Starling Bank, the U.K.’s first mobile-only bank, is innovating in another way this week. The challenger bank is teaming up with Anorak to bring personalized, transparent, compliant life insurance advice to its customers. Accessible via Starling’s in-app marketplace, customers will be able to link their accounts to Anorak’s technology, which analyzes the customer’s banking transactions to provide specialized advice on what kind of life insurance would be the best fit for them and why.
“Partnering with Starling enables Anorak to deliver on its mission to give everyone easy access to regulated life insurance advice and personalized options,” Anorak CEO David Vanek said. “By using Starling APIs, we’re harnessing the power of Open Banking to enable consumers to make the right choice and help them protect their families financially.”
Anorak’s technology scans major insurers including AIG, Legal & General, Zurich, Scottish Widows, and Royal London and gives consumers the best, personalized insurance options based on their family and finances – including customer-permissioned analysis of banking transactions. Anorak joins fellow Finovate alum Wealthify in Starling’s marketplace, along with firms such as robo advisor Wealthsimple, mortgage broker Habito, and pension provider, PensionBee.
“Starling’s Marketplace is designed to give customers ever greater control of their financial lives,” Megan Caywood, chief platform officer at Starling Bank said. “Our new partner Anorak does just this – bringing impartial life insurance to our customers within a few minutes. Like Starling, Anorak combines industry experience with great tech to provide a disruptive force for good.”
Founded in 2016, Anorak made its Finovate debut earlier this year at FinovateEurope. The company’s technology leverages advanced data science and machine learning to match consumers with the most appropriate, personalized, compliant policy from a major insurer. Anorak’s API integrates readily with apps and websites, enabling PFM solutions, banks, insurance comparison sites, and brokerages to use its smart data service to provide a better and more transparent insurance-buying experience for customers.
Anorak began the year with its first major fundraising, a seed round investment of more than $5 million (£4 million) from France’s Kamet Ventures.