Born out of a collaboration between software company Ferocia, and Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, Up is a digital bank designed to make money easy and help simplify life. Often partnerships are hard, but in this case both organisations were ethically aligned, which helped enormously as they worked to make banking better.
After working together for about six years on Bendigo’s mobile and internet banking platform, the trust needed to deliver Up had developed. Now, only four years since launch, Up has over half a million very happy customers (Upsiders) and is Australia’s most loved bank, and the highest rated banking app in the App Store and Google Play (as at September 2022).
As a product of the Ferocia and Bendigo collaboration, Up helped provide the canvas to flex their respective ethical muscles. Acting in an ethical, trustworthy, and transparent manner underpins everything the team at Up does, and is the reason Up are keen supporters of The Banking and Financial Services Oath (The BFSO).
Respect and integrity are key pillars of The BFSO and feed into Up’s belief that banking should help make money easier for all Australians – easier to understand, easier to control, easier to save, and easier to send and receive. More than 50% of Up’s customers are aged 16 to 25, so Up do just about anything they can to help the next generation of young Australians save and feel more connected with their money.
Being a signatory of The BFSO provides an opportunity for individuals to help shape an industry we can all be proud of. As Up is now a brand of Bendigo Bank, Up deposits are not used to fund fossil fuel projects, and are sometimes used to help finance community-owned, renewable energy projects like Hepburn Hydro and solar panels in schools. Shaping an industry and society!