Most traditional banks were unprepared for the flight to digital that occurred due to COVID-19. Mobile-only challenger bank Current has seen customer growth skyrocket during the pandemic, appealing to lower-wage earners who don’t want to worry about minimum balances or overdraft fees.

Serving over 1 million active users and projected to double in size by the end of the year, Current serves a sweet spot of workers who live paycheck to paycheck and previously frequented very expensive check cashing facilities or risked paying penalty fees at traditional banks.

We caught up with Stuart Sopp, founder and CEO of Current, and previous Wall Street trader, to discuss the strategy of lowering the barriers for financial inclusion to a growing demographic of younger, lower paid consumers who want hassle-free basic banking services. In the episode, Stuart discusses how the pandemic served as a launch pad for the challenger bank and how to differentiate a challenger bank in a crowded marketplace.