Pride picnics, film nights and plenty of marching: how fintech is celebrating Pride month

Pride month provides an opportunity for brands to demonstrate their inclusivity, from parade marching, support for LGBTQ+ causes and rainbow-flagged Instagram posts.

The fintech industry is no different and this year fintechs of all hue are celebrating Pride month, which takes place through June in a variety of ways, from Pride film clubs, to panel discussions to launching Pride-designed cards.

And of course, fintech professionals will be attending as many marches as possible.

The industry can also point to the charitable angle of much of its Pride activity, combating any criticism of “rainbow washing”.

So here is what some fintech are doing to celebrate Pride.

Like other fintechs, Starling Bank says it is celebrating Pride by attending parades across the country.

Staff at the neobank, whose CEO Anne Boden is a Welsh native, attended PrideCymru, the two-day Pride event held in Cardiff, and say they are looking forward to attending London Pride, which takes place on July 1, with hundreds of thousands expected to attend.

Furthermore, Starling says its #BendTheBank network also runs engagement and awareness projects to champion LGBTQ+ rights across the bank.

This includes regular socials, book clubs, film nights, talks and more, which take place all year round.

Rival neobank Revolut, meanwhile, has a raft of Pride-related activity running through the month.

This includes “RevSocial” events at its offices across the world; a global wellbeing seminar focusing on the ‪LGBTQ+ community; ‪walking in the Madrid Pride march, taking place on 1 July; ‪LGBTQ+ movie nights at its offices; and the launch of a culture video showing its “diverse team”.

Picnics are name of the game for PensionBee.

PensionBee CEO Romi Savova said: “PensionBee is hosting its annual Pride Picnic this weekend, where colleagues come together with friends and family to remember the progress that has been made against discrimination and celebrate love in all forms.

”We have also organised various sessions with internal and external speakers throughout June to share stories that help educate and spark conversations around the issue of LGBTQ+ equality.

“We kicked off the month with a panel discussion where members of the PensionBee Team shared their lived experiences with the rest of the company and highlighted ways in which we can support the LGBTQ+ community and become better allies.

“Later on this month, we’ll also host a ‘Lunch & Learn’ with Micro Rainbow, a not-for-profit social enterprise, to find out more about their vision to create a world where all LGBTQ+ people are free from discrimination and have equal opportunities in all facets of their lives.”

Children’s prepaid card GoHenry, meanwhile, is celebrating Pride by launching a tailored Pride-designed card, in association with charity partner NSPCC.

The card is available all year round and GoHenry is donating £1 to the NSPCC for every card sold.

GoHenry worked with queer African-American illustrator and designer Mia Saines to produce the GoHenry Pride card.

Saines said: “A person might not be in a position to wave big flags or wear the rainbow, but they can carry a GoHenry Pride card and it’s going to be a part of their daily life until they decide who they want to be.

“It means they can be part of the change. It’s exciting to know that my design can help a kid feel happy to own a card that can help them become financially literate and start practising managing money for themselves.”

Louise Hill, co-founder and COO of GoHenry said: “The new GoHenry Pride card is yet another milestone in our special partnership with the NSPCC, and we're delighted that our young members can celebrate diversity and inclusion every time they use it.”