by Daniel Taylor
April 2023
Highlights and successes of 2022
2022 has been quite the rollercoaster year for crypto – dynamic and action-packed as ever, but also a time to reflect on what it means to deliver sustainable crypto solutions – and to work harder than ever to achieve that vision.
Here’s what we got up to over the year to deliver you a secure, sustainable and self-empowered crypto experience.
Hello 4.0
Crypto needs great products. And in 2022, we put in more work than ever to make sure that the Zumo App makes getting into crypto as simple and as accessible as possible – without compromising on your security.
Zumo 4.0 was the biggest overhaul of the Zumo App yet, and brought a top-to-bottom redesign making the Zumo App faster and smarter, and paving the way for a whole range of new functionality.
All of it remains built around the familiar non-custodial core, to put you in charge, whatever the circumstances. Your crypto, in your hands.
Crypto for all
Of course, getting products into people’s hands means breaking down any and all access barriers that might stop them from getting involved. At Zumo, we’re firm believers that crypto is for everyone, everywhere, and this year we put an equal amount of time into wide-ranging information and education initiatives.
From Twitter to Discord, Zumo podcasts to the Zumo blog, if you’ve followed us this year you’ll have seen the breadth of topics we’ve tackled, from crypto101 to web3, crypto opportunity to crypto risk, personal security to personal finance.
This has been complemented and supported by the launch of the Zumo Crypto Confidence series: short monthly webinars open to all in which we’ve been delighted to welcome a series of expert guest speakers to discuss how crypto can be applicable to your life, how you get involved and the sort of things it might be interesting to think about, both in how you approach it personally and in terms of the potential of this technology in the longer term.
Rise of the Zero Hero
A recap of the year wouldn’t be complete without a mention of our pioneering decarbonising crypto work, and the work we continue to do to live up to our sustainability values. In 2022, through the Zero Hero pilot, you helped us compensate for £1.5 million of bitcoin purchases via the Zumo App and procure 850 MWh of cleanly generated electricity – enough energy to drive an electric vehicle for over 3 million miles. This is what has set the scene for our further investigation and practical exploration of embedded crypto decarbonisation solutions, supported by grant funding from the UK’s national innovation agency, Innovate UK.
Elsewhere, we were privileged to build on our support for Zumo partner charity WasteAid with a further team fundraising campaign that has smashed our fundraising target in support of WasteAid’s vital work, with the Zumo team collectively undertaking a virtual 5,965-mile journey from Edinburgh to South Africa.
In it to win it
It has been satisfying to see the hard work of the year recognised in a series of awards for the Zumo awards cabinet, including Best Startup in Edinburgh (Hackernoon); Crypto Company of the Year (AltFi Awards); the Climate and Environmental Impact Award (Scottish Financial Technology Awards); and Best Application of ESG (CityAM), in addition to finalist shortlistings for Cryptoasset Innovation of the Year (FSTech Awards); Startup of the Year and Best Use of Blockchain Technology (UK Fintech Awards); Climate Champion (ScotlandIS Digital Technology Awards); and Authentic ESG (Fintech Finance). Of course, none of this would be possible without the support of our customers and partners, and on that note we would like to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who has supported us this year.
Investing in people
Last but by no means least, it goes without saying that the work of the year would not have been possible without the commitment and support of a great team. Over 2022, we were delighted to welcome an array of new faces including Chief Data and Analytics Officer Vicky Byrom, Operations Director Clark Povey, Head of Growth Jonathan Sepulchre, Dagmara Aldridge as our first Chief People and Culture Officer, and strategic advisers James Chadwick and Jeff Carvalho. Zumo continues to grow, so keep an eye out on our careers page if you’re looking to take the crypto leap!
Needless to say, we have loads more planned for 2023, and we look forward to seeing what the new year brings!
