Ragged Edge rebrands Neat, a Hong Kong-based bank built specifically for small businesses

For a city that’s thought of as a start-up hub, Hong Kong is a surprisingly difficult place to open a business account. Big banks show little interest in helping small companies to get started. Neat is trying to change that. Their mission is to enable the entrepreneur economy instead of strangling it, starting with fully digital multi-currency accounts built specifically for growing businesses. Perks include lower international exchange rates than traditional banks, expense tracking and intuitive security features.

Since entering the market in 2015, Neat has begun to disrupt the established banks with their growing clientele of small companies. However, in a world where new banks seem to be appearing every day, they required a rebrand that would help them cut through the noise. London-based agency Ragged Edge was brought in to make it happen.

The result is a simple and confident identity system that repositions Neat as a ‘global platform for fast, frictionless business’. Their new tone of voice is direct, communicating exactly what they stand for in just a few words with lines like “big ideas, not big banks”, set in no-frills sans serif typography. Pastel colours and characterful illustrations add a lighthearted touch, offsetting the stark directness of the typography and copywriting.

The new brand has given Neat a platform to grow and evolve, just like the entrepreneurs they serve. In 2019, they opened in both Shenzen and London, and an $11m investment helped accelerate their mission to make cross border trade as accessible to small businesses as it is to multinationals.

Ragged Edge

Neat