\n<\/p>\n
As it gears up to go public<\/a>, Chime is going all in on new features in an effort to attract more customers.<\/p>\n The digital bank is offering customers who agree to have their paychecks directly deposited into a Chime savings or checking account an APY of 3.75%, it tells TechCrunch exclusively. For those who don\u2019t choose to direct deposit, the interest rate of 2% for standard users is still competitive.\u00a0<\/p>\n By comparison, the national average savings account yield is 0.61% APY, according to Bankrate\u2019s survey of institutions<\/a> as of the week of March 24.<\/p>\n While Chime Chief Product Officer Madhu Muthukumar didn\u2019t say it outright, the move appears to be one at least in part aimed at attracting more stickiness among customers. As of last summer, Chime had 7 million customers and $1.5 billion in annualized revenue, according to reporting by Forbes<\/a>. The company declined to provide updated figures.<\/p>\n In December, Chime<\/a> filed confidential paperwork<\/a> to go public with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Chime was last valued at $25 billion when it raised $1 billion <\/a>at the height of the valuation frenzy of 2021, and has raised $2.65 billion total, PitchBook estimates. Its investors include Forerunner Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Crosslink Capital, Sequoia, SoftBank, Tiger Global, and many others.<\/p>\n The company also declined to comment on potential IPO timing.<\/p>\n To be eligible for the 3.7% APY, Chime customers must agree to become members of Chime+, a premium membership tier that requires the agreement to direct deposit their paychecks. There is no charge to join as a premium member.<\/p>\n Founded in 2012, Chime markets itself as the bank alternative for everyday Americans. It touts that it doesn\u2019t charge overdraft, maintenance, or low balance fees or require account minimums.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are people who you would find in your community, whether they make a coffee in your local store, teach your children, deliver a package, or help you find something in your big box retailer,\u201d Muthukumar said.\u201d This is your neighbor.\u201d<\/p>\n Its customer base skews slightly female, he told TechCrunch, with members more in the 30s age range as opposed to \u201csuper young folks\u201d and are \u201cgainfully employed.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2020, Chime began offering a credit card<\/a> that it claims helps users build and improve their credit by setting purchase limits based on account balance and acting more like a debit card. Now, members no longer have to direct deposit through Chime to apply for and use Chime\u2019s Credit Builder Visa credit card.<\/p>\n Other features that Chime is announcing Monday include a redesigned app, an expanded set of \u201cdeals\u201d or discounts specifically for Chime users, cashback offers, and \u201cdedicated\u201d customer support. On March 21, it also announced a new \u201cinstant loans\u201d product<\/a>.<\/p>\n Financial technology companies continue to get creative in attempting to woo customers. Last week, Robinhood announced that it was going to begin offering wealth management and private banking services<\/a> to retail investors, touting that such services were \u201cno longer reserved for the wealthy.\u201d As part of that new offering, Robinhood says it will provide a 4% APY on savings as well as assistance with estate planning and taxes, among other things. Uniquely, it also will offer cash delivery to a user\u2019s doorstep.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nPremium membership required<\/h2>\n