When we last looked at international money transfer innovator, TransferWise, the company was on the receiving end of a major investment from the likes of Sir Richard Branson, and Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures.
Today we are happy to see some of that capital put to work.
TransferWise has announced a major redesign, including a new national television ad. Taavet Hinrikus, co-founder of TransferWise, noted that part of the challenge for startups like his are a “handful of major players” who dominate retail banking in the U.K.
This forces companies like TransferWise to come up with new, innovative ways to attract customers from the brand names they’ve grown up with.
To this end, TransferWise’s makeover comes in three parts: web, design, and mobile. The website has been streamlined to speed customer onboarding and make the interface more intuitive. And a new logo has been designed to help distinguish the company’s brand from traditional money transfer organizations like banks and brokers.
But the most exciting part of the redesign are the changes on the mobile side. TransferWise is now optimized for iOS8 for iPhone 6, iPhone 6+, and the iPad. This includes what the company calls “deep integration” with the iPhone contact book.
“We believe that just being a little better isn’t enough,” added Hinrikus. “So we strive to offer something that’s ten times easier, faster, and better than the banks to make mainstream consumers of alternative finance providers like us.”
This leads us to what might be the most talked about aspect of TransferWise’s redesign: the company’s cheeky new TV spot. TransferWise’s first national television ad humorously features a “Wolf of Wall Street” like banker walking through his offices and lightheartedly lamenting the rise of TransferWise.
TransferWise was founded in March 2010 and is headquartered in London. The company demoed its technology at FinovateEurope 2013. See a video of their demo here.