The Big 2022 Poll: Expectations and Wishes!

Happy New Year! :partying_face:

It’s 2022 and it’s time to think about the year ahead. Over here I offered some of my own predictions for the year :crystal_ball:

… but it’s time to discover what the community thinks!

Two sets of polls for our collective delight: one to cover what we think will happen - and one to say what we want to happen.

I’ve based this broadly on my own predictions and some of the comments in that topic - but I’ve heavily edited them to make them more poll-able (that’s totally a word, right?). And I’ve tried to make them Plus/Premium neutral - so some of these might only end up being paid for, but I’ve tried to make the poll oblivious to that. I’ve also tried to stay away from more qualitative assessments (like customer support remaining poor). And, finally, this is broadly focussed on personal (and joint) UK current accounts, so sorry business and US folk - I just don’t know your products well enough. :frowning:

Ready, set, happy new poll! :bar_chart:


First up: Expectations

Remember, these aren’t things that you necessarily want to happen, they’re the things that you think will (probably) happen, by the end of 2022.

Part 1 - Monzo

  • Flex will fully launch
  • Ability to Flex non-Monzo transactions
  • Pay for Flex, and Monzo Plus and Premium, from Pots
  • Direct payments from Pots launched
  • Different time periods in Trends (e.g. weeks, years, custom)
  • Trends finds a way to segregate mandatory and discretionary spend
  • Budgeting moves to Trends (or somewhere else out of Summary)
  • Summary is retired
  • Notes, split bills, tabs and search for connected accounts
  • A proper web interface
  • Tablet apps (iPad / Android tablet)
  • Cheque imaging!
  • Native international transfers in the app (with an IBAN)
  • Android search reaches iOS parity
  • Enriched merchant data is updated / accurate again
  • Enriched merchant data is abandoned
  • No physical card by default (but can be ordered for free)
  • Pay in cash at the post office
  • Master feed, aggregating different accounts or pots in one feed
  • Removal of the blue buttons below the cards on the feed
  • Complete redesign of the app
  • Redesign of the transaction screen
  • Payments directly between Pots / connected accounts
  • A redesigned payments screen
  • Faster Payments in / out match your specified payee name
  • Overdrafts for joint accounts
  • Plus / Premium for joint accounts
  • Flex for joint accounts
  • Monzo offers stocks and shares (or other investment products)
  • Monzo offers crypto products
  • Full launch in the US
  • International (non-US) expansion
  • Monzo closes US operations
  • 6m users!
  • 7m users!!
  • FCA probe results in no action
  • FCA probe results in a manageable fine
  • FCA probe results in an existential crisis
  • Monzo will announce a profitable run rate
  • Monzo will announce overall profitability
  • Monzo will be acquired
  • Monzo will list publicly on a stock exchange
  • Monzo will acquire another firm
  • No one from the C suite will post on this forum
  • The CEO will post / do an AMA
  • Someone else from the C suite will post / do an AMA
  • One or more of the C suite will leave
  • A founder will leave
  • This forum will be closed again due to an ‘incident’
  • The forum will survive a year
  • @alandoe and @simonb will join forces to launch a Monzo Twitter Community
  • There will be at least one in-person UK community event
  • There will be at least one virtual UK community event
  • There will be an investors’ event (in person or virtual)
  • There will be (at least) one update email for investors.

0 voters

Part 2 - Finance and Fintech

  • Project Imagine (Dozens) will survive into 2023
  • The reimagined Dozens app will be a success
  • Starling will launch a credit card
  • Starling will float before the end of the year
  • Starling will acquire another firm
  • Starling will be acquired
  • Starling will receive bad press due to their covid loans
  • Revolut will have its application for a UK banking licence approved
  • Revolut will buy another firm for its UK banking licence
  • Revolut will have a down-round (it’s valuation / share price will drop)
  • Tandem will be bought out or insolvent
  • Atom Bank will be acquired
  • Coconut will be acquired
  • Curve will be acquired
  • Curve will fully launch in the US
  • Metro Bank rediscovers success and its share price increases
  • Metro Bank is acquired
  • Chase launches direct debits and standing orders
  • Chase ends the year with millions of customers
  • Chase extends its cash back offer to the end of 2022
  • Nutmeg is folded into the Chase app
  • Freetrade launches in Europe
  • Freetrade launches elsewhere
  • Freetrade and Monzo announce deep integration
  • The Bank of England Base rate is >3% by the end of the year
  • The government renames the Bank of England (to something like the Bank of Britain).
  • Klarna and other buy now pay later firms will be subject to much tighter regulations
  • Crowdcube is acquired
  • Crowdcube goes bust
  • Open Banking payments go mainstream
  • Amazon will switch open banking on to escalate the war with Mastercard and Visa
  • Amazon and Visa come to an agreement to keep Visa Credit cards accepted on Amazon

0 voters

The Chaser - will the power of community…

  • … be broadly right in our predictions?
  • … fail miserably?

0 voters

2 Likes

Now the fun part: Wishes:crossed_fingers:

If the last poll was for things that, on sober reflection, we thought will (probably) happen, this one is for all of our wishes, wants and desires! I’ve lightly edited it to make it a bit more product-focused…

Polling fingers at the ready…

  • Ability to Flex non-Monzo transactions
  • Pay for Flex, and Monzo Plus and Premium, from Pots
  • Direct payments from Pots
  • Different time periods in Trends (e.g. weeks, years, custom)
  • Trends finds a way to segregate mandatory and discretionary spend
  • Budgeting moves to Trends
  • Summary is retired
  • Notes, split bills, tabs and search for connected accounts
  • A proper web interface
  • Tablet apps (iPad / Android tablet)
  • Cheque imaging!
  • Native international transfers in the app (with an IBAN)
  • Android search reaches iOS parity
  • Enriched merchant data is updated / accurate again
  • Enriched merchant data is abandoned
  • No physical card by default (but can be ordered for free)
  • Pay in cash at the post office
  • Master feed, aggregating different accounts or pots in one feed
  • Removal of the blue buttons below the cards on the feed
  • Complete redesign of the app
  • Redesign of the transaction screen
  • Payments directly between Pots / connected accounts
  • A redesigned payments screen
  • Faster Payments in / out match your specified payee name
  • Overdrafts for joint accounts
  • Plus / Premium for joint accounts
  • Flex for joint accounts
  • Monzo offers stocks and shares (or other investment products)
  • Monzo offers crypto products
  • Full launch in the US
  • International (non-US) expansion
  • Monzo closes US operations
  • Samsung Pay
  • Garmin Pay
  • Badger Pay
  • Credit Card Pots (when you spend on a linked credit card, stash that money in a pot)
  • Automatic get-paid-early
  • Automatic salary sorter
  • Children’s / family accounts
  • Something else (tell us below)

0 voters

How many of the our top-five do we think Monzo will deliver?

  • None (sad face)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 5 with bells on (it’ll be Christmas again before you know it).

0 voters

3 Likes

I thought flex had already fully launched?

I don’t think it’s quite available to everyone yet? (paging @TheoGibson)

Currently enjoying @AlanDoe’s bullish predictions :eyes:

3 Likes

I stand by my votes :man_shrugging:

3 Likes

I am so totally here for “Mystic Al” to be the prophet we want and need.

2 Likes

Still holding out hope for a full on Monzo Credit card, and not just credit via Flex. Fingers crossed!

7 Likes

Thanks for the polls! These ones were fun!

One question though. What’s the C Suite?

3 Likes

Oh sorry, my bad.

I meant the top executives - the Chief Executive, the Chief Finance Officer, the Chief Technology Officer etc… Sometimes known as the CxOs or the C Suite (from, I think, times where they would have plush office accommodation, separate from the junior staff…)

6 Likes

Kind of does - Monzo Flex Virtual Cards. Only thing is you have a minimum spend of £30 with them but they work with Apple/Google Pay for spending in brick & mortar or with standard card forms on websites

Nope - hasn’t fully launched yet - there’s still potentially a few changes we want to make first (mostly behind the scenes but potentially some customer facing changes as well).

6 Likes

A great (more ‘Massive’ than ‘Big’?) Poll there @Peter_G - really enjoyed going through it.
Deserving of the badge:
poll_master
:clap:

Let’s see how this develops through 2022 - I’m going with the idea that there’ll be more twists and turns than a game of Cluedo.

6 Likes

I think it could go either way, but the optimist in me says that the “new” CEO’s first year (and a bit?) was sorting out the business, with the new Chief Product person getting to grips with a proper product pipeline and sorting out some of the fundamentals behind the scene.

If that’s the case, and they’ve got the company to where they want it, I expect to see an increased velocity for delivery and a regular heartbeat of releases, focused on a) new products, b) more differentiation for Plus/Premium, and, c) filling in the gaps of missing core banking features (IBAN, cheque imagining etc) and making sure that Monzo remains ahead of the competition.

I’d hope that that would all be accompanied by a bit more visibility in the media and with the community.

If it’s not the case, I think we’ll be able to clock it by, say, March. That’ll be characterised by lack of delivery, slow pace of change, a default to secrecy and a lack of engagement with the press and the community.

7 Likes

I’d go with that.

Checking the (January) Big 2022 Poll with what’s actually happened by the end of every 2022 quarter would show how close or how far off the Jan-Poll results were.

3 Likes

@Peter_G I do think that some of your predictions are right regarding some of the fintechs falling by the wayside or being eaten up by the bigger players. :+1:

My hope for the future is that those who do survive flourish in 2022
When I say flourish, I don’t mean lots of new features (although I hope that those that do want these get them too) for me, it means that they all find a way to profitability and continued success :slightly_smiling_face:

4 Likes

I think no physical card would be a great idea! but that relies on cashpoints allowing you to use your phone as the card, which I have yet to see a single one allow me to do

Does it require the bank to add official support for it? I get that the bank would have to support it, if it was to say enter a code, like Natwests ‘emergency cash’ but if you auth it’s you via Apple Pay + PIN number would the bank have to code that in somewhere?

4 Likes

Most shops and pubs do debit card cashbacks these days. And they take contactless too. I will try this out more around me instead of cash machines.

Edit: I wonder if this is tied to Link and if it works with Monzo cards or not

3 Likes

I’d imagine it would, as I seem to be able to withdraw money from Link ATMs, and this is backed by PayPoint, which Monzo partner with.

2 Likes