Strands Labs FinTech

AI-Driven
Digital Banking

Lead Product Designer
Strands Labs provides white-label Open Finance and AI-driven banking solutions, empowering 700+ banks and 70M+ users.

My Journey at Strands Labs

Strands Labs: Where my Fintech journey began

After completing the Lean Startup Creation program at UPC — and while still working part-time on Appventure Games, the startup I co-founded during the incubator phase of the program — I was offered the opportunity to join Strands Labs, marking the start of my career in Fintech.

A Fast-Track Immersion into Digital Banking

During the first year, my role was split between Marketing and Product, which proved to be a great onboarding experience for understanding the digital banking landscape. My initial role within the Product team was as a UX designer, where I focused mainly on MoneyStrands, one of the first U.S.-based consumer apps to leverage Open Banking for personal finance management.

My First Leadership Role in Fintech

After a few months focusing on MoneyStrands, I was given the opportunity to lead product design for Strands BFM, a new white-label platform for banks targeting SMEs. As one of the first solutions of its kind in the market, Strands BFM went on to play a key strategic role in the company’s growth in the following years.

Strands BFM

AI-Powered Financial Management for SME Banking

Strands BFM is a comprehensive and versatile suite of digital banking solutions tailored to independent professionals and SMEs, which can be partially or fully integrated into a bank’s digital offering.

It provides a wide range of features — from cash flow forecasting and management, to financial planning and analysis with benchmarking capabilities — along with a powerful invoicing tool that integrates with third-party providers such as QuickBooks and Xero.

Strands BFM was among the first solutions on the market to enable multi-account aggregation and deliver AI-driven insights, helping redefine the digital banking experience.

Leading Product Design in a Leading Product

As Lead Product Designer, I took over the initial prototypes and led the design process throughout the entire development cycle of Strands BFM.

During this time, I advocated for building a mature design culture within the organization — introducing design thinking methodologies and design systems, mentoring team members, and ensuring that users were at the center of our decision-making process.

Strands BFM was launched for both web and mobile (iOS and Android), quickly adopted by top-tier banks worldwide, and later included in Mastercard’s product offering, positioning Strands as the market leader in BFM.

Strands PFM

Powering Digital Banking Experiences for Millions of Bank Costumers

Strands began developing its personal financial management platform well before “open banking” became mainstream, and by the mid-2010s had established itself as one of the leading providers of white-label PFM solutions.

Strands PFM offers a comprehensive suite of features, including multi-account aggregation, automatic transaction categorization, cash-flow forecasting, budgeting and savings goals, and AI-driven personalized insights and alerts.

Evolving Strands PFM with the New Design System

One of the projects I initiated while working on Strands BFM was the creation of Strands’ design system, built to support both web and mobile applications and to serve as the foundation for BFM.

As the design lead for this initiative, I eventually took ownership of Strands’ flagship product, Strands PFM, and led a full UI revamp using the new design system.

This not only modernized the platform but also enabled Strands PFM — originally conceived as a web-based solution — to be offered for the first time as a white-label mobile solution, reinforcing its leading position in the market.

MoneyStrands

Strands’ Consumer PFM App

Since Strands’ products were mostly offered as white-label solutions, we couldn’t test and validate new features directly with end users. Instead, we relied on client feedback and internal research to guide innovation and identify new opportunities.

To bridge this gap, Strands developed MoneyStrands, a consumer-facing personal finance app built on top of its PFM platform. Launched in the U.S. in 2009 — when PFM apps were still rare — it gained early traction, serving both as a showcase and a testing ground for Strands’ white-label technology, and helping position the company as an innovator in fintech.

Experience and Impact

Designing for Innovation

During my time at Strands, I had the chance to work on a wide range of R&D projects with plenty of room for exploration and innovation.

From developing AI-driven solutions to deliver financial advice, including experiments with voice user interfaces and assistants, to envisioning solutions that leveraged the then-recently approved PSD2 directive by the European Parliament, which laid the foundation for open banking in Europe and helped shape the industry as we know it today.

In the picture: securing first place in a design competition in Prague for KB (2017), showcasing how digital banking could be tailored to the specific needs and cultural nuances of the Czech market.

Competitions, Partnerships, and Successful Exit

As a product designer, I had the opportunity to lead several design initiatives within the organization, as well as participating in design challenges and competitions in digital and open banking across Europe.

I also played an instrumental role in a two-year collaboration with Mastercard that grew into a strategic partnership, and ultimately contributing to Strands’ acquisition by the Italian group CRIF.

In the picture: participating in Lloyd’s Build an Open Bank Challenge — the first hackathon of its kind, held in London (2017) with participation from 14 partnering organizations spanning from big corporates to startups — where we achieved 2nd place in our category.

Strands Labs: A Leading Fintech in Digital Banking

Headquartered in Barcelona, with offices in Miami, Buenos Aires, and Kuala Lumpur, Strands Labs pioneered and co-led the market for white-label digital banking solutions alongside the Icelandic firm Meniga. In the early days of neobanks, Strands helped traditional banks such as Santander, Huntington, and HSBC adapt to a rapidly evolving landscape shaped by emerging players like Revolut, Monzo, or N26, during a period of explosive growth and transformation in digital banking.

Global reach of Strands’ digital banking solutions, serving millions of users across leading financial institutions.

“Thank you for teaching me a great deal about UI/UX.”

Miroslav M. (Front-end Engineer), Team Lead at Strands Labs

Case Study

Location-Based Navigation Design

This case study examines the design process of a navigation system tailored for a hybrid experience, where digital interfaces intersect with real-world exploration.

Read Case Study