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Since its founding in June 2021, the German fintech company Bling has built an extensive financial platform for families. This includes a pocket money app and the Bling Card, which allows children to manage their money and invest in so-called "savings trees."
Now, the Berlin-based fintech is venturing into a completely new product category. In cooperation with Deutsche Telekom, Bling will offer mobile phone contracts from March 2024, which parents can sign up for themselves and their children.
The new offering: "Bling Mobile"
The mobile phone service called "Bling Mobile" is the first of its kind in the European Union, specifically designed for families. The service is defined primarily by its child-friendly features.
In addition to parental controls, it includes content to promote media literacy. An "internet filter" will also be available to protect children and teenagers from inappropriate websites. Additionally, the data volumes of the plans are deliberately moderate to prevent excessive internet surfing. Bling Mobile can be integrated into the Bling app, allowing parental control of the child's internet usage.
An overview of Bling mobile plans
Initially, Bling offers two plans: "Bling First" with 7 GB of data for €10 per month and "Bling Next" with 12 GB for €15 per month. Both plans include unlimited SMS and phone calls. Thanks to a monthly contract term and the ability to switch between the two plans, families have maximum flexibility.
The journey from finance to telecommunications
The first smartphone purchase often poses a challenge for parents: from screen time and the dangers of cyberbullying to the question of how to introduce a child to safe mobile phone use. Bling identified several parallels to the financial sector and decided to leverage these "first moments" to support families in media usage.
In addition to the financial education of children and teenagers, Bling now also aims to focus on media literacy. Their goal is to become an "operating system for families."
Continued business growth?
With more than 50,000 paying families and prominent investors like Verena Pausder and footballer André Schürrle, the Berlin start-up has already achieved significant success. According to Nils Feigenwinter, CEO and co-founder of Bling, the company has already generated seven-figure revenues.
With the new product, Bling is further expanding its platform. Additionally, the fintech company is no longer only selling products to end customers. Business customers now also have the opportunity to cooperate with the platform and market their products. This strategy opens up an additional revenue stream for the company.
