+140K
Active accounts on the USD Interest product
+$76M
Funds on the USD Interest account
+$2M
Interest accrued all time
+190K
Deposits made
I lead the end-to-end design of Uphold's USD Interest Account — from initial discovery and competitive research through flow architecture, UI design, and user testing. I'm the sole designer on this initiative, working directly with product, engineering, and compliance to bring a High-Yield savings experience to 97K+ US users.
The USD Interest Account is Uphold's first step in the Neobank direction for the US market. This initiative aims to bring to US users the possibility of earning interest on USD balances. Users will be able to put their money into a High-Yield savings account and earn interest on the amount stashed.
A massive opportunity hiding in plain sight
Only 18% of Americans use high-yield savings accounts — meaning 82% are leaving money on the table with minimal risk. For Uphold, this gap has a face: 87.6K US users holding idle USD balances on a platform that isn't working that money for them. Without a yield product, users with savings intent have every reason to move their money elsewhere. This is a retention and monetisation problem with a clear strategic upside: a High-Yield savings account becomes Uphold's first proof point as a day-to-day "bank" — not just a trading tool.
Market intelligence before product decisions
Before a single frame is drawn, I run a systematic competitive analysis of how fintechs and neobanks position high-yield savings — Revolut, Monzo, Marcus, SoFi. In parallel, I dive deep into Uphold's US user data to understand who we're actually designing for and where the highest-potential segment lives.
Competitors lead with APY
A rate race with diminishing differentiation. An opportunity exists to stand apart through goal-based, intentional savings framing.
Top 10% hold $280+ in USD
A defined addressable segment with meaningful balances and high conversion potential — the primary design and acquisition target.
No US competitor uses goal-based Pots
A clear white space for Uphold to own a more human, intentional positioning in a crowded market where everyone races to the same rate.
US base growing from 87K to 97K
Platform momentum that makes the timing of a savings product strategically aligned with acquisition growth — not a retrofit.
01 — Pots as the core mental model.
Named, goal-based savings containers that mirror how people actually think about money — not how banks categorise it. Directly motivated by the white space identified in competitive analysis: no US competitor was doing this.
02 — Goal-setting before deposit amount.
The Pot creation flow starts with naming the goal and setting a target — not entering a number. Users see an earnings projection before committing money. Intent before arithmetic.
03 — Differentiation through framing, not rate.
Segmentation data showed our most addressable users are goal-oriented savers, not rate-chasers. The Pot structure gives Uphold a more human positioning where competitors are racing to the same number.
