US challenger LikeBank makes light work of messengers
New York-based challenger LikeBank has been unleashed with a likeable mission to offer banking services within a messenger service.
The “lightest bank in the world”
The bank will sit within Facebook Messenger, Viber and Telegram. This means no branch visits, no app downloads, and a 100% digital card delivery with Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay.
As you can imagine it’s targeting millennials and Gen Z to bring financial services to “where they live – in messengers”.
The founder is Elliot Goykhman. He brings plenty of relevant experience, having worked at Alfa-Bank and B&N Bank in Moscow.
Goykhman says: “LikeBank is the most digital and lightest bank in the world.”
The bank’s website is up and running, and registrants get a card and can manage their finances in the messenger of choice. He explains that WhatsApp is coming soon. He is in the test stage at the moment with a “closed group”.
Along with millennials and Gen Z, Goykhman is keen to attract the self-employed and freelancers.
Banking will also be possible by voice command – with Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa and Line’s Clova all coming soon.
He will be partnering with a “large Russian bank” for launch in early 2019. The name of that bank will be shared later.
FinTech Futures contacted Goykhman for more details. He told us this month LikeBank will be unveiling support for Line and WeChat at a conference in Japan.
LikeBank may not like it, but there are many other US challenger banks. You can see them all here.
