In March 2017, we partnered with Money and Mental Health (MMH) to hold our third TechSprint. Find out more about the event.
This TechSprint event supported our commitment to help consumers in vulnerable circumstances, including those with mental health problems, receive fair treatment from their financial services providers.
Over 100 developers, mental health and technology experts from over 30 organisations took part in the TechSprint - hosted by PwC. There was a strong focus from all teams on designing concepts that encouraged people to continue to manage their own finances but put in place safeguards to help them when they felt they needed it most.
A common theme was to designate a buddy or guardian who would be asked to check unusual activity on a current account or verify a purchase. The concepts developed also linked into budgeting and being able to see what you are spending and when. This meant that many of the tools could be used by a wide range of people, not only those who experience mental health problems.
Video: Financial services and mental health TechSprint
Jo Hill, Director of MIDA talked to FinTech Insider about the positive impact of this TechSprint [2]
Next Steps
We’re hosting a follow-up event on 5 October to show what we’ve found to a wider audience and evaluate the proposed solutions further. We’ve been working closely with the teams and MMH to continue to help find solutions for consumers.
Money and Mental Health have continued to build on the themes of this TechSprint by publishing a report called FinTech for Good[3].