With banks facing mounting pressure to diversify revenue streams amid increased competition, secured credit cards have emerged as a promising solution–particularly for serving the estimated 45 million Americans underserved by traditional credit products. 

But not all secured credit programs are created equal. Legacy secured credit models have several inherent limitations that hinder their effectiveness and reach. However, next-generation secured credit with dynamic funding is solving these pain points–revolutionizing the space and driving new opportunities and benefits for banks and customers alike. 

What’s wrong with traditional secured credit?

The traditional secured credit model includes significant barriers for both financial institutions and consumers, hindering takeup and utility for consumers, and limiting revenue and customer satisfaction for banks. 

How Banks Can Unlock New Revenue and Customer Growth with Next-Gen Secured Credit

Conventional secured credit forces customers to establish and fund a separate collateral account to protect the issuer against default risk. This framework creates several financial burdens for users, including:

• Double funding requirement: Cardholders must maintain funds in both a collateral account and their checking account, essentially requiring double the amount they can actually spend.

• Rigid structure: Access to credit is delayed as funds must first be locked in a separate collateral account.

• Limited flexibility: The entire credit line needs to be secured upfront, regardless of actual spending patterns.

• Poor user experience: Manual transfers and complex account management create friction for users.

These limitations have resulted in low adoption rates and missed opportunities for financial institutions to expand their customer base and drive revenue growth.

The dynamic funding difference

Next-generation secured credit with dynamic funding addresses these pain points through a fundamentally different approach to how funds are stored, managed, and moved. Dynamic funding makes these processes more automated, faster and more user-friendly for both consumers and financial institutions.

The key to dynamic funding’s effectiveness lies in eliminating the need for separate collateral deposits. Rather than dividing money between multiple accounts, customers maintain their funds in one consolidated deposit account that displays a single “available to spend” balance, which funds both debit and secured credit purchases. 

Learn more about Galileo’s secured credit with dynamic funding

As their checking account balance fluctuates, the cardholder’s credit limit adjusts accordingly. This dynamic securitization offers convenience and flexibility–obviating the need for users to make manual transfers into collateral accounts to secure higher-cost purchases.

And importantly, cardholders maintain real-time access to their funds for everyday expenses while simultaneously building their credit history–creating a seamless financial experience that supports both immediate needs and long-term financial health.

Benefits for banks and consumers

By optimizing the secured credit model, dynamic funding offers powerful benefits for bank and cardholders. Among the key advantages of next-gen secured credit are: 

For banks:

• Expanded customer base by tapping into underserved markets

• Increased revenue through credit interchange fees 

• Opportunities for cross-selling additional products as customers build credit

• Enhanced customer loyalty through improved user experience

For consumers:

• Improved financial accessibility for those previously excluded from traditional credit

• Smoother pathway to financial inclusion and stronger credit profiles

• Simplified account management with no upfront collateral deposit

• Greater spending flexibility without sacrificing credit-building benefits

The future of secured credit

For financial institutions looking to diversify revenue streams while expanding financial inclusivity, next-generation secured credit with dynamic funding represents a significant opportunity. By embracing this innovation, banks can unlock the potential of credit-underserved segments, drive long-term business growth and help consumers develop brighter financial futures.

Contact Galileo to learn more about how dynamic funding is revolutionizing secured credit.