Brygge

As already announced on Monday by us founders (👉 https://lnkd.in/dH3CReaf), Brygge has to say goodbye. 😥 The tax office has not supported us on our way to a non-profit status, i.e. more precisely, it could not legally confirm that our customised software sufficiently benefits the general public. We regret the outcome, especially because we recently had more hope in our dialogue with the authority that the reasons we presented in detail for the individual operation of Brygge have meanwhile been met with more open ears: - social innovation to overcome financial education on stock/by chance/as a consumer's debt,  - data-based, tailor-made solution,  - scalability,  - data protection, etc. On the other hand, we are aware that we have done everything possible to refute the authorities' final arguments. Our strategic reorientation for sustainable financial coverage has therefore failed. New opportunities for cooperation, research and development remain closed to us. We therefore lack the backing we urgently need to continue Brygge. It is therefore with a heavy heart that we have decided to bring Brygge to an end. 💔 As of Monday, it has been no longer possible to create a new Brygge profile. And we have already informed our Brygge users in detail about what will happen to their Brygge profile. Of course, we are sad that our social innovation did not succeed, but we are also grateful to many people for their support since 2021. We very much hope that other players will commit to making #financialeducation and #consumerprotection more digital and human-centric in the coming years. The need for action remains huge - and not just for older generations.

🚀 It's the final countdown! Only one week left until the More Accessible Payments Workshop 🌟 - and we're thrilled to announce our second round of speakers! This is your chance to hear directly from the brilliant minds leading the charge in making payments and banking more accessible for everyone. 🎤 Meet our distinguished speakers who will be sharing invaluable insights, cutting-edge strategies, and real-world examples of accessibility in action. Bianca Steinke - Brygge Robert Michels - Dentons Nadine Schönwald - The Adecco Group Thomas Josef Götz - Giesecke+Devrient Tom Crawford - NatWest Group Dr. Christian Tacke - Disability champion Nadine Schütze - German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affaires Gabrielle Bugat - Giesecke+Devrient Raquel de Horna - Giesecke+Devrient 📅 Mark your calendar for March 13th and make sure you're part of this transformative event. Spaces are filling up fast, so don't miss your opportunity to connect with industry leaders and like-minded professionals committed to shaping a more inclusive future. ✅ Register now to secure your spot at the MAP workshop. Let's make payments accessible to all, breaking down barriers and opening up new possibilities together. https://lnkd.in/dPVaGJcD Any question? Feel free to contact epayments@gi-de.com #MoreAccessiblePayments #MAPlive24 #a11y #BankingAccessibility #payments Netcetera Money20/20 Mastercard Microsoft International Bankers Forum Business Disability Forum

🔊 We need your support 🔊 Starting today, Brygge is competing in the public voting for the final of #STARTERiNHamburg 2024 – an important competition for #FemaleFounders in our beloved city. You can cast one vote in each of three categories until the end of February. Vote now for Brygge in the #Impact category! 🙏 If we win the public vote THANKS TO YOU, we will be in the grand final for the STARTERiN Hamburg 2024 title in March. 🥳 Vote now here (in German) 👉 https://lnkd.in/dmUGZzZp

I am excited and honored to be speaking at the #MoreAccessiblePayments Workshop on March 13th in Munich. 👉 Register your interest to participate now: https://lnkd.in/dPVaGJcD (Physical event only) and join us in making banking and payments easier for everyone.

📢 Brygge breaks new ground 📢 (In case you missed our news of the week 🤓) Sometimes #flexibility is needed. While our US colleagues were able to raise $47m for two young age-friendly #Fintech & #FinancialSafety startups in 2023 alone, the local capital market did not reward us for our #FirstMover role. We arrived where we are today with just under € 0.5 million. At the same time, over the last 3 years we have encountered many non-profit organisations or public institutions that liked Brygge but could not work with us or support us – because of our profit-for-impact approach. That's why we are now breaking new ground with Brygge. We want to become #nonprofit. Since our launch, we've been campaigning for social issues such as #ageism, neutral #financial education and #consumer protection. We want to emphasise once again towards our users that we are not just "selling them something with finance". It will also create new opportunities for us in terms of cooperation, research & development and financing. However, it will still take quite a while before we manage to be recognised as a non-profit limited company. We have taken the first steps towards this. One thing is certain: Our Brygge Banking will remain live, even if we now take care of our users on a #volunteer basis. You read that right ❗️ Talk to the Brygge founders if they might find your positions and projects exciting. Bianca and Cornelia are open to new goals from April!

🔊 We need your support 🔊 Starting today, Brygge is competing in the public voting for the final of #STARTERiNHamburg 2024 – an important competition for #FemaleFounders in our beloved city. You can cast one vote in each of three categories until the end of February. Vote now for Brygge in the #Impact category! 🙏 If we win the public vote THANKS TO YOU, we will be in the grand final for the STARTERiN Hamburg 2024 title in March. 🥳 Vote now here (in German) 👉 https://lnkd.in/dmUGZzZp

So 2024 starts with a leap for Brygge to #Korea 🇰🇷? Well not yet, but at least it's a first step 😉 After an in-depth interview with reporter 고한솔 - Hansol Ko – from 🗞️ THE HANKYOREH, we were featured lately in a very well-researched article about the rise of financial fraud targeting the elderly and global fintech solutions to these threats (i.e. with a big US focus plus us as a German first mover). In relation to Brygge, it was summarised very well: Fintech services start with not leaving older people alone with financial difficulties by providing them with digital literacy. These are the words of Cornelia Schwertner, co-CEO of Brygge, a German financial management fintech company for older people [...]. "Instead of teaching users to learn online banking, shouldn't online banking teach users?" This means that financial exclusion should not be seen as the fault of the individual. 감사합니다 – Thank you – Hansol Ko, for the interesting experience of being featured from a Korean view. 👇 Link to the full online article in the comments section.