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TOP 20 FinTech Companies & Startups to Watch in 2021

in FinTech Business
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The year 2021 will be all about personalization, integrations and connections. Customers want to experience, not just use digital products and they want a broader spectrum of services. That’s why FinTech companies are joining forces with firms offering added value. Finally, people expect connection with other people. Companies who will create communities around their products will win people’s minds and wallets. Recently, we wrote about FinTech trends for 2021, now let’s talk about top FinTech companies to watch in 2021.

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Top Trading Platforms to Watch in 2021

in FinTech Business
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You don’t have to be a millionaire to invest in stocks, currencies or even precious metals. Trading has been a widely available option for decades, but thanks to web based platforms it’s now easier than ever. Such platforms are also great examples of FinTech in practice – how they are made, how they work and what are their best features depends both on the market needs and what their creators can actually offer. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular online trading platforms and find out why they succeeded!

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FinTech Trends 2021: Global Outlook

in FinTech Business
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The year 2020 has brought many breakthroughs. The massive shift towards remote work has proven things can be done, even if people don’t work face-to-face. The prolonged lockdown has probably changed customer spending habits forever and has impacted many industries, not only e-commerce. Meanwhile, the FinTech stage has grown exponentially, bringing comfort and convenience to everyone, even the unbanked. What will the industry look like next year? Here is our list of the most interesting FinTech trends in 2021.

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Top FinTech Accelerators in Berlin

in FinTech Business
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We’ve already analyzed the most impressive FinTech accelerators in Tel Aviv and in London, but we’re not intending to stop. This series of articles is going to be a frequent visitor on the Code and Pepper blog and we’re going to keep them all up to date. This time, let’s take a trip to the capital city of Germany, Berlin, where cultures mix, currywurst is everywhere and so are FinTechs. Let’s go take a closer look at FinTech accelerators in Berlin!

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The Future of InsurTech

in FinTech Business
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Many sports fans have a saying, often expressed on a wall of their neighborhood building: “you will never walk alone”. It shows the mass support of the entire ecosystem designed to help the team. The same goes for InsurTech—the future of the industry lies in platforms and ecosystems. Everything in favour of interconnected services, giving the user the ultimate experience.

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Which FinTech Investment Trends Are Popular and Why?

in FinTech Business
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In business, good enough is often not enough. Many people are turning away from incumbent financial institutions because traditional banking can’t provide the level of services they are actively seeking. Meanwhile, FinTech startups introduce innovative service offerings almost every month. Investors keep their eyes open, they don’t want to miss a potential unicorn. Here’s a list of important FinTech investment trends to watch—maybe they’ll bring another industry star.

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InsurTech Industry Guide: All You Need To Know About Insurance Technology

in FinTech Business
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InsurTech stands for insurance technology, but this term can still be considered pretty abstract. After all, how can cutting edge technology work in the insurance industry? As with all innovative ideas, there are many ways to reach the goal. Read on to learn all you need to know about InsurTech industry: its history, how it’s used to make life easier and accelerate business, and what its future is going to look like!

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FinTech Wire #3: Acquisition Drama, New Challengers in UK and Digital Currency on the Move

in FinTech Wire
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How do you filter the market data to pick out the most valuable insights? Does the amount of news and updates make your head spin? The FinTech Wire comes to the rescue with a carefully selected combination of brand stories which are shaking the world of finance and banking. This week, we’ll be hearing from Visa, Pennyworth, Monument, SoFi, JP Morgan, and NerdWallet. Let’s roll!

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Key Roles in E2E Software Development

in Software Development
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App development is like professional football. Companies are like teams and their employees are like players, coaches, and managers. After all, what happens backstage and between the games is equally important to the actual performance on the football pitch. Every member of the group is crucial for success, though their roles are different. Read on to learn all you need to know about the roles in software development teams!

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FinTech Wire #2: Impact Investing, Biometric Cards and Shoppable Emails

in FinTech Wire
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Code & Pepper is calling all FinTech buffs hungry for the latest industry insights! FinTech Wire comes back with a juicy selection of fresh news, hand-picked from top headlines and press releases. This week, we’ll be hearing from major movers and shakers in sustainable investing, biometric authentication, instant purchasing, cryptocurrency, and blockchain…

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7 Ways FinTech Innovations Improve the Customer Experience

in User Experience
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Do you ever feel like your favorite institution or app can do better? Implement responsive UX, improve helpline, simplify onboarding or just include you more in the conversation? Many customers feel that way about digital products. They don’t want to be cogs in the machine, grinding the same load every time they contact the institution or use its services. Customers want to be heard: here’s how to do that in FinTech.

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FinTech Wire #1: PayTech Unicorns, Social Trading and UBI on Blockchain

in FinTech Wire
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Only one thing is certain in modern business: stay in the loop or drop out. With that in mind, we’re introducing the FinTech Wire—a weekly news feed curated by Code & Pepper. It covers top headlines in finance, technology, banking, and everything in between to keep you informed, inspired or maybe even intrigued… Tune into the #FinTechWire on our LinkedIn and Twitter or explore the extended version below.

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Progressive Web Apps: Towards an Immersive User Experience

in User Experience
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Progressive Web Apps have gone from buzzword to mainstream in record time. Freeing the user experience from the boundaries defined by devices and network conditions marks another step in the digital evolution. So does bridging the gap between web and native applications to offer unprecedented usability and reliability. While PWAs are making headway in boosting performance and engagement, Code & Pepper investigates their key features and business growth potential.

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Digital Transformation in Banking and Financial Services

in FinTech Business
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Digital transformation is like taxes or iPhones: present everywhere. Despite many CEOs, CTOs and CIOs being interested, not all of them have a clear picture. In reality, it’s not only about technology. It’s a tool that enables teams to work efficiently, creating even more valuable products. But first – security.

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The Quickest Guide to Google Lighthouse Tool

in Quality Assurance
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Testing web applications in an effective way can be super-simple nowadays, thanks to many available tools. When it comes to examining basic issues, Google Lighthouse is one of the best and most popular instruments to do it, so every web developer and website owner should be familiar with it. Especially if it’s available for free, built in WebPageTest, PageSpeed Insights, Chromium based browsers (such as Chrome and Edge) and as an extension for Firefox. So why don’t you try it out on your own? This guide is the quickest way to start!

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Infrastructure as Code: Creating and Deploying Web Applications on AWS Using CloudFormation

in Software Development
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The cloud adoption trend isn’t slowing down. That’s no wonder: cloud computing has completely changed the way we think about IT infrastructure. However, for organizations that deal with never-ending deployments, the complexity of provisioning and managing all the infrastructure elements can become a headache and a source of serious issues. In this case, infrastructure codification, known as Infrastructure as Code, comes to the rescue. 

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The Importance of Quality Assurance in FinTech Software Development

in Quality Assurance
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In the app economy, green is the new black. Investors, companies and teams expect apps to perform and deliver sales results overnight – or at least quickly enough to verify assumptions of a minimum viable product (MVP). Especially today, when COVID-19 washes off many companies and the future is uncertain. Sometimes, when the pressure is on, pressing the “off” button might be healthy. Not only under the current market conditions but in software development overall. That button is quality assurance and it can be an anchor for the business, guaranteeing customer loyalty and lower maintenance costs.

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API Developer Experience: Tricks of the Trade

in Software Development
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From data aggregators at the core of open banking to payment processors for digital marketplaces – many FinTech products deliver value through application programming interfaces (aka APIs). In those cases, it’s hard to speak of User Experience as such. What becomes important then is Developer Experience (DX), which reflects how easy it is to work and integrate with an API. This in turn, can have a huge impact on the final quality and scalability of the API product. So if your goal is to build a highly-performant, future-proof and integration-ready solution, don’t forget about Developer Experience. Use the pro tips below to accelerate and empower your API development process.

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Essential Security Standards and Requirements for FinTech Apps

in Quality Assurance
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In the UK, FinTech apps should be handled in a way similar to banking institutions, both from the legal and technological point of view. It obviously imposes a lot of responsibility and work to ensure the system is 100% secure, so users can trust it with their money. But what does it mean in practice? Let’s take a deeper look at the FinTech security standards you’ll need to deal with in order to abide by the rules, while still being able to offer the most to your customers.

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Painless Payments: Top 5 Online Payment Processing Companies for Startups

in FinTech Business
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Every digital business needs a reliable toolset that will support its operations. And for many of them, online payment processing platforms are essential: according to a 2018 survey, 62% of UK’s small and medium enterprises use digital solutions to make or accept payments. However, choosing among a plethora of payment processing companies is not a breeze. This one decision can have serious implications in multiple areas, starting with customer experience, transaction security, and even your business cash flow. 

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PayTech in the Spotlight: Challenges and Opportunities

in FinTech Business
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Payment technology remains one of the most dynamically developing sectors of FinTech. Its disruptive potential and versatility make it the perfect breeding ground for innovation, actively redefining digital experience in finance. However, challenging the status quo comes with a package of challenges in their own right. When coins changing hands are replaced by bitcoin trading platforms and wads of cash are turned into digital wallets – how well is your business prepared for the ultimate digital-first future?

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KYC: Leaders in Digital Identity Verification

in User Experience
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As digital finance is gaining traction, the KYC (Know Your Customer) process is becoming vital for sustainable business models. With regulatory compliance at the roots and modern software solutions in all branches of operation, FinTech’s evergreen status relies on striking the right balance between code of conduct and customer experience. While tapping into the ABC of KYC, we begin our due diligence by identifying industry leaders in digital identity verification for financial services.

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Open Banking Apps Review

in FinTech Business
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With over 80 percent of financial services companies in the UK investing in open banking products and services, it is safe to say that open banking has revolutionized the financial landscape. FinTech firms can now benefit from open APIs that enable them to customize apps and services based on their business requirements. These top third-party open banking apps provide companies in the FinTech space with real-time data insights to facilitate payments and enhance customer experience.

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Survival of the Resilient: FinTech in the Times of Lockdown

in FinTech Business
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According to its origin myth, FinTech was born out of the global financial crisis and the huge behavioural shift it had brought. Fast forward another 10+ years, and we are on a brink of another economic twist. This time with a slightly different cocktail of inhibitions and attitudes. Although creative and agile by definition – are all FinTechs equally equipped to withstand the blast of a market shakeout? Another week into the general lockdown, the industry’s resilience and adaptability meets trial by fire.

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Product Design Journey: UX Roadmap

in User Experience
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In one of previous posts, Code & Pepper took you on a full-blown product design journey: from discovery to development. However, that roadmap wouldn’t be complete without at least hinting at some user experience notions. The compilation below focuses on certain aspects of UX, which come to the forefront in FinTech applications as make-or-break moments.

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Need for Load Speed: Cloudflare Test Drive

in Quality Assurance
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In the context of digital experience, instant response is the new norm: shaping users’ expectations and forming business imperatives. FinTech software is no exception to that new rule of thumb. Therefore, our engineering team at Code & Pepper is always on the lookout for tools and solutions that could give our clients the upper hand on the market. Taking Cloudflare for a spin fueled our appetite for more-than-optimal web performance: read on to see why.

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Scrum Master Certification: Step Up Your Game

in Project Management
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“Stay home” is probably going to be the most exploited phrase of 2020. The consequences of global lockdown will loom large for years, turning the job market upside down. However, one thing hasn’t changed – you can’t go wrong with stepping up your professional game by gaining confirmed knowledge and skills. Read on to discover Scrum Master certifications tailored to different professional areas of the IT industry.

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Top Talent Wanted: Recruiting for Team Augmentation

in Project Management
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Talent acquisition is one of the most complex organizational processes, with immense impact on businesses in the long run. When paired with the crude fact that great leaders are nothing without great teams, the importance of an effective and sustainable recruitment strategy becomes self-evident. Team augmentation clients are therefore setting the course for the future and Code & Pepper is honoured to contribute its unique know-how to their success on the FinTech scene.

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10 Cross-Platform FinTech Applications You Should Know

in FinTech Business
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FinTech has been on the rise since the turn of the 21st Century and analysts estimate the sector’s revenue generation will reach $4.8 trillion in 2020. A healthy mix of traditional banks and upcoming startups give the industry a strong outlook for future growth. Successful cross-platform FinTech apps reach users across as many platforms as possible, including iOS, Android, and Windows OS. Frameworks like .NET Core, React Native, and Flutter are helping to make this happen. Let’s dive into how you can emulate some of the best financial apps that run on all platforms.

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13 Coolest FinTech Accelerators in Tel Aviv

in FinTech Business
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Tel Aviv is home to dozens of accelerator programs designed to equip founders and startup companies with business training and industry know-how. With them, you’ll not only start the right way but also the big way. Not every program is the same, though. Which FinTech accelerators are worth your while and would be a good match for your business? Take a look at the lucky 13 of the best accelerators you can find in and around the hot & breezy city of Tel Aviv.

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Product Design Journey with Code & Pepper

in User Interface
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Businesses have their founding fathers and products have their life cycles. Not surprisingly, product design has its own set of handy analogies. In this scenario, you are the fiery explorer, design is a breakneck journey and Code & Pepper is your jovial guide. We’ll take you through the wild terrain of product development: where conversions flow like rapid currents and rugged benchmarks lurk in the shadows.

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7 Hottest FinTech Accelerators in London

in FinTech Business
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London is a sprawling economic hub that boasts a mind-boggling 750 FinTech companies. The “Big Smoke” represents 84 percent of the UK’s VC, CVC, and PE investment volume, making it a desirable place for startups to find their financial feet. Looking for investors? Connections? Opportunities? Here are 7 FinTech accelerators in London you need to know about in 2020. 

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Transparency in Software Development… Revealed

in Project Management
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Do you ever have an impression that the concept of transparency in software development could be more… transparent? In every company, it can mean something entirely different and, just like any other industry practice, it has fluid boundaries. At Code & Pepper, we start our transparency policy by explaining what it stands for and what aspects of cooperation it involves. Here we go with project transparency explained for every step of the way.

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5 Questions About Product Development: Reality Check

in Project Management
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Let’s imagine you’ve made it this far: your FinTech idea is rock-solid, the market research is an all-night read and you’re on first names terms with the most wanted VCs. Having gone far and beyond in shaping your vision and giving your business a head start, it’s high time you covered all bases by exploring the why’s, what’s and how’s of product development. The five FAQs below should give you more insight into the intricacies of product development with the peppery flavour of our custom approach. With a pinch of Agile and a drop of Lean, it might be that acquired taste you’re looking for to give your product an edge.

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How to Select Technologies in FinTech: Part 2

in Software Development
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Part I of this article focused on awareness and gave a few examples of how technology choice can have serious consequences for the future of your product: to the point of making or breaking your business. Part II investigates how and why the ripple effect of this one decision can reach as far as your recruitment schedule, delivery plans and innovation potential. Mind you, this applies not only to technologies in FinTech!

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What’s the Best Technology for FinTech: Part 1

in Software Development
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I’ve always been passionate about technology and that’s why I was shocked by the meeting I had recently. I was in my home office talking on Skype with a CTO from a FinTech startup (let’s call him Richard). Richard explained that he wanted us to build some payment processing service but, to my surprise, what he said was…

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Bet on Reliability: Choosing the Right Technology Partner

in Project Management
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The need for striking thriving partnerships might be yesterday’s news in the world of financial technology. Yet, as the available cooperation models are continuously evolving to offer more tailored options, the final decision might pose a challenge. Potential savings in time and costs have to be carefully weighed against risks connected with the required credit of trust: a value of paramount importance, notably in FinTech applications. If reliability is an essential aspect of all collaborative efforts, is there a key to handling it the right way?

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Software Development in Poland: the Leading CEE’s Programming Hub

in Software Development
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When thinking of perfect software nearshoring or offshoring locations, it’s impossible to omit Poland on the map of the IT industry. Being the second largest software development services provider in Central-Eastern Europe (right behind Russia), it’s a promising destination when shopping for skilled and budget-friendly tech teams for any digital product. If you’re considering hiring programmers outside of your local job market, this article will show you why so many companies have had successful collaborations with Polish IT firms and what cities lead on the Polish software development landscape.

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12 Elements of a Solid Software Development Process

in Software Development
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With more than 400 completed projects at Code & Pepper, we’ve worked out an optimal development approach, which allows us to successfully deliver FinTech solutions, no matter what your product does and where your business is located. This approach is based on some fundamental values shared in our teams: transparency, agile approach, deep technical knowledge, excitement and motivation with every new project and challenge. If you would like to know what to expect from Code & Pepper, this is where you’ll find the answers to many questions.

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Team Augmentation Benefits and Values for FinTech Businesses

in Project Management
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“You better work” is where most businesses start… but what if you’ve done all the work you can, the product still has a huge potential to reach, and there’s only 24 hours in a day? All the signs in the sky and on earth point to hiring more people, and team augmentation is a service model that works like a charm. How? Learn about the essence of team augmentation and its benefits from the business, technical, and human resources point of view.

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The Meaning of Performance in FinTech Apps

in Quality Assurance
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Application performance issues affect all businesses, big and small – and the examples are daunting. If such a giant as BBC found they lost an additional 10% of users for every additional second their site took to load, how can you prevent losing customers due to poor performance? Get started with UX! In this article, I’ll help you understand the mechanics of performance in FinTech and suggest a few patterns that can maintain users’ attention and engagement.

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4 UX Patterns to Improve Transparency and Feedback in FinTech Apps

in User Experience
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Transparency and feedback in UX are all about making sure that the users of your application know what will be the effect of their actions – the ones they are going to take and the ones they have just performed. It helps to build trust in your product, especially in the case of new users. In less than five minutes, I’d like to introduce you to a few ideas that will make your application more transparent and trustworthy for new and regular users.

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