The Book of Money Is Just the Beginning
How Monzo Is Using Education and AI to Win the Next Generation of Customers - Written by Matthew Pigott, creator of AI Bants Substack, covering the latest in AI and digital finance.
How is Monzo using AI and publishing to change financial education for young people in the UK?
Money shapes almost every part of our lives, yet most of us never had a proper lesson in managing it. In the UK, fewer than half of young people receive meaningful financial education at school, so adults often learn on the job. Through trial, error—and sometimes costly mistakes. Forward-thinking banks are stepping out from behind the vault door and into the classroom, showing that helping customers understand money isn't just goodwill—it's how lasting relationships are built. Today, that mission is set to be supercharged by honest conversations about money, artificial intelligence, and turning long-form guidance into personalised learning journeys.
From Coral Cards to Educational Publishing
Monzo burst onto the scene in 2015 with its bright-coral card and cheeky "get-paid-early" nudge. Now, it's taking a significant next step with The Book of Money, due out this September. This isn't another dry finance manual either but a 320-page deep dive into everything from budgeting, saving, and investing to debt and property—all written in Monzo's signature warm, jargon-free style.
But what exactly is Monzo hoping to achieve with such a bold move into publishing? The answer lies in its mission to make money work for everyone. By creating accessible financial education, Monzo isn't just building brand awareness—it's positioning itself as a trusted advisor for life's biggest financial decisions.
The book's six core themes mirror the customer journey from first bank account to financial independence:
Balancing your budget - avoid the day-before-payday dread
How to 'do money' together - take the tension out of sharing finances
Becoming an investor - why it's not just for millionaires
Life after work - how to look after your future self and leave pension procrastination behind
Debt and borrowing - how to get on top of your debt and use credit to your advantage
Property - renting, buying and making the most of where you live
With infographics, practical exercises and stories inspired by Monzo's 12 million customers, the book serves as both educational resource and an inspiration to marketers in financial sectors everywhere.
The Perfect Timing for Financial Education
This publishing venture comes at a pivotal moment. Recent research shows that 39% of UK adults don't feel confident managing money, with young people particularly vulnerable to financial misinformation. Meanwhile, 35% of teenagers now learn about money from social media, often from unregulated "finfluencers" who prioritise engagement clicks over accuracy.
Monzo's book tackles this head-on, providing authoritative content that young people can trust. While the book stands on its own, it’s what Monzo does next that could set a new standard for digital banking.
The Digital Transformation Opportunity
Monzo’s forthcoming The Book of Money offers more than printed guidance—it provides a structured framework that can be reimagined across digital channels. By adapting each chapter for today’s platforms, Monzo could:
Launch a TikTok takeover — Turn the Freddo inflation analogy into a viral 30-second explainer with playful visuals
Publish Instagram carousels — Adapt “How to ‘Do Money’ Together” into step-by-step rent-splitting guides with real-life examples
Release YouTube Shorts — Condense investment primers into under-60-second clips that make compound interest feel approachable
Power a conversational AI tutor — Field real-time questions (“Split a bill?” “Open an ISA?”) in Monzo’s friendly tone
Deliver contextual micro-lessons — brief, actionable tips just before payday on avoiding overdrafts and boosting savings. Example:
First touch: Push notification
"Payday coming up? Here’s a 10-second tip to avoid the overdraft trap."
Second touch: In-app card or modal
"Try moving £10 to your savings pot before buying your next takeaway. You’ll be glad you did."
Offer interactive quizzes — Help users discover their “Financial Era” and unlock feature recommendations (Pots, round-ups, joint accounts)
Showcase customer-led storytelling — Repurpose user success videos like paying off debt across email, social, and in-app feeds
Turning finance into micro-learning moments like these can help embed better habits into everyday life, especially for younger users navigating money for the first time. Brief, well-timed tips delivered through TikTok-style clips, in-app prompts or quizzes don’t just inform—they build confidence, shift behaviour, and turn passive users into active money managers, deepening trust in the banks that helped them get there.
Where AI Becomes the Game-Changer
This is where artificial intelligence transforms from buzzword to business advantage. As Monzo CEO TS Anil observe:
"The power of GenAI to help customers get better educated is extraordinary…you can customise it in the context of the customer and deliver it in a way that the customer can process and understand it."
Imagine AI systems that personalise financial content based on spending habits, life stage, and long-term goals. For example, a 22-year-old tackling student loans might see something very different to a 35-year-old saving for a house. Equally, someone juggling an irregular freelance income might receive guidance that differs from a single parent with a steady part-time job planning childcare costs. The content might be the same but the messaging and guidance could change in accordance with the lives behind the numbers.
From Static Content to Dynamic Conversations
Looking a little further into the future (but not that far), generative AI could transform the book's static content into dynamic, conversational experiences. Instead of reading about investment risk, users could chat with an AI tutor that explains concepts laid out in the book using their own, real financial situation as examples. Complex topics like mortgage calculations could be broken down into personalised scenarios that feel relevant and achievable.
The technology is already here, but meaningful implementation is still in its early stages. Tools like Cleo are using conversational AI to help users budget and save, while banks like JPMorgan Chase are experimenting with generative AI to deliver personalised financial communications. Monzo, with its foundation of trusted static content, could combine these approaches to build something genuinely transformative.
Learning from the Pioneers
Banks and fintechs alike are exploring this fertile, tech-driven territory:
Barclays has partnered with National Numeracy to deliver AI-enhanced lesson plans in schools
Santander UK reports a 20% engagement boost from its gamified budgeting platform, which uses AI feedback loops
Sunshine+Kittens, a newer entrant, is building AI-powered financial literacy apps for children, using gamification to make learning stick
What’s emerging is a clear shift — from static, standalone content to educational tools that meet people where they are, adapting in real time to the rhythms of everyday life.
Monzo is well positioned within this landscape. With a decade of brand trust, a large customer base, and a library of well-crafted educational content, it stands to benefit from layering AI into what already exists. The question isn’t whether AI will reshape financial education—it’s which players will do it with the most clarity, empathy, and reach.
The Social Media Generation Challenge
More young people are turning to platforms like TikTok for financial guidance. 64% of Gen Z now use it as a primary search tool, while only 18% report receiving meaningful financial education at school. In the absence of formal instruction, money advice is increasingly sourced from creators, trends, and short-form content, with varying degrees of accuracy.
AI as a New Financial Companion
In addition, AI tools are becoming informal advisors. People are turning to services like ChatGPT and Perplexity to ask direct, personal questions: how to build a budget, reduce debt, or choose a savings account. The experience often feels deeply personalised, especially as users continue the conversation and refine their questions. The more they interact, the more the advice appears to adapt to what they are looking for.
The Rise of AI-Wrapped Apps
In addition, developers are building on this behaviour, creating apps that wrap financial content in conversational AI. These tools offer an experience that feels responsive and tailored, even when powered by generic data. For many users, it’s close enough to feel like real guidance, and more accessible than reading a PDF or waiting on hold.
From Broadcast to Dialogue
What’s emerging is a shift from static, one-size-fits-all content to adaptive systems that live inside users' daily routines. It’s a shift raises questions about trust, accuracy, and oversight. But it also offers a model for how financial education could become more timely, personalised, and genuinely useful, and something that banks will lean into with greater urgency as the competition to win more customers using this emerging technology intensifies.
Meeting Young People Where They Are
The challenge isn’t just the quality of financial information. It’s how and where that information is delivered — and how relevant it feels in the moment it’s needed.
Credibility Meets Relevance
Monzo’s book provides a solid foundation of trust. AI brings the potential for personalisation. And platforms like TikTok, YouTube and in-app prompts offer distribution in formats young people already use. That shift in context (credible advice delivered through relevant channels) is what turns brings accurate information to the surface in a way that lands meaningfully and with pin-point relevance. Because even the best content only works when it feels timely, relevant, and personal.
Building Tomorrow's Financially Literate Generation
Monzo's Book of Money isn’t just about promoting bank accounts. It’s about helping a generation grow up understanding money. The bank’s under-16 accounts already reflect that vision, offering financial tools to children as young as six.
With the right blend of credible content, AI personalisation and smart distribution, Monzo could become a go-to source of financial education for young people. Imagine a future where every teenager understands compound interest, and every young adult knows how to budget with confidence.
That’s not just good for society. It’s good for business. Financially literate customers make better decisions, feel less stress and stay loyal longer. They’re also more likely to share what works, creating the kind of organic growth money can’t buy.
The Future is Personal and Intelligent
By 2027, customers will expect embedded, AI-driven education at key banking moments—from first salary to home deposit. The banks that provide this will build deeper relationships, reduce support costs and create genuine value for customers.
Monzo's book launch, paired with their exploration of generative AI, positions them perfectly for this brave new world. Because Monzo isn’t just creating content—its building the foundation for a new kind of banking relationship where education and service are seamlessly integrated.
The Revolution Starts Now
For Monzo, this moment marks more than just the release of a new book. It’s part of a broader shift — from banking as a service to banking as a source of education, guidance and long-term value. The Book of Money, set to launch in September, builds on that direction, opening the door to something more responsive, more relevant, and more aligned with how people want to manage their finances, but often can’t, because the support simply hasn’t been there.
What comes next will depend not on headlines or hype, but on execution, and whether the tools being built genuinely meet people where they are, and help them get where they want to be.
About the Author
Matt Pigott is a content strategist with over 20 years of experience in fintech, finance, and AI-driven marketing. He publishes AI Bants Substack, where he helps brands turn complex ideas into clear, compelling content.
Subscribe to AI Bants for insights on AI, digital finance, and the future of fintech. Connect with him on LinkedIn to discuss the future of AI in finance, content strategy, or opportunities for collaboration.
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