The Whatsapp newsletter is history. Many companies are now wondering how to keep contacting their customers. Whatsapp has developed special business solutions for this. An overview.

“Your vehicle is being cleaned and will be ready for collection shortly.” Anyone who returns their car to the BMW headquarters in Munich for inspection and asks about the processing status can automatically receive this message on their smartphone. BMW is one of the users of the WhatsApp business solutions and offers a workshop service via messenger at its headquarters. Instead of sending the calls from around 200 customers to the call center every day, a Whatsapp bot now primarily answers.

This automation is a great relief and improvement, explains service manager Albert Rösch from the Munich branch: “We receive around 3,800 inquiries from customers per month, of which we answer around 3,000 automatically.” Rösch continues: “The callback requests have been canceled 60 percent decreased and the recommendation rate increased to 90 percent. “

The example from BMW shows the blueprint of WhatsApp use by companies, as the parent company Facebook envisions in the future. The still quite new Whatsapp Business service is available with special functions for companies – either as a messenger platform based on an API or as a separate Whatsapp business app for smartphones. The previous frequent and only tolerated use of WhatsApp as a newsletter channel, however, will end on December 7, 2019 – also for business applications.

The company explains it like this: Whatsapp is intended for end users to communicate with friends and relatives – not for mass emails or automated sending of messages. According to Whatsapp’s terms of use, newsletters were and are not allowed. From December 7th, this ban will be enforced with legal remedies, even if the company only becomes aware of the abuse of the service outside of its own platform – for example from the press. Whatsapp wants to maintain the communication character of the platform and protect users from what they already know from their email inboxes: advertising and spam. This means that the newsletter offers from service providers such as Messenger people, which up to now also put together large packages for WhatsApp broadcasting in messenger marketing for customers. Facebook Messenger will also end its newsletter in January 2020. From then on, only registered news sites will be allowed to send newsletters.

Even if companies complain about the discontinuation of the Whatsapp newsletter, the reality for users looks different, according to a current Yougov survey for Greven Medien: Only six percent thought a newsletter was important and would have subscribed to one. 58 percent were not interested in promotional information at all. With the exception of twelve percent of those surveyed who wanted news sites and blogs to offer, Whatsapp users want to engage in dialogues and not consume any content. Instead, a specific benefit, a service via Whatsapp, is important to them: from local restaurants (eleven percent), online shops (eleven percent), shops (eight percent) and travel providers (seven percent).

The rumor mill about the reasons for the newsletter is still simmering. Some suspect that Whatsapp could offer its own newsletter service in the future. On the other hand, however, the multiple emphasis on the dialogue function of the platform on the part of Facebook and the lack of user interest speak. If you want to continue to distribute newsletters via messenger, you have to encourage your WhatsApp subscribers to migrate to another platform: Apple offers a business chat with push messages and Telegram can also be an alternative. In the long term, however, the topic will appear less and less; it seems that neither providers nor users want to receive newsletters.

Companies use WhatsApp for this

In principle, Whatsapp does not allow companies to send marketing messages via their own service, and upselling within notifications is also not permitted . On the other hand, it is allowed to refer to ad spaces outside of Whatsapp in the channel in order to encourage customers to contact you. Then the sale or the sales process can be carried out via the conversation initiated by the customer. However, the trade guidelines must be observed , which contain some restrictions with regard to the products approved for sale via Whatsapp, such as medicines, tobacco or alcohol.

Examples of Whatsapp services can be found with big names like the Dutch airline KLM, which sends flight information and documents. The online marketplace Wish offers the possibility to track the order status. The travel portal Booking.com sends booking confirmations and travel updates to customers. But also small companies like the Baden snack stand from Dampfnudel-Paule use Whatsapp to take orders and prepare them for collection.

Whatsapp Business: App, Web or API

Facebook offers Whatsapp Business in three versions: as a simple app for iOS and Android, as a web or desktop app for Mac and PC, and as a Whatsapp Business API. The first variants are aimed more at small companies, the API at medium-sized to larger companies, because it enables program-controlled and automated communication with the customer.

For small businesses: Whatsapp business app

The business app can be run parallel to the customer app with an existing account – taking into account the data protection restrictions in the address book. The company account is created directly in the app. The specified landline or mobile phone number is verified by SMS or voice call. The web or Mac / PC version is started via a QR code in the smartphone app. Smartphone and web / desktop version can be used in parallel, but the company account cannot be used by several people on different devices. A multi-user version is only available in the APIand with corresponding providers. The website integration of a button with which customers contact via Whatsapp works relatively easily using a shortlink according to this scheme: wa.me/yournumber.

For medium to large companies: Whatsapp Business API

The API can be used in two ways: On the one hand, to run and develop your own application on your own server using the API client provided by Whatsapp. Or pre-configured via Docker for operation on Amazon Web Services. Access to the API must be requested, because so far Facebook has manually activated access to the API, which is only publicly accessible to a limited extent. If access is granted, the company account can be set up via the Facebook Business Manager under “Accounts / Whatsapp”. For all other companies, the so-called solution providers are there, who usually offer ready-made SaaS applications for the API and can register company accounts.

To send notifications via the API, companies need to create message templates and submit them to Whatsapp for approval. Companies can only send notifications to customers using these dedicated templates; an airline could, for example, notify a changed departure gate or a flight delay. Free communication is only possible in direct conversations with the customer – within the framework of Whatsapp’s guidelines and terms of use.

There are no fixed costs associated with using the API, but there may be costs for sending messages. If a customer contacts the company, the conversation is free for the following 24 hours, after which 0.0733 euros per message are charged. The company can ask the customer to resume the previous day’s conversation and there will be no charge for an additional 24 hours. Template messages are always charged.

Provider for applications via the Whatsapp API

Anyone who chooses a service provider who is registered as a WhatsApp business solution provider for their messenger marketing can usually also use the connection to other messenger systems. The provider Messenger people integrates, for example, Whatsapp, Apple Business Chat, Facebook Messenger, Notify, Telegram and Viber. In the entry-level tariff, the messenger platform can be used from 99 euros per month, each additional employee account costs an additional 99 euros.

Use of the Whatsapp Business API via the platform of a solution provider, here Messengerpeople.  In addition to the chat, user data as well as ticket information and history are always in view.  (Image: Messenger People)

Use of the Whatsapp Business API via the platform of a solution provider, here Messenger people. In addition to the chat, user data as well as ticket information and history are always in view. (Image: Messenger People)

The platforms often bring automation functions such as chatbots, message templates and quick replies as well as connection options to external systems, but also offer user administration, ticket systems, smaller CRM functions and statistical evaluations. In addition to complete messaging platforms represent about Message Bird and Novomind Messaging also a pure API access is available that requires no monthly fee. Most services, however, incur four-digit setup fees. All of the providers mentioned ensure that they work in compliance with the GDPR and, in addition to generic order data processing contracts, also offer the conclusion of individual contracts.

GDPR and Whatsapp

Whatsapp Business takes into account the requirements of the GDPR. There are data processing conditions, but no direct contract for order data processing. Phil Salewski from the IT law firm in Munich assesses the deployment as GDPR-compliant if certain requirements are met. The most important points:

The two variants app (mobile, web or desktop) and API differ somewhat in terms of the requirements for proper use in terms of data protection law. Under no circumstances should the app have access to a smartphone address book with customer data whose owners have not consented to Whatsapp use. The simplest solution is a device with an empty address book in which the customers registered for the Whatsapp service are entered first.

In any case, the customer must give consent to communication. In the app, the customer must therefore actively contact the entrepreneur and give him his number. If the customer is to receive ongoing notifications, a double opt-in must be made, for example by saving the company’s number in their own phone book and sending a start message – and at any time has the option of canceling a service message subscription. Whatsapp also requires that every opt-in has a specific contextual reference, for example “receipt of a payment confirmation”.

The registration or the link to the Whatsapp service should contain a reference to the company’s privacy policy, which must be accepted when registering. For customers who communicate directly via the app, there should be a speaking link in the “URL” field in the app’s company information. (For example t3n.de/datenschutz/)

To use the API, a data processing contract must be concluded with the respective processor, for example with Amazon Web Services or a SaaS service provider such as Messenger people.

outlook

Many companies want a medium that distributes marketing messages and newsletters with better open rates. At the moment there is much to suggest that this wish will not come true. Facebook is rigorous here, and even if other companies such as Viber or Telegram remain open to newsletter use.

And that should be reasonable. The better open rates are probably due to the fact that the Whatsapp chat is not yet as flooded with marketing as the classic email inbox. If the development of messengers continued in the same way as the use of e-mail, the services would soon be just as overloaded. Direct and fast communication with the customer will be the topic of the future for messengers. However, this requires a high degree of automation, greater professionalism and, above all, more speed than the maintenance of social media channels. Those who score here can gain a competitive advantage.

The LinkedIn career network offers a lot for B2B content marketing: Generate leads, announce events, discuss specialist topics and company news. And – soon – stories. It’s just the wrong place for crude self-promotion.

There are some good reasons for companies to be active on Linkedin with their B2B content marketing too. The platform has 14 million business users in German-speaking countries alone. There are 675 million members worldwide. With the right content, not only leads can be generated on the business platform. Companies can also announce events, recruit employees or communicate their products here. As with other networks, the company page on LinkedIn is something like the base camp for companies’ content strategies. The Hessian online shop Lampenwelt uses this page, for example, to present the company and its employees, to advertise job offers and to highlight sponsored content. All other content of the lighting specialist can also be found centrally there: the presentation of new brand partnerships, for example, or the in-house print magazine and insights into internal employee events. Companies can also share documents such as PowerPoint presentations or white papers in PDF format via the company website. This makes it easy to distribute case studies, instructions or longer specialist articles.

Companies with a particularly wide range of offers can also use so-called “focus pages”. These can be dedicated to a specific line of business or a product group of the company. BMW, for example, operates a focus page for the Mini and exclusively stages this product in images and videos. Google dedicates its own focus page to its advertising product “Google Ads” and publishes there, among other things, news about its advertising editor or partner program. While company pages bundle all information, focus pages address selected target groups more specifically. There are no direct costs for either the company or the focus pages, apart of course from the effort involved in creating and maintaining the content. Linkedin advises companies to plan an hour a day for this.

Profiling yourself with specialist articles

Anyone who expands their content marketing strategy for LinkedIn should link their company page with the profiles of their employees and their content: First of all, the employees should be found on the company page in the “People” section. As soon as the employees select their employer from a list provided by LinkedIn in their profile, they appear there automatically. In addition, they can refer to the company page in their profile details and thus ensure additional visibility and reach of the company. Employees are particularly effective as corporate influencers and, due to the multiplier effect, an essential success factor for content marketing on LinkedIn.

The publishing function is particularly interesting in this context. With it, users can publish content as articles that are too long and far-reaching for a normal posting. Expertise, experience reports and industry trends are suitable topics for this. Specialist content helps, for example, to position yourself as an authority in a field of knowledge. Experience reports, in turn, create trust and enable you to establish yourself as an experienced and reliable contact person for a topic. And anyone who reports on industry trends is perceived as an innovative pioneer of new developments. However, only people can publish articles, not companies. It is all the more important to involve your employees as brand ambassadors in the content marketing strategy.

Above all, activity pays off: every year, Linkedin publishes a list of members who have initiated the most successful discussions in German-speaking countries. Among them are entrepreneurs, founders, authors, lawyers and consultants. In addition to this list of the 25 “Top Voices”, the LinkedIn editorial team regularly compiles a list of the ten top influencers. Last year, for example, the founder and investor Frank Thelen, ex-soccer player Philipp Lahm and the former Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche were among them. But not everyone has to be an influencer or opinion maker right away. Often it is enough to exchange ideas with other experts and advance industry topics to bring yourself or your company into play as a competent contact person. An environment that is well suited to are Linkedin groups. In addition to very sharp topics, cross-sector content such as leadership, recruiting or management can also be discussed there.

Establish groups and fill topics

Since companies cannot set up groups, employees have to do so. Employees can also join existing groups. In the Linkedin group “Online Marketing in Germany”, for example, more than 2,000 members discuss current industry topics. The US pharmaceutical company Pfizer, on the other hand, operates its own group that revolves around work, job opportunities and company news at Pfizer. “From a marketing point of view, it is advisable to found groups,” says Ritchie Pettauer, independent content marketing consultant from Vienna. The reason: group founders are allowed to send a notification to all group members every seven days. “That keeps the activity high and can advance your own topics,” says Pettauer. For example, companies can use the notifications to bring up new topics or to recapitulate content. A company attracts additional attention when it adds and links its group to the company page as a “Featured Group”. Pfizer has also done this with his group, in which almost 20,000 experts are now exchanging ideas.

However, groups cannot be presented on the homepage of a company page, but only on the “About us” subpage. That is a small flaw. It is therefore important that the employees bring the groups into conversation with their postings, for example by referring to ongoing group discussions. In order for other LinkedIn users to share the content, companies should refrain from clumsy self-promotion. Instead, it is important to communicate authentically, promote interactions and offer added value to the community. In order to live up to this claim on LinkedIn, companies should continuously review their positioning and, if necessary, readjust it. Because the best content marketing strategy is ineffective if essential prerequisites are missing

SSI reveals weak points

The Social Selling Index (SSI) is an evaluation tool that helps users assess how well or how badly they are doing in their industry. The SSI is therefore not linked to specific sales, but describes the correct approach to a business by establishing contacts, networks and content marketing. The SSI is available to all accounts. The index shows a value between 0 and 100, is updated daily and consists of four components: professional branding, finding the right people, arousing interest and building relationships. Each component contributes a maximum of 25 points to the index value. In this way you can see at a glance in which areas there is room for improvement.

The first index component, brand building, plays an important role in purchasing decisions. Because if you are perceived as a brand or a professional, you are trusted by potential customers. According to Linkedin, 92 percent of B2B work-Buy buyers with sales professionals if they are known as thought leaders in the industry. As a second component, the index focuses on finding the right contacts – after all, it is of little use to present your content to the wrong target groups. To find these people, Linkedin offers a search function with many filters. With a paid membership, there are also advanced search filters. Companies can even use them to browse the profiles of third-level contacts, for example. “Arousing interest through insights” is the third factor in the index. This is about posting content that triggers reactions. The idea behind it: Anyone who posts real novelties and insights can position themselves as a trustworthy source of information and in return learn more quickly about important information from others.

SSI reveals weak points

The Social Selling Index (SSI) is an evaluation tool that helps users assess how well or how badly they are doing in their industry. The SSI is therefore not linked to specific sales, but describes the correct approach to a business by establishing contacts, networks and content marketing. The SSI is available to all accounts. The index shows a value between 0 and 100, is updated daily and consists of four components: professional branding, finding the right people, arousing interest and building relationships. Each component contributes a maximum of 25 points to the index value. In this way you can see at a glance in which areas there is room for improvement.

The first index component, brand building, plays an important role in purchasing decisions. Because if you are perceived as a brand or a professional, you are trusted by potential customers. According to Linkedin, 92 percent of B2B work-Buy buyers with sales professionals if they are known as thought leaders in the industry. As a second component, the index focuses on finding the right contacts – after all, it is of little use to present your content to the wrong target groups. To find these people, Linkedin offers a search function with many filters. With a paid membership, there are also advanced search filters. Companies can even use them to browse the profiles of third-level contacts, for example. “Arousing interest through insights” is the third factor in the index. This is about posting content that triggers reactions. The idea behind it: Anyone who posts real novelties and insights can position themselves as a trustworthy source of information and in return learn more quickly about important information from others.

There are two content formats that are of particular interest to content marketers: “Sponsored Content” and “Direct Sponsored Content”. The difference: Sponsored content is tied to the company website, but can address additional users in addition to the followers of the website. With the “Direct Sponsored Content” format, companies can share content directly in the feed without having to appear on the company website. Industry news, company news, case studies and striking statistics are suitable for both forms of sponsored content. Image ads, video ads and interactive carousel ads are available as advertising formats. And another tip: the landing page can be provided with a lead form for lead generation. If a user then clicks on an ad, a form appears which is already filled in with the details of the member from the LinkedIn profile – including the name, contact information, position, job title and location of the interested party. This means that the conversion goal is only a click away. Paid advertising placements are therefore very suitable for flanking organic content.

The next level: Linkedin stories

In the near future, another tool could give content marketing on Linkedin a new boost: Linkedin stories. Some selected LinkedIn employees are currently testing the feature internally. The possible uses are still unclear. But food photos are unlikely to be found in future stories. Content that contributes to the employer brand is more likely. Finally, Linkedin is also a recruiting platform. “The approach to LinkedIn stories will be different than to Snapchat or Instagram,” says Linda Grützmann, project manager for social media at Constructiv in Bremen. The digital agency also looks after numerous customers in content marketing and has had very good experiences with stories in other networks. “So far, a lot of content has been produced and consumed on LinkedIn, However, there is still comparatively little interaction and communication, ”says Grützmann. If LinkedIn stories now offer more reaction and interaction options in the future, customers and companies could exchange ideas better. From Grützmann’s point of view, this would be an important step in the right direction.

Ritchie Pettauer also sees this development as positive: “The new stories are a very interesting format for content marketing, as they are suitable for live reporting.” In addition, it is to be expected that there will be only a few users at the start – and thus little competition. From Pettauer’s point of view, the chance of being perceived as a first mover with his stories is therefore very good. In the medium term, he sees the potential of the new content format primarily in trying out topics and testing their potential for interaction. But until then, content marketers have to be patient, because a roll-out date is not yet known. It could be a few more months before a beta version of the new stories comes onto the market.

Conclusion

For content marketers, LinkedIn already offers effective formats to draw attention to providers and offers. Generating leads, announcing events, discussing specialist topics and company news: a lot is possible. Employees can also be easily integrated and used as reach multipliers for topics and content. But the interaction and presentation options can be expanded. The new story feature is intended to meet this need. A smart move by the platform, because the stories are not only suitable for addressing the target groups that are coming up and offering them a familiar environment. The new content format is also easy to plan and can ensure a lot of interactions. This means that the career network should remain an attractive address for B2B content

The Fintech Penta only recently received an 18.5 million investment, now the startup wants to offer its customers even more – and also be there for them during the corona crisis.

What does an açaí bowl have to do with business banking? Well, sometimes start-up ideas find their own way. This is also the case with Jessica Holzbach and Penta. Penta is a fintech startup that specializes in providing digital company accounts for small and medium-sized companies. For companies, banking and bookkeeping should be as simple as possible and, like other neo-banks, function according to the “one click” principle.

Before that came about, açaí bowls were actually needed first. Because they were the basis of Holzbach’s first founding idea. Together with two Canadians, she wanted to set up a startup in Lisbon that would offer healthy breakfast bowls. Because the first investors were in Germany, the three women also wanted to register their business there.

Open a business account from abroad – impossible

Decided, googled and determined: A business account is one of the first important steps in starting a business. Holzbach, who had their house bank in Germany, wanted to initiate the account opening. However, the founders had to realize: At the time, it wasn’t as easy as the trio had imagined opening an account from abroad. All three had to fly to Germany. Flights, accommodation – these are painful costs for a young startup. In addition, the founders not only had to travel to Germany, they couldn’t just open the account in Holzbach’s usual bank branch. They had to go to Frankfurt specially, the small bank in the village couldn’t handle the Canadian citizenship of the two co-founders.

The founders found the account opening process expensive and inefficient. Holzbach was stunned that it couldn’t be easier. When the Açaí Bowl startup finally came to nothing, she decided to tackle the banking problem. Holzbach, who is now Penta’s Chief Customer Officer, was there, but not alone. There are five people behind the Berlin fintech, which now serves over 17,000 business customers.

How did the 5 come together?

“Two of the founders are related, the others knew each other from university – and I was just the coincidence,” says Holzbach, explaining how the founding team came into being. When the co-founder joined the Penta team, the name already existed and a very simple landing page. Because the founders shared a vision, Holzbach joined Penta. The team thought: “Okay, if we have the same idea, we’ll try it together.” And since the day of the first meeting, the founders have never spent a day without each other.

Sounds very harmonious, and it probably was. Because all five had a different background and all had different skills, the division of tasks was then very easy. The decisions in the company could be made particularly quickly.

This is still the case today with fintech for business accounts. Holzbach explains the work of the now more than ninety-strong team: “It was important to us to build up a company with small, agile teams so that we don’t grow into a heavy tanker that only makes slow progress. Instead, we have created small speed boats that can quickly put ideas into practice. ”With success. In the meantime, Penta no longer “only” offers a digital account solution for companies. Instead, the Berlin startup managed to expand its portfolio fairly quickly. The mission always remained: The five founders want to make the life of other founders as easy as possible.

So what exactly does Penta offer?

A cooperation with Sumup makes it possible, for example, to provide companies with a simple cashless payment option. A cooperation with Iwoca enables Penta to offer its own corporate loans. Sample documents, checklists and even targeted advice on setting up a company complete the portfolio of banking service providers. The commitment to all-round service should not end there.

The corona crisis hits startups in particular

The corona crisis is currently troubling many startups. Orders suddenly disappear and expenses are no longer financed. Not to mention the conversion of work processes to home office and co. Penta herself was lucky. The fintech was able to complete the current financing round before the situation around the corona pandemic in Germany worsened. Penta was able to collect 18.5 million euros , financially the startup for business banking is on the safe side for the time being. The virus is still a concern of Penta’s founders.

A growing number of fintechs are positioning themselves as an alternative to profit-hungry banks whose investments are driving climate change. But the newcomers threaten to be overtaken by reality.

Every card payment supports a climate protection project, deposits flow into sustainably operating companies as credit – and the account fees equalize emissions: With these promises the Hamburg-based financial startup Tomorrow wants to stand out from the crowd of current account providers. “Banking shouldn’t cost the world” is the credo, it is meant literally.

The idea is not revolutionary new. Several sustainability banks are already active in Germany with a similar claim. The GLS cooperative bank, founded in 1974 with more than 242,000 customers, is considered the market leader. Tomorrow positions itself as a modern climber who finally wants to “get the topic out of its niche”, as managing director Jakob Berndt says.

Regulatory coercion and social pressure

“More and more startups are bringing together the topics of digitization and sustainability,” says Markus Duscha, managing director of the Fair Finance Institute he founded. You benefit from two trends of recent years: “On the one hand, the regulatory requirements in the direction of sustainability are increasing, and on the other hand there is pressure from society,” says fintech expert Duscha.

As a direct consequence of the financial crisis in 2008, sustainability banks experienced an influx. Today, the new awareness of climate change is fueling business. With their digital products, the startups primarily address young people who have brought the topic to the streets under the umbrella of the “Fridays for Future” movement. There is also a tailwind from politics. For example, the federal government has set up a “Sustainable Finance” advisory board, which is supposed to develop recommendations in order to develop Germany into a leading location for sustainable finance.

With the award-winning Robo-Advisor from growney, you can invest in affordable ETF savings plans without stress. Quite simply online and without clutter: set goals, open a depot and lean back.

It is not easy for anyone who wants to invest money. The interest on fixed deposits is in the basement, the roller coaster of the share prices is just stressful. And the appointment with the financial advisor in the branch bank? Annoying and in the end pushing you into things that you don’t even need. Isn’t there an investment that will bring you a good return in the long term and where you don’t have to worry about anything? Easy to use online and without hidden costs?

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Flexible, transparent and without hidden costs

You can pay one-time sums into your growney account, add a fixed amount every month or both at the same time. The minimum investment is either EUR 500 as an initial deposit or EUR 25 per month in the savings plan. It’s your money and you can always run in and withdraw it. And all for free.

You can view the performance of your investment in detailed reports on your laptop, smartphone or tablet – anywhere and anytime.

growney keeps the costs of the investment as low as possible and, as an online asset manager, can do without expensive infrastructure expenses – important for the compound interest effect of the investment. At growney you get a transparent fee strategy so that you always know where you stand: there is a service fee, everything is included. Depending on the value of the deposit, it is 0.39 to 0.99 percent per year. For example, with an investment amount of EUR 10,000 you have costs of only EUR 69 per year, with EUR 50,000 it is only EUR 195. ** This puts growney far below the average fee that branch banks charge for asset management.

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An investment researcher has chosen harsh words to warn investors about Tesla stock. The e-car maker’s paper could be the most dangerous stock on Wall Street.

For Tesla stock, there seemed to have been only one path in the past few months – steeply uphill. Since the beginning of the year, Tesla has more than quintupled its value on the stock exchange. Most recently, after the announcement and the implementation of the share split, there was a fireworks display. Only last week’s performance was disappointing. Profit-taking and a general slump in tech stocks drove down five percent. The right time to jump on the line of success now? An expert warns.

Trainer: Tesla shares are heavily overvalued

On CNBC’s Trading Nation program, investment researcher and New Constructs boss David Trainer said he believed Tesla stock was grossly overvalued. Even if the best-case scenario always occurs at Tesla in the coming years – for example in terms of the number of electric cars produced and sold, the profit margin or the conquest of new business areas – profits should still be significantly higher.

Tesla’s rating is currently 159 times higher than profits would allow, according to Trainer. Based on the share price, Tesla should have a market share of 40 to 110 percent, assuming the current average sales price of 57,000 US dollars. Tesla is currently one of the largest houses of cards that is ready to collapse, said coach, according to CNBC .

The recent stock split could prove to be an additional threat to potential investors. For trainers, the step of splitting Tesla shares into five parts is an attempt to get inexperienced stock traders to buy. It is clear that the entry barrier for buying paper with a share split – as Apple had carried out at the same time – is falling. Before the share split at the end of August, you had to pay more than $ 2,200 for a Tesla paper, after which it was $ 460. On Friday, Tesla shares traded at $ 418.

Tesla stock should cost more like $ 40 to $ 50

According to Trainer, a realistic valuation would place Tesla stock in the $ 40 to $ 50 range. According to the investment researcher, Tesla is not in the top 10 on the electric car market in Europe. The stricter laws in terms of CO2 emissions would have caused the traditional car manufacturers to catch up when it comes to pure electric and hybrid vehicles. In the US, similar requirements can be expected in the long term. Trainer paid tribute to Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk for their pioneering role in the electric car sector. But a look at the fundamental data ensures that he keeps his hands off the stock.

Are you an entrepreneur and looking for a suitable business account? Qonto offers a banking service that is specifically tailored to the requirements of entrepreneurs – with high-quality design and the latest technology.

An entrepreneur has different rights to an account than a private person. Because in the business context it is no longer just a matter of appropriate account management fees, sufficient ATMs or being able to carry out your own transactions quickly and easily. If you need any account history then visit to accounting History blog.

Especially companies whose teams are growing quickly should rely on a business account that also gives new team members or freelancers access quickly – ideally with personalized limits and rights. And that’s not that easy to find.

The later Qonto founders Alex and Steve also had to experience this. For their first company together, they were looking for a business account in 2015 that met their requirements – to no avail. The business accounts that existed back then were all too complicated to use, too time-consuming and lacked modern financial management tools.

And so the two decided to revolutionize business banking for SMEs themselves and founded Qonto – a neo bank that offers entrepreneurs exactly what they need. At Qonto, it’s not your team that adapts to the account. But the account that adapts to your team.

The Qonto business account: it’s inside

With the Qonto business account , team expenses can be managed super easy, because every employee receives their own Qonto Mastercard. This can be done in a matter of minutes and can be completely personalized so that each employee has their own access, for which an individual limit can be set. All expenses such as expenses, transport, travel or marketing expenses can be managed independently – while an admin has a full overview of all expenses at all times and can adjust the set limits if necessary.

Employees can make transfers independently that only have to be approved by the admin – this simplifies workflows enormously. SEPA direct debits and collective transfers are also possible and also save time. You also benefit from the super-fast VIP customer support that you can reach at any time by email and phone. And all of this at fair and transparent prices.

The advantages of the premium business account from Qonto at a glance:

  • Account opening in just ten minutes
  • VIP customer support by mail and phone
  • Virtual cards – ready for immediate use
  • Clear overview of all expenses
  • Personalized tags for a good financial structure
  • Smart accounting functions such as unlimited sales history and separate account access for accountants
  • Payment in foreign currencies
  • German IBAN

Even more good reasons for Qonto:  

Qonto is 100 percent digital and therefore much more sustainable (and faster) than a conventional bank with unnecessary bureaucracy and paperwork.

Qonto has its own core banking system and is therefore independent of the infrastructure of other banks – this also means 100 percent security for you as a customer.

Started in France, Qonto is now active in four countries, including Germany, Italy and Spain.

With QontoBoth physical and virtual payment cards can be created for all employees and are ready for immediate use. There is a large selection of payment cards. Whether Mastercard One, Plus or X (the first Business Metal Card in Europe, by the way): Each card adapts to the respective needs of its employee. You can set payment limits and your own PIN codes for locking and unlocking the cards. Everything is possible, from online payments with a 3D secure code to cash withdrawals at machines and other premium features. Every card is available in every tariff, also called plan at Qonto. As a self-employed person, for example, you can use the Solo Plan for nine euros a month and still apply for a Metal Card. Do you need an unlimited number of users for your many team members, choose the premium plan and receive up to five physical and an unlimited number of virtual Mastercards. Last but not least, every card comes with Mastercard insurance to protect you and other users.

Over 100,000 companies already use and love Qonto. This makes Qonto the fastest growing challenger bank in Europe. Do you want to be part of the movement? Then open your Qonto account now! New customers use the Premium Business Account for 30 days completely free of charge and without obligation.

The month-long boom in tech stocks is said to have been fueled by one player –  Softbank . The Japanese group is said to have bought massive stock options on technology stocks.

Before the slump of the past two days, tech stocks in particular experienced an unprecedented boom . Tech companies such as Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Tesla have almost doubled their market value since spring. Apple, for example, became the first company in the world to reach a market value of two trillion dollars in August . According to coincident reports from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and the Financial Times , this price firework on the stock market could have been fueled by a single player.

Softbank: Boom triggered with call options?

According to the insiders quoted by the two renowned business newspapers, the Japanese Softbank group is said to have bought massive stock options on technology stocks in March, as the Handelsblatt reported. According to the WSJ, the purchase volume of the options is said to have amounted to four billion US dollars. Specifically, the whole thing is about so-called call options. These are options to buy shares at previously set – higher – prices. With put options, investors bet on falling share prices.

Because banks that offer call options have to have a correspondingly high number of the underlying shares in stock, these in turn drive the price further up. The options acquired by Softbank are said to have faced tech stocks valued at around $ 50 billion, according to the WSJ. In addition, Softbank is said to have spent another four billion dollars on shares in Amazon, Microsoft and Netflix, as well as a stake in Tesla. Softbank has not yet commented on this.

Big Five dominate US stock exchanges

The so-called Big Five, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook and Google parent Alphabet, have pulled the overall market up with their massive price increases. After all, the five stocks make up almost a quarter of the S&P 500 index. Accordingly, market observers fear a general collapse in the stock markets if the tech stocks – as happened on Thursday and Friday – weaken.

Incidentally, Softbank is not likely to be the only player who has influenced the market with the strategy of call options. In the case of Salesforce, whose shares had shot up by 26 percent on the day the quarterly figures were announced, stock traders suspect such influence from an unknown investor. Incidentally, the Financial Times compares these investors with the so-called whales , who are said to own a large part of the existing Bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. You can trigger large price fluctuations with purchases and sales.

According to a survey, many young professionals are not afraid of unemployment even in the Corona crisis.

Accordingly, only ten percent of young professionals fear not to find a job in the next few years. However, many are apparently short of money: Only 16 percent are satisfied with their financial situation. That was the result of a representative survey of 1,043 young professionals by the opinion research institute Yougov. The client was the financial services provider Tecis in Hamburg.

At the same time, only a good third (34 percent) said that a high salary was important to them. A balanced ratio of work and leisure time (48 percent) and nice colleagues (47 percent) are therefore more important. In the survey, young people who are just about to complete their training or who have a maximum of two years of professional experience count as young professionals.

A majority sees the future in rosier colors than their current situation. Almost three quarters believe that they will be better off in terms of work, finances, living conditions and with regard to family and friends in five years. “Young people continue to rate their career opportunities positively – despite the recession, short-time work and unclear developments,” said Tecis board member Sönke Missfeldt. The company is part of the Swiss Life insurance group.

Framework data for the survey

The data is based on an online survey by YouGov in which 1,043 people took part between July 28th and August 14th, 2020. They were asked about their medium-term perspectives, their current life situation (job / career, finances, living and family / friends) as well as their current attitude to Corona. In future, this report will appear annually and show long-term developments in a barometer.

Among other things, the following questions were asked:

Which of the following aspects are particularly important to you in your professional life?

  • high salary
  • independent working
  • Work-life balance (compatibility of work and private life)
  • social commitment
  • recognition
  • flat hierarchies
  • meaningful work
  • Training opportunities
  • Career opportunities
  • something else, namely:
  1. nice colleague
  2. I do not know
  3. varied activities

What are you currently most concerned about?

  • my financial situation
  • Fear of not finding a job
  • Fear of getting sick
  • general uncertainty about the future
  • Fear of not being able to cope with the course
  • Losing family members or friends
  • not having sufficient financial means in old age
  • something else, namely:
  1. I’m currently not worried about anything
  2. don’t know (dpa / rw)

The proportion of women in top jobs in large public companies has increased slightly. The organization “Women in the Supervisory Boards” (FidAR) determined this in a study.