British Bank Awards 2020: Monese, Revolut and more

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winning a competition

The British Bank Awards is back for 2020 and finalists have now been announced. These include innovative players such as Monese, Revolut and N26, plus some of the more traditional financial services brands. Selectra looks at this annual event that brings consumers and the financial sector together.

History of the British Bank Awards

The British Bank Awards is run by Smart Money People, the UK’s independent information and review platform for financial services. This year will mark the six-year anniversary of the event.

The purpose of the awards is to give consumers a voice in this industry, where the number of providers is increasing exponentially. The winners are based entirely on the public’s votes and it’s widely accepted as being the most prestigious and biggest banking awards in the UK.

The 2019 winners proved to be the most diverse yet, ranging from banking giants to the relative newcomers on the scene. More than 27,000 customers voted last year for deserved winners such as Monzo, NatWest and Starling Bank.

Who are the category finalists for 2020?

There are 27 individual award categories. It’s not surprising there are so many to choose from, given how far the industry has come in recent years. The technological advances in this sector that we have witnessed in the UK are nothing short of incredible.

Digital banks are expanding at a colossal rate and nearly every financial services company is introducing or updating an app for customers. This constant state of creation and evolution means new names are appearing on the market every year. This is great news for consumers because that extra competition is giving us more choice and better deals.

The awards are a good reflection of this, due to the number of companies that have successfully made it onto a category list. So, without any further ado, we would like to present this year’s categories and finalists.

Six top-level categories

  1. Best British Bank: Barclays, first direct, Halifax, Monzo, Nationwide Building Society, Starling Bank & Triodos Bank
  2. Innovation of the Year: Molo, OpenMoney, PrimaryBid, Revolut & 1 Finalist announced on the night
  3. Best Banking App: Barclays, HSBC, Monese, Monzo, NatWest & Starling Bank
  4. Best Newcomer: B-Social, Countingup, Flux, N26, Oval & Suits Me
  5. Customer Service Champion: Chorley Building Society, Darlington Building Society, Newbury Building Society, Triodos Bank, Wealthify & 2 Finalists announced on the night
  6. Treating Customers Fairly Champion: Starling Bank, Monzo, Monmouthshire Building Society, Shepherds Friendly, first direct & 2 Finalists announced on the night

16 product-specific categories

  1. Best Alternative Finance Provider: Assetz Capital, CapitalRise, Capify, Fleximize, Satago & Zopa
  2. Best Business Banking Provider: HSBC, Metro Bank, Starling Bank, Revolut & Tide
  3. Best Business Finance Provider: Capify, Nucleus Commercial Finance, Satago, Fleximize, Catalyst Finance & Boost Capital
  4. Best Credit Card Provider: Halifax, American Express, Tandem Bank, Virgin Money & Santander
  5. Best Current Account Provider: Monzo, Starling Bank, Triodos Bank, Barclays, NatWest & first direct
  6. Best FX Provider: Currencies Direct, Revolut, The Currency Club, WeSwap & TransferGo
  7. Best Investments Provider: CapitalRise, evestor, True Potential Investor, Wealthify, WiseAlpha & PrimaryBid
  8. Best Payment Service Provider: GoCardless, SumUp, Banking Circle, PayPal & MoneyNetint
  9. Best Mortgage Provider: Atom Bank, NatWest, Nationwide Building Society & Halifax
  10. Best Specialist Mortgage Provider: Leek Building Society, Darlington Building Society, Monmouthshire Building Society, Newbury Building Society, Vernon Building Society, Melton Mowbray Building Society & The Mansfield Building Society
  11. Best Mortgage Broker: Express Mortgages, Mojo, Mortgage 1st & Habito
  12. Best Specialist Mortgage Broker: International Private Finance, Mortgage Experience, Property Master, The Buy to Let Broker & Loans Warehouse
  13. Best Online Trading Platform: Freetrade, Hargreaves Lansdown, CMC Markets & IG
  14. Best Personal Finance App: Money Dashboard, Yolt, Chip, gohenry, Oval & Plum
  15. Best Personal Loan Provider: Hitachi Personal Finance, Zopa & Sainsbury’s Bank
  16. Best Savings Provider: Close Brothers Savings, Shepherds Friendly, Monmouthshire Building Society, Newbury Building Society, Vernon Building Society, Dudley Building Society & Darlington Building Society

Five partner-specific categories

  1. The Pioneer Award: 11:FS, ClearBank, GapSquare, Know Your Customer & Thought Machine
  2. RegTech Partner of the Year: Datactics, DueDil, Encompass, FINTRAIL, SmartSearch & Shield
  3. Technology Partner of the Year: Altus, Bud, BankiFi, DPR, Form3 & Sandstone Tech
  4. Consultancy of the Year: 11:FS, Capco, Deloitte, Axis Corporate, Savings Guru, Synechron & Publicis Sapient
  5. Marketing Partner of the Year: mark-making, Shift Brand, Blue Train Marketing & Salesforce

Please note that you can only vote for this category if you work in the financial services industry.

Congratulations to all of this year’s finalists and best of luck.

How to vote for your favourite financial services company

If you have experienced service that deserves a mention, make sure that you vote. It only takes two minutes to do so online and you could win £1,000. Plus, you’ll be helping fellow customers who might be considering switching bank, FinTech start-ups or building societies.

To cast your vote, head to the British Bank Awards page.

Voting ends at midnight on the 9th of February and winners will be announced on the 12th of March. Happy voting and good luck to all the finalists!

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