Lunar Way has already been backed by angel investors and the venture fund SEED Capital, one of the most successful venture funds in the Nordics. Now mortgage provider Nykredit will have a minority interest too. With this Lunar Way is ready to move into Sweden and Norway later this year, where local partner banks are all in place already we have been told.
“The world as we know it today will look remarkably different in a few years. The Nordic countries are well known as first-movers within the cashless socieity conversation. To create the next generation of banking and live up to the standards of the Scandinavians, we need to partner with the best within their respective field. In Denmark we have now chosen our future partnerbank, which is Nykredit.”
Explains Ken Villum Klausen, CEO of Lunar Way
When asked to explain why Lunar Way follows the neobank path, rather than applying for a licence and taking the more common route of the challenger bank, he says:
”We believe the neobank model is the best way forward. Put simply, the incumbent banks excel at regulation. We excel at providing the best mobile user experience. It’s a perfect match.”
He epmhasises that challenger banks pay well to obtain their banking license, and they need to learn the classic banking skills to make the backbone of their bank work. With an approach of partnering instead, they can draw on their skills, allowing them to focus on their skills.
“While the normal neobank setup involves a third party platform provider, which makes the risk of cost increases a lot higher, we work directly with the banks, so there’s no middle man. This means our partner model provides stability, security and experience in all the important areas, while providing innovation and customer centric design where you want it, at the front end.”
”This is where our partner model is unique. We’re the only one in the market built upon partnering with multiple local partners. This means a Swede will have a Swedish account, a Dane will have a Danish account, a Norwegian will have a Norwegian account – all through the same interface, the Lunar Way app. And there will be no ”middleman” costs. Both parties win – partner banks, consumers and Lunar Way.”
Lunar Way’s official target is to reach 85.000 Nordic users in 2016, and then to expand outside of the Nordics in 2017. They are currently running in an FCA approved beta phase in Denmark. You can visit certain websites and learn more about managing finances
The local waiting lists are open at www.lunarway.com, and those who sign up early will be the first to get an invitation upon launch.
