BUSINESS

7 fintech companies to follow on Twitter

18 Aug 2015

Fintech: Twitter-like blue bird

Not all tweeters are created equal, and some fintech accounts are more worthy of your following. Blue bird image via nitat/Shutterstock

Need to introduce a dash of fintech to your Twitter timeline? Here’s a selection of seven accounts from fintech companies to keep you abreast of the latest in this industry.

Most companies have Twitter accounts but, strikingly, few know how to fully unlock the social network’s full potential. These magnificent seven operating in the fintech arena, however, have no such issues, offering followers engaging content and timely updates, as well utilising the platform to interact with their customers effectively.

1. Square (@Square)

In a world where outlets that cannot accept card payments are being looked upon by customers with increasing disdain, Square has given small businesses a huge boost by enabling them to accept credit-card payments on mobile devices. Its core product connects to smartphones and enables firms to easily swipe cards to process payments. After a US$100m funding round last September, Square is now valued at US$6bn.

The company’s CEO Jack Dorsey co-founded Twitter back in the day (he’s double-jobbing at the moment, heading up the social network on an interim basis after Dick Costolo’s surprise decision to leave the role in June), and Square runs its own account with plenty of personality. There’s regular customer interaction, staff updates and, most importantly, GIFs aplenty.

2. Realex Payments (@RealexPayments)

Realex Payments was acquired by Fortune 1000 company Global Payments in March for €115m. It marked a brand new chapter for the Dublin-based company, which was established by Colm Lyon in 2000 to provide electronic payment processing for internet companies and retailers. Today, Realex processes more than €28bn worth of payments a year on behalf of 12,500 clients. It employs 200 people in Dublin, London and Paris, and has more than 3,500 clients across Europe, including The AA, Virgin Atlantic, Paddy Power, Vodafone and Aer Lingus, as well as a number of major gaming companies, such as Party Poker.

A productive tweeter, Realex Payments’ Twitter account offers links to points of interest all over the web. A must-follow for anyone with an interest in mobile payments and e-commerce.

3. WePay (@WePay)

Founded in Boston by Rich Aberman and Bill Clerico in 2008, WePay is a rapidly-growing online payment service provider that allows platforms – crowdfunding sites, for example – to collect payments from a large number of customers and disburse the cash to a smaller number of merchants. The company offers customers total protection from fraud risk, while still giving them the flexibility to personalise the experience for their users.

WePay runs a bright, accessible Twitter account which, unlike a lot of company feeds, actually feels like it’s run by a real person and not a machine. They also run a separate account for service updates.

4. Betterment (@Betterment)

Dubbing itself the ‘largest, fastest-growing automated investing service’, Betterment automates personal investment based on a person’s specific preferences and requirements. Founded in 2011, the company has indeed enjoyed a meteoric rise. According to a recent TechCrunch report, it now serves 100,000 customers and has grown its assets under management to US$2.5bn.

Betterment runs a great website, with new content uploaded daily. Its Twitter account provides a feed to that material, as well as using the platform to regularly respond to customer queries.

5. OnDeck (@OnDeckCapital)

OnDeck provides small business owners an alternative to banks for loans. As the company recently announced on Twitter, it’s handed out over US$3bn to 40,000 North American firms since 2007 – businesses that have been drawn to its proprietary method of appraising businesses based on their actual performance, not personal credit. That’s enabled OnDeck to approve more loans than traditional outlets.

The company, which went public in December, is faster too. Loans can be processed within 24 hours, while banks sometimes take weeks to process applications.

6. Stripe (@Stripe)

Stripe, an online payments engine that simplifies purchases, recently announced a new surge of significant financial backers, with Visa and Thrive Capital among the more recent firms to invest in the company. It’s the latest in a lengthy string of successes for brothers Patrick and John Collison, who now sit on top of a company valued at US$5bn, supporting mobile and e-commerce payments for Twitter and Alibaba, among others.

In May, the company recruited Don O’Leary, the second-most senior executive at Twitter in Dublin, as head of its European business operations. Meanwhile, its own Twitter account boasts 43,000 followers, who are not only fed company news, blog posts and job updates, but some eccentricities too, like word of the day and the odd emoji-heavy tweet.

7. GoCardless (@GoCardless)

Founded in 2011, GoCardless processes direct debit payments simply, working with everyone from local scout groups to established institutions like The Financial Times. In an attempt to branch out, the London-based company is currently focusing its attentions on foreign markets.

GoCardless’ Twitter account actually serves as a public record of technical issues experienced by customers. Incident reports for every resolved problem are automatically linked to the Twitter feed. Reading through these issues might not fill you with confidence, but you have to admire the transparency.

Siliconrepublic.com’s Fintech Week (17-21 August) brings you new stories every day from this exciting new field. Get updates by subscribing to our news alerts or following @siliconrepublic on Twitter.

Blue bird image by nitat via Shutterstock

Dean Van Nguyen was a contributor to Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com