Startup Cleo moves beyond simple banking application to financial advisor

A seemingly infinite number of startups and simple banking applications offer users the ability to easily track and view their spending habits. But English startup Cleo is taking this a step further by not only letting users track where their money is going but also letting them actively influence this. Cleo, a self-described financial advisor, helps users budget by letting them proactively set spending rules (i.e. no more than USD XX to be spent at restaurants per week/month). Cleo also hopes to eventually give users the chance setup blocked transactions that will automatically block any transaction that violates the user’s rules.

 Cleo works by linking banking information with the Facebook Messenger app. Cleo then communicates with the user as a chatbot via the Messenger app. Cleo also offers users the chance to save money in a separate account and, via a paid subscription, get cashback rewards.