Uber Is Putting Together A Fintech Team In The Big Apple

The company is hiring engineers and product managers, tapping into New York City’s financial talent pool.

Uber reportedly needs a team of up to 100 people in New York City. The news follows Uber’s IPO filing, which revealed the massive amount of money that Uber has to pay in card processing fees. However, Uber is currently in the position to expand its purview in the financial services space. Lyft already offers financial services that help it keep drivers on its platform through services like Lyft Driver Direct, a rewards debit card that serves as a no-fee bank account, available only to Lyft drivers. Uber is likely to start competing with Lyft for driver retention in a similar fashion, while also cutting back on the $749 million they paid in credit card processing fees in 2017.

Providing drivers and customers with access to financial services is likely to keep them more engaged with Uber’s brand and ecosystem. 87% of gross bookings at Uber are conducted with debit or credit cards, according to Business Insider. This provides Uber with an opportunity to cut costs surrounding credit card processing while also keeping drivers and customers more engaged. Grab, which was bought by Uber, eventually broke its financial services out to create a new arm for the company.

Building this fintech team ultimately provides more ways for Uber to close in on the goal of profitability. Diversifying its revenue through financial services will likely play a key roll in getting there.

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5 years ago