Banks as we knew them are changing.
With new digital services emerging every day, the way we handle our money is evolving as well.
And since the landscape is getting more competitive, new solutions are coming up.
Some fintech apps have started integrating offerwalls.
And the results seem promising.
In this guide, we’ll go over the reasons why a fintech app should consider adding an offerwall as an alternative monetization strategy and why this works so well.
The Rising Costs of Customer Acquisition
Fintech is one of the most competitive app categories.
Small fintech apps aren’t just competing among themselves, but also with big banks and giants like PayPal, Google, Apple, etc.
This increases customer acquisition costs (CAC).
According to this report, which calculates organic and inorganic CAC for different industries, fintech has the highest cost in the SaaS sector: $1,450 per customer.
That’s a huge number, but there are a few reasons for this.
It’s Expensive to Bring Users to a Fintech App
While other apps just need a download, and you’re set to go, fintech apps require more steps before converting.
- Download the app.
- Create a secure account. This usually requires a set of codes, passwords, and 2-factor authentication.
- Create a bank account, link an existing one, or deposit some money.
And when there’s money involved, people need to really trust you before they take a step further.
This brings customer acquisition costs up.
There Are Limited Monetization Options
Second, since trust and a reliable brand image are vital, fintech apps usually run free of ads.
And it’s a reasonable choice, since advertising directly within the app would drive customers away.
So revenue streams usually come down to:
- Interchange fees (tiny % of card spend).
- Transaction fees on transfers, withdrawals.
- Subscriptions to premium plans (but adoption is low for most apps).
- Interest/loan products (but not all fintechs are licensed for this).
Moreover, many users don’t generate meaningful revenue: they may keep a low balance, avoid premium tiers, or only use free transfers.
A Possible Solution: Offerwalls
Have you ever heard about rewarded advertising?
It’s a type of mobile advertising that rewards users for their engagement. For example, you watch a video ad and get one more try at the game you were playing.
One specific type of rewarded advertising is offerwalls.
It’s a solution that relies on opt-in.
It means that you don’t force your users to interact with the ad, for example, by blocking their navigation, but they willingly choose to do it.
Why?
Because offerwalls come with generous rewards!
When in the offerwall, users can browse through tasks to complete: reach a certain level in a game, download another app, start a free trial for a service, etc.
Once the task is completed, they receive a reward, such as in-app currency or real-world rewards like gift cards.
If a fintech app already has a loyalty or cashback program, adding an offerwall won’t disrupt the user experience. It will only become an additional way for them to earn some extra money.
Key Benefits of Offerwalls for Fintech Apps
So far, we’ve only talked about the benefits that users can get from an offerwall, but what about app developers?
Today, many different types of apps have started integrating offerwalls in their monetization strategy: mobile games, survey apps, and even cloud storage apps!
Fintech, too, can make the most out of this format and benefit from it for several reasons.
An Additional Revenue Stream
First, offerwalls create a new revenue stream for your app.
If your users are mainly non-paying, this can be a great way to increase your revenue.
Each time a user engages with a partner offer, this activity translates into ad revenue or affiliate payouts from the partners.
This can bring in a steady flow of ad revenue.
Moreover, offerwalls are among the highest-paying ad formats.
If we look at eCPMs, we see that offerwalls average at $400. The next highest-paying ad format is rewarded video ads, which have an eCPM of less than $20.
Improved Retention & Loyalty
In the fintech industry, loyalty often means becoming the user’s default choice for payments, transfers, or investing.
If your app consistently gives users extra value, for example through cashback, discounts, credits, or offerwall rewards, they’re more likely to:
- Use your app over competitors.
- Keep money in your ecosystem to take advantage of ongoing rewards.
- See your brand as one that makes them earn money rather than just charging fees.
This builds both trust (“I get something back”) and habit (“I’ll check the app daily for offers”).
A New User Acquisition Channel
But offerwall aren’t just for monetization: they can be an effective user acquisition channel as well.
Offerwalls often include fintech offers (for example, “Sign up and get $10 cashback”).
Users who come to your app through an offerwall are valuable, because they are typically more intentional, more engaged, and of higher quality than users acquired through interruptive ads.
Look at Revolut, for example.
Revolut turned to MAF to expand its campaign in new markets. They leveraged MAF’sofferwall solution, MyChips, as a UA channel, and the campaign had impressive results:
- Campaign expansion from 5 to 21 countries.
- 17x campaign traffic growth.
- 12x growth in new transacting users.
Examples: Fintech Apps + Offerwalls
So, how do offerwalls in fintech work in practice?
Let’s take a look.
MoneyLion
MoneyLion is an American personal finance app offering banking, lending, investing, and credit-building services. It targets consumers who need help managing their money and improving their credit.
Alongside its core services, MoneyLion has a reward system where users can unlock financial benefits, such as cashback or cash rewards.
Since it has positioned itself as a young, Gen-Z bank (just look at its 4 million-follower TikTok account!), having a Games option just makes sense.
Games allows users to earn rewards by playing games directly from the app.
It’s an offerwall to every extent.
Users choose the game they want to play and progress in the game makes them earn.
This approach has several benefits, both for users and the app itself:
- On one side, users can earn some extra money.
- On the other side, the app encourages consistency (the longer you play, the more you earn). This has a positive effect on retention and revenue.
Acorns
Many fintech apps have already implemented cashback or loyalty programs. Some of them also have an “Offers” section, where users can buy directly from the app and get a discount.
Acorns is an interesting example of this.
Acorns is a US-based fintech app focused on micro-investing and saving. From Acorns Earn, users can buy what they need directly from the app, and the app automatically adds a bonus investment after the purchase.
Acorns Earn can also be considered an offerwall, even though it’s more of a marketplace to make purchases than a place to look for tasks to complete.
However, the principle is the same.
What To Look For in an Offerwall Partner
Selection of Offers
A good offerwall has a strong network of partners, made of quality advertisers.
Look not only for the quantity of offers, but also for their variety and quality.
As a fintech business, you need to make sure that what you are presenting on your app is reliable and trustworthy, so these offers need to be too!
Your customers are trusting you with their money, and you don’t want to convey the idea that you can’t be trusted.
Reliability
And speaking of trust, your offerwall partner needs to be reliable.
Most importantly, it needs to have a good system in place to prevent mobile ad fraud.
In general, offerwalls are rarely a target of ad fraud, but still, it’s better to rely on someone who has fraud detection technologies and takes all the necessary precautions.
Personalization
Third, an offerwall is most successful when it looks like a native element of your app.
So choose an offerwall that is easy to integrate and that gives you the possibility to match it to your brand identity.
For example, our MyChips offerwall comes with a white label option, and you can customize its colors, placement and more.
Support
Customer support is vital both for you and for your users.
Technical issues may happen, it’s inevitable!
For example, sometimes users complete an offer, but the reward isn’t paid immediately.
In these cases, they’ll probably contact the customer support to find out what happened.
Having reliable customer support to turn to makes users feel positive about the host app and the offerwall, and encourages them to continue using them.
On your side, you want to make sure that you have a direct point of contact with your offerwall partner, so that they can solve any issue in the shortest possible time.
Fintech Apps & Offerwalls: Final Thoughts
The fintech space is evolving fast, and the rise of acquisition costs and intense competition make it all even harder.
That’s why offerwalls can be a great add-on to your business. By giving users opt-in, valuable rewards, fintech apps can:
- Open up new revenue streams.
- Boost retention and loyalty.
- Add a powerful UA channel that delivers higher-quality leads.
At MAF, we’ve seen these results first-hand. Our MyChips offerwall is designed to integrate seamlessly into all kinds of apps, providing:
- A reliable network of quality partners.
- Fraud-safe monetization with high eCPMs.
- Full white-label customization to fit your brand, and
- Dedicated support for both you and your users.
If you’re ready to give your users more reasons to choose you over the competition, it’s time to consider adding an offerwall.
