What is MoneyLion and How Does It Make Money?

MoneyLion is a five-year-old private fintech company that offers lending, financial advisory and investment services to consumers. Founded in 2013, MoneyLion's target market is 70% of American consumers, a group that has less than $2,000 in savings on average. The company's goal is to optimize consumers' money management and savings, while boosting their credit. Over 93% of MoneyLion Plus Members are first-time investors, per a company report published March 2018.

The company makes the majority of its money through its loan business, lead generation from users on its site, and newly launched monthly subscription service. Individuals who use MoneyLion's services begin as visitors, choosing to either use the platform for free, or buy its premium consumer services via a premium membership and loan applications.

The company was formed in New York City by a team of tech specialists and financiers, who developed the firm's analytics and machine-learning technology to offer tailored advice to individuals based on their spending patterns. MoneyLion also offers consumers access to small loans to help them manage fluctuating monthly income and expenses. Customers receive points through a reward program for doing things like connecting a bank account or keeping their credit utilization low. MoneyLion's system mimics point-earning credit card programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards.

MoneyLion is head by co-founder and CEO Diwakar Choubey, who previously worked on Wall Street, where he held senior positions at firms including Goldman Sachs, Citadel, and Barclays Capital. Chief Information Officer Pratyush Tiwari and Chief Technology Officer Chee Mun Foong are also co-founders. In a push to expand consumer banking services via mobile phone, MoneyLion recently hired financial industry veteran Jon Stevenson, formerly the head of alternative investment at Stifel Financial, as its head of its banking and wealth management division, per a recent announcement.

The company operates out of four offices worldwide, including its Manhattan headquarters, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The firm has raised four rounds of funding totaling $67.5 million, with the last Series B round bringing in $42 million on Jan 4, 2018, per TechCrunch. Edison Partners was the lead investor, bringing its total invested to $27 million. Other backers include Fintech Collective, Grupo Sura, Greenspring Associates and Sanhua Capital.

Those funds have been crucial to helping MoneyLion compete in the face of a growing army of big and small fintech competitors. It's unclear whether the company makes a profit or what it's estimated market value is.

To be sure, not all consumers are happy with MoneyLion. The platform has a 4-star rating on TrustPilot, a popular consumer review website, pages of negative reviews criticize the company for poor customer service, slower-than-promised fund transfers, and other account issues.

The platform's growth had been rapid despite these complaints.

Most of of MoneyLion's revenue is generated through its loan business, which has originated over 200,000 loans to date, per the company’s website. By mid-February 2018, its mobile platform reached 2 million customers, the company says. In an interview with LendAcademy in March, CEO Choubey indicated that 2.2 million people had downloaded MobileLion's app and 1.3 million had connected it to their bank account. Per a company announcement in October, the firm had amassed 3 million members.

In addition to providing tools to track spending, savings and manage credit, the firm is expanding its fintech franchise by providing lower-cost borrowing and investment services through its MoneyLion Plus subscription. This service offers loans up to $500 at a 5.99% annual percentage rate or lower without a credit check, payable over 12 months. The firm is able to offer low rates by using brokerage accounts as collateral and the loans can be funded within 15 seconds of an application, according to MoneyLion.

Launched in December 2017, MoneyLion Plus brings investing, borrowing and checking accounts into a single subscription-based membership. MoneyLion automatically withdraws $79 from a consumer's account per month, depositing $50 into their investment accounts and taking $29 as a monthly fee. Users get $1 cash back for every daily log in, meaning that users who remember to sign on every day and scroll through a few screens essentially get the service for free. Its managed investment account moves saved money into a portfolio of ETFs and does not charge management fees.

The startup also gets revenue from its lead generation business, by which it recommends other financial service offerings to consumers who may benefit from them, per TechCrunch. Partners include related businesses like credit monitoring firms. MoneyLion also has sponsorship deals with organizations such as NASCAR.