BankFi

Overview

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BankFi is a Cardano-based DeFi ecosystem with a focus on sustainable, revenue-backed yield generation through RWAs, DePIN infrastructure, ecosystem integrations, and a new focus on gamified user engagement systems.

The platform abstracts complex yield strategies into simplified ‘Units’ separated by verticals. This enables users to participate in revenue-generating ecosystems such as Bitcoin Mining, telecom node operations, and partner integrations through a streamlined interface.

The ecosystem is multifaceted, and includes:

  • A dual-marketplace system for Peer-to-Peer & Direct-to-Consumer markets

  • Governance infrastructure to shape the structure & direction of the platform

  • Revenue-backed staking mechanics

  • NFT & Token minting services through BankFi: Pillar

  • Gamified retention systems through Discord & the web-platform tied to portfolio ratings

  • Cross-project integrations & launch partnerships

Rebranding & Brand Identity Unification

One of the key concerns I had when joining BankFi was the various different brand images, titles, names, and terms the brand would identify with. The project was referred to as BankerLabs, with “Bank” being a short-form nomenclature, and the web platform was called “BankFi”. The project had undergone various shifts in product through it’s now 3-year history, and therefore had developed a brand image on the fly.

Furthermore, as of early 2026, BankerLabs (the operating company) had acquired renowned development agency “Yepple” as a development arm of the broader company. With now over 3 different terms for the overarching company, and an entirely separate & established brand being added to the ecosystem, some reform was needed.

We determined that the best & most modern identity to unify all the other segments of the company under. We determined that the BankerLabs moniker would be the operating title, with BankFi being the brand & title utilized for all public-facing relations. This unification also worked to incorporate Yepple, with that arm of the project being rebranded to BankFi: Pillar as an homage to the stability & structure the service provides.

Contributions:

  • Helped establish clearer ecosystem positioning

  • Unified messaging between BankFi & BankFi: Pillar

  • Developed consistent terminology across products such as Verticals (being separated into ‘Core’ and ‘Affiliate’)

  • Helped create scalable content structures for future campaigns.

The rebrand was a massive success & helped strengthen ecosystem cohesion. The onboarding for new users was significantly improved, and it helped establish a more professional perception.

Furthermore, as part of our initiative, we were able to finalize certain titles for initiatives such as our #BackedByBankFi service wherein projects looking to mint new Token or NFTs through BankFi: Pillar could allocate some revenue to our yield-producing verticals in exchange for complimentary minting fees & marketing services.

Small visual teaser showing the gamification vault spin animation with a little teaser for the release

My Role

My official role with BankFi has been that of Marketing Coordinator, but with a small agile team, my role extends to that of product & systems designer, and brand strategist. In my time with BankFi, I have been involved in cross-functional contributions across:

  • Product & UX design

  • Gamification system design & integration

  • Brand identity & ecosystem positioning

  • Discord systems architecture

  • Proposal & documentation writing for marketing & commercial use

  • Partner collaboration strategy & marketing services

  • Content systems & operational workflows

I report directly to the CEO & CTO of the platform, and work closely with the multidisciplinary team across marketing, development, and third-party ecosystem partners to improve the usability & long-term scalability of the BankFi ecosystem.

My personalized $BANK token

Animated by DPD2 of the BankFi team showing the conversion from Yepple to Pillar

Discord Infrastructure & Community Systems

Alongside our rebranding initiatives, this also required a reworking of the public Discord with a renewed focus on user engagement, retention, and ‘fun’-ification! During the rebrand, I audited the Discord server, roles, and bots currently active and found a whopping 113 unnecessary roles, 15 unnecessary bots, and plenty of pointless roles that we looked to wipe away.

My Contributions:

  • Redesigned server architecture & channel organization

  • Improved onboarding flow for new users

  • Reduced channel count & information clutter

  • Created clear distinctions between BankFi-focused announcements, user support, rewards posts, community engagement, and partner-focused announcements

  • Created a customized discord bot to track portfolio-based scores, assign roles, add new dynamic engagement features, and wallet-linked role verification

Overall, my work on this bot was & still is ongoing as new features, fun mechanics, and systems are added systematically. It has helped automate portfolio-based role assignment, improve administrative efficiency, and user retention.

BankFi & BankFi: Pillar logos (The Pillar Logo I designed myself)

Key Takeaways

In my work, there were many lessons learned, but the main ones include:

  • Retention Requires Meaningful Participation:
    Strong retention systems are not built purely through rewards,. The most effective loops combine progression, visibility, consistency, and value-alignment

  • Branding Extends Beyond Visuals:
    Brand identity is heavily tied to terminology, user understanding & perception, and consistency of communication. This all needs to align with a cohesive ecosystem to reaffirm that identity

  • Sustainable Design Matters:
    Many Web3 systems & projects optimize for short-term growth at the expense of long-term sustainability. Working on BankFi reinforced the importance of transparency and responsible incentive design.

  • Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration Creates Better Products:
    Some of the strongest outcomes came from close collaboration between product, marketing, and ecosystem partners. This project emphasized how interconnected modern product ecosystems truly are.