Internet banks ramp up child-focused products to lock in future customers

Internet-only banks are strengthening their lineups of financial products for minors in a bid to broaden their customer base and build a sustainable foundation for long-term profits, industry officials said Tuesday. Their offerings have recently expanded beyond children and teenagers to include products aimed at fetuses. These products feature simple app-based enrollment processes that eliminate the need for documents such as family relationship certificates, underscoring the convenience and accessibility that set internet banks apart. In October, Toss Bank introduced a prenatal installment savings account, completing a full-cycle lineup of financial products spanning pregnancy, childbirth and childrearing. The product is a flexible savings plan designed to help parents prepare for a child’s future from pregnancy onward to complement the bank’s existing child-focused checking accounts. Launched in 2023, the checking accounts marked the first time an internet-only bank enabled parents to open accounts for their children through fully digital procedures, without a face-to-face visit t