention to user reviews and feedback to identify areas where you can offer a better user experience.

• User Research: Conduct surveys, interviews, or focus groups with potential users to understand their pain points, desires, and expectations. This direct feedback will help shape your app’s features and user experience.

Step 3: Build User Personas

Creating user personas helps you better understand your target audience and their needs. Gather data on your potential users, such as demographics, behaviors, and preferences. Use surveys, analytics, and market research to be sure what your fintech app development needs to deliver.

• Identify User Types: Segment your user base into distinct categories or personas based on their characteristics and requirements. For example, in a personal banking app, you may have personas like “Savvy Saver” or “Budget-Conscious Family.”
• Define Goals: Clearly outline the goals and motivations of each user persona. Consider what specific features or capabilities will help them achieve these goals within your app.
• Frustrations and Pain Points: Understand the common frustrations or challenges that each persona may face. This insight will guide you in developing solutions to address these pain points.

Step 4: Understand Fintech App Development Cost and Budget Wisely

The budgeting phase is critical, as Fintech app development requires a significant investment. Depending on your range of services, monetization goals and platform preferences, you could be looking at spending $5000 to $50,000 for developing a fintech app.

• Expertise Matters: Always hire experienced professionals. You need a full-stack team of dedicated app developers proficient in fintech development.
• Quality Assurance: Budget for thorough testing and quality assurance to identify and rectify any issues before launch.
• Prioritize Security: Allocate a substantial portion of your budget to ensure the highest levels of security. Fintech apps handle sensitive financial data, making security paramount.
• Regulatory Compliance: Factor in costs associated with compliance with financial industry regulations, such as GDPR, KYC and AML requirements.

Step 5: Design a Compelling UX

To create an exceptional user experience, map out user scenarios and the user journey.

• Onboarding Process: Simplify the onboarding process for your users. Allow them to sign up swiftly, complete KYC requirements, and access core features seamlessly.
• Intuitive Dashboard: Design an intuitive dashboard that offers a clear overview of their financial information. Ensure that users can quickly access their accounts, view transaction history, and monitor their financial health.
• Customer Support: Implement user-friendly customer support features, such as live chat or chatbots. These tools help users get immediate assistance and address any queries or concerns.

Step 6: Define App Features and Requirements

Clearly define the features and requirements for your Fintech app based on your user personas and market research. You can develop and launch a prototype with basic and essential features, and add niche, advanced features in iterations.

• Data Encryption: Implement robust data encryption to safeguard users’ sensitive information.
• User Authentication: Prioritize secure user authentication mechanisms to protect accounts from unauthorized access.
• Payment Integration: Ensure seamless payment processing, allowing users to make transactions and transfers easily.
• AI Learning: Utilize AI for personalization, risk assessment, and financial insights to enhance the user experience.
• Dashboards and Reports: Provide users with interactive dashboards and detailed reports to track their financial activities.
• Push Notifications: Keep users informed with real-time push notifications for transactions, security alerts, and account updates.

Step 7: Select the Right Technology Stack

Choose a technology stack that aligns with your app’s requirements. Selecting the right tech stack helps ensure your app’s scalability, security, and performance.

• Programming Language: You need a robust programming language that can handle financial transactions and associated complexity. At the same time, you may prefer a programming language that supports cross-platform app development allowing you a wider reach and faster development time.

• Framework: Select front-end and back-end frameworks suitable for mobile and web development. Ensure they align with your chosen programming language.
• Database: Choose a database type, such as relational or ledger databases, to store and manage financial data securely.
• Fintech APIs: Leverage Fintech APIs to streamline your development process. APIs can enhance payment processing, trading, and customer support features.

Step 8 – Build an MVP and Launch

Creating a well-defined scope for your Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is crucial. The MVP represents the initial version of your app, focusing on core features and functionality. To help you ensure that your app serves a fundamental purpose while allowing for iterative improvements. This way, you get to launch your fintech app early on, thereby kickstarting revenue and garnering early feedback, both of which can help you develop a better, more refined fintech app in the long term.

• Identify Core Features: Focus on immediate user needs, such as expense tracking or bill payment for a personal finance app. Prevent feature overload to ensure a quicker app launch.
• Iterative Approach: Plan for iterative development to enhance the app based on user feedback.
• Flexibility and Scalability: Ensure the app’s architecture allows for future feature additions and growth.

Conclusion

As the world becomes increasingly digital, the future of Fintech apps shines bright, offering endless opportunities for entrepreneurs to shape the financial industry, especially appealing to the tech-savvy millennials and Gen Z.

This comprehensive guide empowers you to craft user-friendly, secure, and efficient apps tailored to the unique needs of your target audience. Your journey into Fintech entrepreneurship begins here. If you’re already harboring the next big idea in finance, reach out to us for a free consultation today. Together, we can take your Fintech startup journey to new heights, revolutionizing the financial landscape for the generations to come. The future of Fintech is yours to create.