Sal Rehmetullah is the founder and CEO of Worth, a technology company focused on building the next generation business credit score.
Once upon a time, delivering a reliable service was enough. If your tech worked and your support team picked up the phone before the third ring, congratulations—you were officially “innovative.”
But we’re no longer in that time.
Today, I believe we’re living in the golden age of identity-driven commerce, and it’s not just changing how we shop, eat and travel. It’s redefining how small and medium businesses (SMBs) choose the platforms they use—and financial technology companies should be paying attention.
Your fintech needs to mean something.
In the consumer world, companies like Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy are buying hotels. Dior is launching cafés. Alo Yoga went from athletic wear to gyms, supplements (paywall) and a full-blown lifestyle movement. These companies are not just selling products; I believe they’re selling belonging.
And many consumers today want that sense of connection. Sprout Social found that customers are more likely to buy from and spend more on a brand they feel connected to compared to a competitor. Many consumers also gravitate toward brands with strong personalities.
Being the CEO and founder of a fintech platform, I’m finding that this same consumer behavior is bleeding directly into the SMB ecosystem. I’m seeing many entrepreneurs today who aren’t just choosing tools that get the job done; they’re choosing brands that say something about who they are. It’s not enough for your fintech product to work. It has to mean something.
So, how can financial institutions and fintechs serving SMBs evolve in a world where loyalty isn’t just earned through features, but through feelings?
Here are five things I believe fintechs need to do to survive—and thrive—in the era of identity-driven SMBs:
1. Stop being a service. Start being a scene.
Let’s be honest, saying, “Delivers fast payments and secure document uploads,” doesn’t exactly scream personality. But that’s the trap. Fintechs are often so focused on compliance, conversion and the almighty clean user experience that they forget they’re not just solving problems—they’re part of someone’s business journey.
In my experience, today’s SMBs don’t just want a vendor. Many also want to feel something when they interact with your brand. Maybe it’s ambition. Maybe it’s a cool factor. Maybe it’s safety, calm and confidence. The point is: If you’re not evoking emotion, you’re just a utility, and utilities are easy to replace.
So, give your brand a pulse. Build a story. Infuse your design, your tone, your support and, yes, even your error messages with a little life.
2. Build experiences, not just interfaces.
The new bar isn’t clean design. It’s an immersive, memorable, emotionally intelligent experience.
If your onboarding is just a form, you’ve recreated a DMV visit. What if, instead, onboarding felt like joining a mastermind? What if compliance didn’t feel like punishment, but a power-up? What if your monthly statement actually celebrated your customers’ business milestones? Experiences don’t just happen in person. They can be built into flows, language, microinteractions and content. And they don’t end with the product.
Take a page from the luxury world: Alo Yoga didn’t build a wellness center for fun. The company did it to create a “living, breathing extension” of the brand for its community. What’s your fintech’s equivalent of a gym? Find it. Build it. Let people live in your brand.
3. Speak the language of the new entrepreneur.
If your email campaigns still say things like “maximize business liquidity,” your audience might have already tuned out. I’m finding that many SMBs today don’t speak bank. They speak brand. These founders want to be talked to like people, not portfolios. They want transparency, clarity and a little bit of swagger. They want financial partners who understand their hustle, insecurities and their dreams—and speak to all three without sounding outdated.
The fintechs that win will translate complexity into culture. They’ll tell great stories and create aspirational content. Show—don’t tell—that you get it. If your copy sounds like it came from a policy binder, it’s time for a rewrite.
4. Extend the brand beyond the app.
Want to build loyalty? Get out of the browser. Don’t just give SMB founders features. Give them a home—somewhere they can ask questions, meet peers, get advice and grow with people who share their values.
This could be:
• A community space, like a Discord channel or in-person events.
• A branded podcast or newsletter that educates them on topics relevant to your services.
• Tools and perks that go beyond banking, such as co-working access, legal templates or small-business coaching.
• Collaborations with influencers or organizations they already love.
Don’t think of your fintech as “just a platform.” It’s a brand, and your brand lives in every interaction. Don’t just deliver. Delight. Don’t just process. Partner.
5. Make compliance feel cool.
Compliance—it’s the necessary evil and the part of fintech everyone wants to hide behind a loading spinner.
But here’s a secret: Even compliance can become part of the experience. If you can make business owners feel like they’re becoming more legitimate, more powerful or more protected by completing your compliance flow, you can win.
Use smart user experiences. Use plain English. Use visuals, storytelling and even gamification if it makes sense. Think less “form-filling” and more “leveling up.” Because in a world where SMBs are choosing platforms that feel like partners, even the boring stuff needs a little soul.
You’re not only selling a product. You’re selling a feeling.
In the next five years, I believe the fintech winners won’t be those with the most features; they’ll be the ones that understand people. These companies won’t just serve customers but will also speak to their identities, reflect their ambitions and become part of their businesses’ stories.
So the question isn’t, “How do we deliver better banking?” It’s, “How do we become a brand our customers want to belong to?” If Dior can sell espresso and Louis Vuitton can host your vacation, then your fintech can do more than process a payment.
It can be unforgettable.
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