Ever heard of MoneyConf? It’s an annual conference in Dublin where the world’s traditional banks, digital banks, AI and security experts gather. Over two days, fintrepreneurs get to network and learn from the industry’s leaders. Bettr was the only African startup to be invited to the conference, representing Africa’s digital banking scene. By day we got to listen to talks by digital bank pioneers and take part in hands-on workshops. By night we mingled with fintech enthusiasts from around the world discussing the future of virtual banking.

Launching Bettr to the World

We didn’t just attend MoneyConf as delegates, we were there to launch our future bank. Our CEO,  Tobie Van Zyl took to the stage to introduce Bettr to 5000+ attendees from 1000+ companies from 80 different countries. His energetic presentation acquainted the audience with Bettr’s vision of the Internet of Money, and he demonstrated just how easy it is to open a bank account using the Bettr banking app.

Despite being the youngest business at MoneyConf, the impactful introduction of our digital bank made waves. Bettr was named one of the top five startups at the conference. This recognition gave us the chance to rub shoulders with VIPs of the virtual banking world, like Nikolay Storonsky (Revolut), Anne Boden  (Starling), Daniel Schreiber  (Lemonade) and Valentin Stalf  (N26). Only AI can count the amount of selfies taken over those 2 days.

What We Learnt as a Digital Bank

One of the talks that really resonated with us was by Visa Europe CEO, Nicolas Huss. He addressed the issue of cybersecurity when it comes to having a virtual account with a digital bank, “The principle of strong authentication needs to be proportionate, balancing the consumer’s desire for convenience with the level of risk and security.” This is a concern that has come up time and again when chatting to our community about what they want from their future bank. You want your money to be safe, but not to the point where it is made difficult to access your own cash. We’ve heard you, and our product team is working hard at striking a balance between safe and convenient.

Another hot topic at MoneyConf 2018 was the potential of predictive analytics, big data and smart systems. These are all technologies we’re tapping into to bring you virtual banking that is smarter than ever before. Hearing some of the biggest names in digital banking speaking about the internet of money, has validated that we’re delivering the latest in world-class finance to South Africans.

We can’t wait for you to try out what we’ve built.

If you haven’t  already, sign up to be one of our alpha testers, or check out what is alpha to find out if you want to be part of building the banking platform we would want to use.