Designing for Trust: Why Fintech Needs Equitable AI

AI is transforming how people manage their money but without cultural context, trust and emotional intelligence, even the smartest tools can fail to connect with the end user. In this article, Chloe Amos-Edkins explores how fintech teams can design AI-powered experiences that build trust, serve diverse markets, and reflect real user values. Featuring insights from intO’s Research Director Laetitia Sfez, and grounded in global fieldwork, it’s a call for equity as an essential part of the UX research and design process.

AI isn’t coming for the fintech industry. It’s already here; its already scoring our credit, flagging fraud, serving chat prompts and setting spending limits.

For global fintech teams, the question is no longer whether to use AI — it’s how to design AI that serves everyone equally, not just the groups it was originally, and often unconsciously, tailored for.

At Studio intO, we work with global fintech clients navigating this complexity. And what we’re seeing is clear: AI may be smart, but it still struggles with nuance and diversity

Systems designed for humans that are built around any notion of a “default” often disadvantage anyone who falls outside the so-called ‘average’. (For a clear explanation of this principle, Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez is highly recommended if you haven’t already read it.)

So fintech products built around English-language prompts, Western cultural norms, unrealistic ideas of “universality” risk serving some markets far better than others. That’s not just an ethical problem. It’s a competitive risk.

If your AI features are misfiring in new regions, alienating the very users you hoped to support, or simply underperforming, a lack of equitable understanding of regional and cultural nuances could be to blame. Human-led services like Indian call centres have long recognised the value of cultural context — investing heavily to train agents in the norms and expectations of the customers they serve. But with AI agents, there’s no human filter, no instinct to pick up on dissatisfaction, and no feedback loop to flag when something feels off.

“Fintech isn’t just about faster payments and slicker UIs anymore. It’s about trust, transparency, and relevance, across every context, culture and corner of the world.”

Laetitia Sfez, Research Director, Studio intO

So what does equitable AI actually mean in the context of financial design?

1. AI needs emotional intelligence

AI-powered budgeting and money management tools are reframing how users interact with their finances, from static dashboards to dynamic conversations. But as these tools get ‘smarter’, the bar for emotional intelligence rises.

People want support, not surveillance. Nudges need to feel human. Tone is trust.

In São Paulo, for example, users may respond well to predictive financial insights only when the advice comes with warmth, context and culturally relevant cues. In Jakarta, similar advice may feel intrusive. Local expectations shape emotional resonance.

“Empathy isn’t a UX flourish, it’s a foundational requirement. Particularly in financial contexts where shame, stress and uncertainty are often present.” 

Laetitia Sfez, Research Director, Studio intO

Research implication: Test tone. Map emotional states. Don’t just ask “Is this accurate?”, ask “Does this feel right here?”

2. Access must be designed, not assumed

Many fintech tools claim global ambition but default to high-speed, high-data, high-literacy interfaces. In reality, millions of users navigate their financial lives without a smartphone, without formal literacy, and without stable connections.

The future isn’t just app-based. It’s SMS-led in Nairobi. It’s voice-based in rural India. It’s built on iconography in contexts where reading isn’t a given. There are constrained users in markets where people memorise the shape and colour of icons to complete transactions. Not because they’re “non-digital”,  but because systems weren’t built with them in mind.

Research implication: Inclusion isn’t about adding features, it’s about designing from the margins.

3. Humans are multi-faceted and so are their values

Sustainable fintech is on the rise, and rightly so. But ESG-only thinking can miss the mark. Users increasingly want tools that reflect all their values: equity, representation, justice, faith, and more.

Environmental impact matters, but so does cultural integrity, gender visibility and  knowing your money isn’t quietly backing causes you don’t align with.

“We can’t just design for emissions reductions and ignore power dynamics. Equitable finance means building tools that reflect the full diversity of people’s lives and priorities.”

Laetitia Sfez, Research Director, Studio intO

Research implication: Map values, not just personas. Ask not only what users want to achieve with their money, but why, and for whom.

4. Local Norms, Global Vision: One algorithm can’t rule them all

AI doesn’t operate in a vacuum. It encodes assumptions – often Western ones – about ‘normal’ spending, saving, sharing and risk.

From family finances in Ghana to peer lending in Mexico, our research reveals huge variations in how money moves. And yet, too often, product logic is designed in San Francisco and shipped with little adaptation.

What looks like ‘irrational’ user behaviour is often the system failing to flex.

Research implication: Algorithms need ethnography. Implementing products with one-size-fits-all AI is risky, and potentially expensive.

5. Equity as the new UX standard (rather than just an afterthought) 

The most exciting fintech products today aren’t just functional, they’re fairer. They help users build credit through rent. They support informal workers with visibility and control. They offer second-language support, offline modes, and culturally aligned onboarding.

Equity isn’t a ‘nice-to-have’ or an awards-entry theme. It’s becoming a design and commercial imperative.

As Laetitia says:

“Inclusion is not a feature you can add on Tuesday. It’s something you need to bake into the foundation. That’s where research comes in, not just to test, but to reimagine.”

The Equitable AI Framework: A tool for fintech teams

This is where intO’s Equitable AI Framework comes in. It’s a research-led approach to help global product teams design AI features that are smart and scalable, and also inclusive and regionally relevant.

The five pillars of the framework:

1. Diverse Participation – Co-create with the people AI will affect
2. Language Inclusivity – Design beyond English-first defaults
3. Accessibility – Build with constraint, not just for convenience
4. Transparency – Help users understand how decisions are made
5. Contextual Integrity – Honour local norms and financial ecosystems

From personalised prompts to smart budgeting features, this framework helps teams ensure their AI doesn’t just work, but works well everywhere.

Final thoughts: From insight to impact

This month at our fintech UX roundtable, we’ll be bringing together research leaders from some of the world’s most forward-thinking financial platforms to explore all of the above and more.

From smart AI to social equity, one thing is clear: global fintech needs local empathy. If you’re designing the future of finance, make sure it’s a future people actually want to be part of. We’d love to build that future with you.

Want to talk about AI, equity and fintech UX? I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a line at [email protected]

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