Family banking in Switzerland: Launch of the Clanq app
The Clanq app makes it easy for parents to save for their children's future. Originally founded as a spin-off of Mindnow, Clanq AG has its roots in close collaboration with our team. In the summer of 2024, we contributed to a major milestone: the launch powered by Cornèr in Switzerland!
Since first entering the German market in 2022, Clanq has successfully established itself and is now available in Switzerland since 2024. Thanks to the partnership with Cornèr Bank AG, the brand Clanq powered by Cornèr was created, ensuring security and trust in financial services for Clanq customers in Switzerland.
Clanq AG was founded in Zurich in 2021 with the idea of helping families start saving in a targeted manner. Also involved: Mindnow Co-CEOs Jakob Kaya and Jean-Paul Saija.
A close partnership between Clanq and Cornèr Bank AG
Clanq AG is not a bank and offers all financial services via a banking partner. With Cornèr Bank AG, Clanq AG has found its "perfect match".
Cornèr Bank AG is a family-run Swiss bank with a big heart for families and children. This starts with how the company treats its employees and extends its commitment to its customers. Cornèr has always helped families make informed decisions about their money and achieve their financial goals. This philosophy fits perfectly with that of Clanq. Of course, years of successful collaboration with Mindnow CEO Jean-Paul Saija also played into the hands of the partnership between Clanq AG and Cornèr Bank AG.
Founded in 1952, the independent Cornèr Bank AG is an established point of contact for financial matters. The Cornèrcard division is a pioneer in the issuing of payment cards in Switzerland.
After two years of preliminary work in Germany, the Clanq team and its management trio, Jean-Paul Saija, Jakob Kaya, and Christina Hammer, had a good basis for presenting the concept. The general management of Cornèr Bank AG was immediately convinced and supported the project. So, all that remained was to develop an app.
Section by Jean-Paul Saija
Co-CEOAddressing digital banking and families in one
As Clanq's IT partner, Mindnow was involved in the project right from the start. Our job was to adapt the existing product in Germany to the Swiss guidelines and the wishes of Cornèr Bank AG. After the basic clarifications and research, Mindnow was responsible for the technical implementation and integration of the existing systems into the new digital banking system.
When agile development teams meet a large, strong bank
Although we had already worked with Cornèr Bank on various digitalization projects in the past, the collaboration between the agile way of working of the Mindnow team and the more traditional structure of the large, strong banking institution Cornèr was a challenge. There were many unknowns and difficulties in integrating the interfaces.
Valuable experience, different ways of working
Our experience with the app in Germany accelerated the project. We were able to take over a large part of the branding and assets. Our entrepreneurial flexibility and ability to work quickly and precisely were also crucial. The individual adaptations to the new structure, the development of new requirements, and the roll-out in 4 different languages led to delays.
Nevertheless, the Clanq app was launched in Switzerland on July 11, 2024!
App development is a continuous process
However, we have not yet reached our goal. The product is being continuously developed to meet the needs of families even better. Further functions are already being planned. Mindnow will remain at the forefront as an IT partner.
Section by Jean-Paul Saija
Co-CEOSection by Filip Tomic
VP of EngineeringEngineering insights: Overcoming challenges and delivering excellence
A deep dive into Cornèr’s ecosystem
The Swiss Clanq app has been an exciting journey. As with any project of this scale, there were numerous technical obstacles, and Clanq powered by Cornèr was no exception. However, the team never saw these as setbacks, but always as opportunities.
Our first goal was to understand the Cornèr ecosystem thoroughly. We worked closely with the experts at Cornèr Bank to achieve this. Thanks to the support and guidance of the Cornèr team, we could navigate the complexities of the Swiss financial landscape while developing a user-friendly product that fits seamlessly with Cornèr Bank's high standards.
Translation into 4 languages with Localazy
A special feature of this project was the multilingualism typical of Switzerland: German, Italian, French, and English. This required careful planning, testing, and implementation.
The Localazy tool was a great help with multilingualism, allowing us to manage all texts in the app efficiently. Onboarding team members in Localazy went smoothly thanks to the intuitive workflows and user interface. Even less tech-savvy team members easily figured out how to search for keys and strings.
Localazy offers machine translation with Amazon, Google, Azure, Deepl, and OpenAI/GPT, which provide good initial results. It also offers the option of providing context so that human translators can better understand the flow of the app and adapt texts. Functions such as comments and status updates for individual strings were also helpful.
We have mastered multitasking and stress
We believe every obstacle is just another challenge that allows us to reach our full potential. This often required multitasking, but I could always rely on our team to perform at their best, even in stressful situations.
Everyone contributed to making Clanq powered by Cornèr the exceptional experience we had envisioned. I am proud of the work we did on this project. It is a great example of successful collaboration between 3 teams from different companies.
Section by Filip Tomic
VP of EngineeringSection by Victoria Françóia
Middle UX/UI DesignerHow I designed a banking app for families
Clanq powered by Cornèr was a unique experience for me. Developing a banking app specifically for families is not only about elegant UI and smooth UX, but also about the emotional component.
This app is designed to help families achieve financial goals for their children, and that's a big responsibility. The impact Clanq can have on children's futures has given my work an even deeper meaning.
German app as a design template
When I joined the project, Clanq was already on the market in Germany and the previous design team had done an excellent job. Mine was to build on this foundation. I had to keep the balance – stay true to the original vision while adding my own ideas.
Flexible UI components for localizable designs
One of the biggest challenges in localizing the German product for Switzerland was adapting the design in 4 languages. This required attention to detail, especially with the typography and layout. I had to make sure that everything remained visually coherent across all languages.
I learned a lot about designing flexible UI components that can seamlessly adapt to language differences – something I hadn't experienced to this extent on previous projects.
Communication and collaboration were key
The Mindnow, Clanq, and Cornèr teams worked incredibly well together. We were always on the same page, whether it was coordinating with the development team or communicating with stakeholders.
Figma once again proved to be the right tool to quickly revise visual elements, such as changing Euros to Swiss francs. But the real key to excellent results was certainly the constant dialog between the teams. This project demanded a lot from everyone involved, and our communication skills made the difference.
Everyone was committed to making Clanq the best it could be for Swiss families, and this collective commitment was evident in the end. The result: high-quality UX and UI design.
Section by Victoria Françóia
Middle UX/UI DesignerAn app with many functions and cashback partners
Similar to the German version, the Swiss Clanq app offers digital piggy banks, cashback, and savings rules that make financial management simple and effective for families.
Together, our teams have developed an innovative product for family finances. Customers can carry out 100 % digital onboarding and KYC (Know Your Customer), open accounts and define savings goals for their children. There are lots of great cashback partners, and users can save together with their entire family clan for their children's future.
Digital piggy banks that fill up on their own
Thanks to cashback, the piggy banks in the Clanq app fill up automatically with every purchase, without you having to think about it and at no extra cost. With over 50 cashback partnerships with popular brands, families get extra money back when they shop with partners or in the Clanq cashback store.
The cashback program from Clanq works like this: Customers receive a Clanq payment card. Every time they pay with it, they get 1 % of the amount spent back. Cashback partners offer even more, up to 25 %. The money collected remains freely available in the piggy bank.
Top website made by Mindnow to accompany
In addition to the app, we also developed a customized 4-language website including a blog. Designed in Figma, developed with WordPress, translated with DeepL Pro, and edited by our team. At clanq.ch, families can not only learn more about the app's features but also regularly find new content on the topic of family finances in the blog.
The combination of the targeted app, savings at no extra cost with cashback, and useful content makes Clanq a practical everyday helper for families in Switzerland.
By the way, I (Carina) had the honor of working a little bit in all areas myself: UX writing for the app, translating in Localazy, ghostwriting, and coordinating the website and blog, as well as the full spectrum of marketing activities. The collaboration with Christina Hammer from Clanq and Sara Gentile from Cornèrcard was and is excellent, which is one of the reasons why Clanq is probably one of my favorite projects.
The Mindnow team and I are already looking forward to everything that is yet to come! I can already reveal this much: Phase 3 with new exciting features will start soon!
