2011, Giovanni Daprá and Paolo Galvani found MoneyFarm; both have a passion for technology and a wealth of experience in financial services, it was time to introduce the Italian market to digital wealth management.
In 2016 the business they started 5 years ago is now popularly known as a ‘robo advisor’ and they have just launched in the UK. MoneyFarm is all about bringing together expert financial intelligence, technology innovation and a personal service. With these three elements working together MoneyFarm are able to deliver investment recommendations tailored to the individual’s goals, all whilst providing users with the tools to stay in control.
Technology is impacting everything we do, from online shopping to social interactions. Financial services was bound to be disrupted by technology but in many areas this has happened more slowly than in other industries. Wealth management, has for years, been seen as the preserve of the privileged few; expensive, complicated and incredibly risky. But technology allows you to manage all of these things, creating a user friendly product.
10 years ago a technology transformation took place in the travel industry; consumers were able to book their flights online, directly with the airline. Despite this revolution the travel agents still exist today. It is not about getting everyone to participate digitally, it is about using technology to create a better customer experience whilst giving users a choice about how to participate.
This is exactly the principle that MoneyFarm follows. When you are creating a new financial brand and one that introduces a new approach to investing, building trust with consumers is of utmost importance. When the product first launched in Italy the idea was to have a purely digital solution it was all about person to platform engagement. But when it comes to financial services consumers are not quite ready for a purely digital experience. For many, investments are quite an abstract concept, having the opportunity to engage person to person makes that investment a lot more tangible.
MoneyFarm’s solution to investments is simple the technology behind it is incredibly complicated. Algorithms work to analyse a consumers appetite to risk, creating a risk profile based on their answers to a series of questions and then aligning them to 1 of 12 portfolios. Each of those portfolios is made up of a range of assets which take into consideration the users risk profile and market conditions. Creating a product designed around their goals.
MoneyFarm’s UK customer base is growing and the product is constantly evolving based on user experience. The combination of financial experience and propriety technology means that product development happens at pace. It is time to put the user at the centre of their investments.
