fintech pr
PR for Fintech Companies: Earning Trust in a Regulated Category
By Sunny Goyal · · 11 min read
Fintech PR earns trust by pairing a clear story with documented proof, and by building compliance into the process instead of bolting it on at the end. Reporters covering financial services test every claim about safety, returns, and insurance. The companies that earn steady coverage make their claims precise, their partners clear, and their spokespeople ready for hard questions.
Fintech sits in an unusual spot. It is a technology category that reporters cover with startup enthusiasm, and a financial category that regulators and consumer advocates watch closely. A sentence that would be fine in a SaaS launch, such as “your money is safe with us,” can create regulatory exposure in fintech.
This guide covers the rules that shape fintech communications, the story angles that work, a process that keeps legal and PR moving together, and the mistakes that cost the most trust.
Photo: Leo_Visions on Unsplash.
Why is PR different for fintech companies?
PR is different for fintech because every public claim about money is potentially a regulated claim, and because trust failures in the category become national news. A fintech brand is judged on safety before it is judged on features.
Three forces shape the work:
- Regulation reaches communications. Depending on the business, rules from the SEC, FINRA, the CFPB, the FDIC, state regulators, and the FTC can apply to what a company says in ads, on social media, and sometimes in statements to press.
- Partner banks share your reputation. Many fintechs offer accounts through bank partners. Reporters will ask who holds the money and how it is protected, and the partner bank will care about the answer.
- The category carries memory. The collapse of banking-as-a-service middleware provider Synapse is still a reference point. According to the CFPB’s enforcement action, Synapse filed for bankruptcy in April 2024, failed to keep adequate records of where consumer funds were held, and consumers lost access to their money for weeks or months. Partner banks identified a shortfall of $60 million to $90 million.
Money is also flowing. KPMG’s Pulse of Fintech H1 2026 reported $103.1 billion of global fintech investment across 2,100 deals in the first half of 2026, with $80.8 billion in the United States. More capital means more competitors announcing at the same time, and more reporters looking for the companies that can back up their claims.
Which rules shape what fintech companies can say?
The rules that apply depend on your charter, products, and partners, so map them with counsel before you write a messaging framework. The table below summarizes the rules fintech communications teams encounter most often. It is a starting point, not legal advice.
| Rule | Who it applies to | What it means for PR and marketing |
|---|---|---|
| FINRA Rule 2210 | Broker-dealers | Communications must be fair and balanced; no false, exaggerated, unwarranted, promissory, or misleading claims; performance projections are restricted |
| SEC Marketing Rule, 206(4)-1 | Registered investment advisers | Testimonials and endorsements need disclosures about client status, compensation, and conflicts, plus oversight and written agreements above a de minimis threshold |
| FDIC rule, 12 CFR 328.102 | Any person, including non-banks | No misrepresenting deposit insurance; uninsured products using FDIC terms need clear disclaimers; pass-through coverage claims must note that conditions apply |
| FTC Endorsement Guides | All advertisers | Endorsements must reflect real experience; material connections must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously |
| CFPB UDAAP authority | Providers of consumer financial products | Unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices, including misleading marketing, can lead to enforcement |
The FDIC rule deserves special attention because it catches non-banks. The regulation at 12 CFR 328.102 begins “No person,” so it applies to fintechs directly. It prohibits implying that a non-bank is insured or that uninsured products are insured, requires a clear disclaimer when FDIC terms are used near uninsured products, and requires any statement about pass-through deposit insurance to disclose that certain conditions must be satisfied. A spokesperson who tells a reporter “deposits are FDIC insured” without that nuance is creating risk for the company and its bank partner.
What story angles work for fintech PR?
The angles that work show trust through evidence: data, safety, unit economics, and real customer outcomes. Reporters at outlets such as American Banker, Finextra, and Bloomberg see a steady flow of “we are disrupting banking” pitches and very few that answer the questions their readers ask.
| Angle | What it looks like | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Proprietary data | Anonymized trends from your platform: payment behavior, small business cash flow, fraud patterns | Original data reporters cannot get elsewhere |
| Safety and resilience | How you reconcile funds, your bank partners, your controls, third-party audits | Answers the question every reporter is already asking |
| Unit economics | Growth with profitability, retention, loss rates you are willing to publish | Business and financial press want numbers, not adjectives |
| Regulatory and policy commentary | Expert perspective on rule changes affecting your customers | Positions executives as sources when news breaks |
| Customer outcomes | A small business or consumer willing to speak on the record | Makes abstract products concrete |
| Funding and milestones | Rounds, licenses, partnerships, with the “why now” | Expected, but needs a bigger story to earn more than a brief |
Proprietary data is usually the strongest. A fintech that sees transaction data across thousands of small businesses can tell reporters something new about the economy. Our guide to data-driven PR and original research covers the method, and the compliance step below covers how to release it safely.
What is the fintech PR process that keeps compliance on board?
The process that works treats compliance as a partner from the first week, not a final gate. Build a pre-approved claims library once, and every pitch, byline, and interview moves faster.
- Map the regulatory frame. With counsel, list which rules apply to your products, which partner banks must review public statements, and which topics require pre-approval. Write it down in one page.
- Build a claims library. Pre-approve the numbers, phrases, and disclosures you will use repeatedly: customer counts, assets on platform, how deposits are held and insured, security certifications, and loss or fraud rates. Include the exact wording for deposit insurance and the claims you will never make.
- Choose trust-led angles. Pick two or three angles from the table above for the next two quarters, starting with the one where your evidence is strongest.
- Prepare the spokespeople. Media training for fintech executives must cover partner banks, how funds are protected, rates and fees, regulatory scrutiny, competitors’ failures, and what you will not discuss.
- Pitch with documented proof. Every figure in a pitch should trace to the claims library. Offer an exclusive to the reporter whose beat fits best. Our guide to announcing a funding round covers exclusives and embargoes.
- Monitor and correct. Track coverage and AI answers about your company. If a story misstates how deposits are insured, request a correction quickly and on the record.
Hypothetical example: a small business banking fintech after a competitor’s failure
This is a hypothetical scenario to show the process, not a client story.
A Series B fintech offers business checking accounts through two partner banks. A competitor with a similar model freezes customer accounts after a dispute with its middleware provider. Within hours, reporters are calling every company in the category, and the CEO wants to say “this could never happen to us.”
That sentence is the wrong move. It is a promise the company cannot guarantee, it implies a comparison the company cannot prove, and it invites the next reporter to look for exceptions.
What the company does instead:
- Hour one: the communications lead pulls the pre-approved language on how funds are held, which names the partner banks, explains daily reconciliation, and includes the correct deposit insurance wording with its conditions.
- Hour three: the CEO, briefed by counsel and PR, agrees to two interviews with reporters who cover the category, focused on how customers can verify where their money is held, not on the competitor.
- Day two: the company publishes a plain-language page on fund safety, reviewed by both partner banks, and links it in every response.
- Week two: with compliance approval, it pitches a data story on how small businesses are moving money after the event, using anonymized platform data.
The company earns coverage as a credible source rather than an opportunist. That is the difference between being quoted and being remembered. Our crisis communications plan guide covers the broader playbook, and our resource on crisis PR in the age of AI search covers how incidents like this show up in AI answers.
What do most fintech teams get wrong about PR?
Most fintech teams overclaim, then underprepare. The pattern is consistent enough to list.
| Mistake | Why it hurts | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
| ”Your money is safe” or “fully insured” without nuance | Regulatory exposure and reporter skepticism | Use pre-approved deposit insurance wording with conditions |
| Leading with growth adjectives | Financial reporters discount them | Lead with numbers you can publish |
| Hiding the bank partner | Reporters find it anyway and ask why | Name partners clearly, with their approval |
| Compliance review at the end | Pitches miss news windows | Claims library approved in advance |
| Commenting on competitors’ failures | Looks opportunistic; invites scrutiny | Explain your own controls |
| Paid “features” presented as earned | Credibility damage with investors and press | Earn coverage or use clearly labeled media |
| Undisclosed influencer promotion | FTC and, for advisers, SEC exposure | Written agreements and clear disclosures |
On paid placements specifically: Muck Rack’s Generative Pulse research found earned media accounts for about 84% of the sources AI engines cite, and paid or advertorial content for 0.3%. For a fintech whose prospects increasingly ask ChatGPT whether it is safe, earned coverage that explains the model accurately is worth far more than sponsored posts.
How does trust in financial services affect fintech PR?
Trust in financial services has been recovering, which raises the bar for fintechs rather than lowering it. Customers have a trusted default, and fintechs need a reason to be chosen over it.
In the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer’s financial services findings, as summarized by ProSight, 62% of respondents globally trusted financial services to do what is right, up four points, and banks were the most trusted sub-sector at 66%. Those are global figures from 2024, but the direction matters: banks are not a weak incumbent on trust.
The implication for PR is practical. A fintech story that wins attention on convenience or price still has to answer the trust question, ideally before the reporter asks it. Coverage that explains how the product works, who holds the money, and what happens if something goes wrong is coverage that also helps conversion.
How does fintech PR connect to AI search?
AI assistants answer questions such as “is [company] safe” and “best business bank account for startups” by citing the sources they trust, which are mostly earned media. Fintechs should treat those answers as part of their reputation.
- Audit what AI engines say. Run the questions your customers ask and check for outdated or wrong facts about insurance, fees, and partners. Our AI brand reputation audit guide covers the method.
- Fix owned pages first. Make sure your fund safety, pricing, and About pages state the facts plainly, with consistent wording.
- Earn coverage that explains the model. A business or trade story that accurately describes your structure becomes a source AI engines reuse.
For the wider context on how outlets like The Wall Street Journal and Yahoo Finance cover the category, see the media directory. If your company is preparing a raise, our Series B PR strategy guide shows how to sequence fintech coverage around the round.
Frequently asked questions
Do PR statements count as advertising under financial regulations?
It depends on the rule and the communication. Some rules, such as FINRA Rule 2210, cover a broad range of communications with the public, and statements in press materials and on social media can fall within them. Treat press releases, website copy, social posts, and prepared executive statements as regulated communications and have counsel define which ones need review.
Can a fintech say it is FDIC insured?
A non-bank fintech is not itself FDIC insured. If customer deposits are held at an insured partner bank and may qualify for pass-through coverage, the FDIC’s rule at 12 CFR 328.102 requires any statement about pass-through insurance to disclose that certain conditions must be satisfied. Use exact, counsel-approved wording.
What should fintech executives avoid saying to reporters?
Avoid promises about safety or returns, comparisons with competitors you cannot document, forward-looking performance claims, and speculation about regulators or partner banks. Prepare short, accurate answers on how funds are held, how the company makes money, and what happens if something goes wrong.
How long does compliance review slow down fintech PR?
It slows things down most when every pitch is reviewed from scratch. A pre-approved claims library, plus an agreed review window for new material, lets most pitches move within a day. Reactive commentary on breaking news needs an expedited path agreed in advance.
Which outlets matter most for fintech companies?
It depends on the buyer. Banking and payments trades such as American Banker and Finextra reach industry partners and bank executives. Business outlets such as Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, and Yahoo Finance reach investors and a broader audience. Consumer fintechs also need personal finance coverage in outlets their customers read.
If you are building a fintech communications program that has to satisfy reporters, regulators, and bank partners at the same time, our strategy and advisory team works alongside counsel to build the claims library and the story. Start a conversation.
