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Fintech's first comms think tank sets new industry standard
Wednesday, January 14, 2026 — 17:39:26 (UTC)
FINTECH’S FIRST COMMS THINK TANK SETS NEW INDUSTRY STANDARD
Manchester, UK, Jan. 14, 2026—Fintech’s most influential leaders have issued a formal challenge to the way the industry communicates, with a new benchmark report identifying a major opportunity to strengthen how fintech explains itself, earns trust and connects with the world beyond its own echo chambers.
With the release of the new Started Advisory Board Report, a clear line has been drawn for fintech communication. As the industry becomes more regulated, more mainstream and more central to how people borrow, invest and move their money, the report makes one thing clear: communication standards are no longer a marketing issue but a performance issue.
Through the report, the Advisory Board introduces the industry’s first shared communication benchmark alongside a new operating framework, the Eight Rules for Fintech Communication, defining what credible, responsible and high-performing fintech standards must now look like and establishing the baseline disciplines the industry must follow to overcome the challenges it faces.
They require fintech brands to:
Build trust through proof, provenance and transparent sourcing Design communications for specialist digital discovery Strengthen confidence through human and in person communication Move beyond echo chambers with contextual storytelling Use physical activations to generate genuine attention and action Adapt communications for AI driven discovery and verification Communicate responsibly around lending, investing and financial wellbeing Prioritise the audiences and channels that matter most
To put hard evidence behind this shift, members of the Advisory Board were surveyed to benchmark how effectively fintech currently communicates across nine critical areas, including innovation, regulation, collaboration and customer understanding. The results reveal where the industry now has the greatest opportunity to strengthen its external voice, improve clarity and build deeper trust with the audiences it needs to reach.
The findings reveal:
Fintech scores just 5 out of 10 for how well it makes itself understood Fintech scores 4 out of 10 for how well its communications land outside the industry Fintech scores 7 out of 10 for how well its communications land within the industry Fintech scores only 3 out of 10 for how well it communicates about failure Fintech scores 8 out of 10 for opportunity to improve communication
Commenting on the launch, Kimberley Waldron, Founder of Started PR and Chair of the Advisory Board, said: “Fintech is no longer a niche or experimental industry. It now plays a central role in how people borrow, invest and move their money. That demands a higher communication standard. This report defines what that standard looks like and gives the industry a practical framework to follow.”
The report was developed by Started PR in collaboration with a newly formed independent Advisory Board representing more than 200 years of frontline experience across regulation, journalism, product, investment and fintech ecosystem leadership.
The Advisory Board features:
Kimberley Waldron, MD Started PR (Advisory Board Chair) Jason Mikula, Publisher, Fintech Business Weekly Jason Williams, CEO, The Fintech Power 50 Katie Ramsey, Head of the Global Venture Capital Unit, Office for Investment David M. Brear, CEO, 11:FS Holdings Susanne Chishti, Founder and Chair, Fintech Circle Monica Millares, Chief Product Officer, BigPay David Savage, Founder and Host, Tech Talks Raf De Kimpe, CEO, FinTech Belgium Jas Shah, Fintech Strategist Sarah Kocianski, Fintech Expert and Commentator
The inaugural Started Advisory Board Report is available to read here: started-pr-advisory-board-report.tiiny.site/
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Source: Company press release. 
Categories: Announcement
