The fintech startup ecosystem grows more saturated each day, and standing out from the crowd is tougher than ever. If you’re on the hunt for the perfect accelerator program to get your feet off the ground, you’re in luck: the Alior Bank Startup Accelerator has just begun taking in applications.
In the first edition of their startup program, Alior Bank has decided to address startups whose innovative projects could find a home in the company’s structure. And while the program’s organizers emphasize that the applying projects need to have a real chance of commercialization within their structures, there’s a lot at stake. The qualified startups can receive funding of up to 150 thousand Zloty, as well as the opportunity to develop their solutions not only under the wings of Alior Bank, but also its many partners. As of now, the announced group of mentors includes representatives from industry veterans such as PZU SA, the Warsaw Stock Exchange, and IBM.
Alior’s move towards startups comes as an answer to the upcoming PSD2 directive, which is about to become implemented throughout the European Union. In short, the directive will allow both businesses and consumers to manage their finances via third-party providers. While the adjustment means that major banks will need to compete with all kinds of financial providers, the Polish bank has decided to use its momentum in order to show that open banking is not just meant for new fintech players. We are convinced that [our company] will get the best results by taking advantage of the new regulations’ potential in order to collaborate with [the startup community]. – assures Daniel Daszkiewicz, the head of Alior Bank’s Fintech Department.
As we’ve seen with the examples of Revolut, WeChat, or Airbnb, good solutions can spring up anywhere, and don’t need to be developed by [established] business entities. This approach is also favored by modern trends, the growing openness of business towards external ideas and, finally, changing regulations. For us, collaborating with the startup community comes as a natural step towards building an ecosystem of innovation. Thanks to that we’ll be able to manage our services at a much quicker and more efficient pace, as well as make a positive impact on the everyday banking experiences of our clients. – explains the CEO of Alior Bank Katarzyna Sułkowska.
The Alior Bank Startup Accelerator will last for fifteen weeks. Throughout this time, the chosen startups will be able to draw from the experience of mentors in order to establish methods of potential implementation of their idea within the bank’s structure. Moreover, the participants will gain access to cloud services provided by Google Cloud and Amazon, as well as to the API Sandbox – a special testing environment for services in the context of directives such as PSD2. Finally, the accepted startups will also get a chance to participate in a variety of courses and consultations coordinated by Alior’s innovation experts, and the bank’s external partner.
Interested? For more information about the Alior Bank Startup Accelerator, head to https://www.accelerator.aliorbank.pl/.
Alior Bank is Impact’18 Premium Partner.
