Anna has announced plans to launch the UK’s first business current accounts aimed exclusively at supporting small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the creative industries.
Promising to help creatives keep on top of both their business finances and accompanying admin, Anna provides an entirely digital platform that addresses the unique needs of SMEs from sectors such as advertising, games and TV, to artisans, distilleries and crafts people.
Anna is not a bank, rather it combines a business account, debit card, and a hybrid (human and artificial) intelligence assistant into the Anna current account. This comes with a card that can be accessed through an app. Anna has been designed specifically to suit the needs of creative professionals at all levels - from sole traders to established agencies.
Alongside the current account, features will include innovative tools to analyse expenses, chase payments, and predict cash-flow, as well as give users a clear overview of their finances.
Combining artificial intelligence with human insights, Anna will also send and pay invoices. This is done using email, from which the AI can analyse to learn how much you’re owed, by whom, and chasing them (politely) when they’re due. Likewise, when users receive an invoice, they can forward the details onto Anna, which will prepare any payment instructions and fill in information like surnames and sort codes so that the payment is ready to be made whenever needed.
Anna is currently in beta and currently onboarding its first 2,000 customers, who will have free access to Anna for three years.
Eduard Panteleev, CEO and co-founder of ANNA Money, said:
“The creative industries contribute £90bn to the UK economy. It’s one of the fastest growing industries and comprises over three million jobs around the country. Yet until now, a single service aimed at making running a creative business easier didn’t exist. Anna changes all this; it will improve productivity with the main aim of saving people time so they are freed up to do more of the things they love. Our aim is to address the concerns of a vibrant and powerful sector, to promote the community of creators we came from, and to ensure that there’s absolutely no-nonsense admin in any creative business.”
Daljit Singh, Chief Design Officer of Anna explains:
“Working with creative companies, I’ve often observed the struggles that small business owners go through dealing with admin. Anna embraces the latest tech and AI innovations, but it is design-led and focused on the human. It’s playful and friendly. Our product has been built to be relevant to the imaginative and visionary, dedicated and hardworking people behind all small and medium sized businesses.”