Interviews Behind the Apps Fintech
13 min read

Behind the Apps Ep 4: Quality FinTech User Acquisition with Kredivo

Behind the Apps: Kredivo's Fight Against Fraud and Focus on Quality User Acquisition

In this fourth episode of Behind the Apps: Mobile Marketing Talks, host David Murphy talks to Kelvin Saputra, Co-Head of Performance Marketing at Kredivo. Together, they explore the challenges and strategies behind driving quality user acquisition for Kredivo, a leading Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) app operating in emerging markets like Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Thailand.

What You’ll Learn by Watching This Interview

  • How Kredivo has successfully overcome fraud at both the user and install levels.
  • The importance of acquiring high-quality users over simply driving app installs.
  • How partnerships with platforms like AVOW have helped Kredivo reduce fraud and scale effectively.
  • Key lessons for building long-term, collaborative relationships with advertising networks.

Who Should Watch This Interview

This interview is perfect for:

  • Mobile Marketers: Discover actionable strategies for driving quality user acquisition in competitive markets.
  • App Developers: Learn how to minimize fraud and optimize campaigns for better results.
  • FinTech Professionals: Gain insights into managing challenges specific to digital credit platforms.
  • Digital Advertising Specialists: Understand how to build successful partnerships with ad networks.

Watch the interview via the video below or on AVOW’s YouTube channel. Scroll down for the full transcript!

Interview with Kelvin Saputra, Co-Head of Performance Marketing at Kredivo


David Murphy (Host): Do you want to just kick off by saying a few words about yourself and your role at Kredivo?

Kelvin Saputra (Kredivo): My name is Kelvin Saputra, and I’ve been the Co-Head of Performance Marketing at Kredivo for about six years, starting in 2018. I oversee all paid activities, including planning, execution, and reporting to our management team.

Portrait of Kelvin Saputra, Co-Head of Performance Marketing at Kredivo, during his interview on Behind the Apps: Mobile Marketing Talks, discussing user acquisition and fraud prevention strategies for Kredivo.
Kelvin Saputra, Co-Head of Performance Marketing at Kredivo
💬 “Most importantly, we prioritize safety and security, ensuring user data is always secure on our servers.” – Kelvin Saputra, Kredivo

David Murphy (Host): So tell us a little bit about the Kredivo app, what it does, and which markets it operates in.

Kelvin Saputra (Kredivo): Kredivo is a leading digital credit payment platform that provides fast, affordable, and secure financial solutions, especially for unbanked consumers. We offer affordability, allowing users to enjoy no down payment and 0% interest for payments made within 30 days, with flexible installment options of up to 24 months.

It’s also very convenient. Users only need to apply once, with a quick approval process that is typically completed within 24 hours—80% of which is handled by bots—making it fast and efficient. Once approved, users can use Kredivo for both online and offline transactions at thousands of merchants.

Most importantly, we prioritize safety and security, ensuring user data is always secure on our servers. Overall, Kredivo is a financial platform that empowers users to manage their cash flow and helps them create better financial plans.

David Murphy (Host): And which markets do you operate in?

Kelvin Saputra (Kredivo): We are live in Indonesia, which is our first and biggest market so far. We expanded to Vietnam in 2019, and this year we launched in two more countries: the Philippines and Thailand.

💬 “Acquiring users is easy, but acquiring quality users is not. The scoring and approval process is very important for us.” – Kelvin Saputra, Kredivo

David Murphy (Host): What would you say are your biggest challenges right now—whether from a regulatory, tech, or other perspective?

Kelvin Saputra (Kredivo): First, of course, the regulatory aspect. Our government has focused on financial institutions over the last two years, and many new regulations have been introduced. We comply with each new regulation as it comes up and adapt to every change made by the government.

And the other challenge is how we acquire more quality users. For Kredivo, it’s not just about installs or approving users; it’s about making sure that the users we approve can pay us back, right? After they use Kredivo, they need to repay. Otherwise, we lose money.

So, the scoring and approval process is very important for us. Acquiring users is easy, but acquiring quality users is not.

💬 “There is quite a lot of fraud out there, and we have to minimize install-level fraud. First, we use AppsFlyer, the MMP, which has fraud protection tools that help us a lot. Secondly, we select good partners” – Kelvin Saputra, Kredivo

David Murphy (Host): And in the financial sector, I guess fraud is always a concern. So, in terms of acquiring quality users while also preventing fraud, what specific challenges do you face in that area

Kelvin Saputra (Kredivo): Fraud is the biggest enemy in the financial sector, especially in Indonesia. We face two types of fraud. The first is user-level fraud, where after approval, users default on their credit and simply don’t pay us back. For that, we have our own collection team in the field to manage it.

In the digital world, specifically in digital marketing, we deal with install-level fraud. Since we operate using many app networks through affiliates and partners, like Apple, the digital traffic can often be quite messy.

There is quite a lot of fraud out there, and we have to minimize install-level fraud. First, we use AppsFlyer, the MMP, which has fraud protection tools that help us a lot. Secondly, we select good partners after testing and trials, checking the quality of their traffic. If they bring a lot of fraud, we stop working with them and look for another. So that’s how we manage our traffic and ensure that we get better quality traffic, not fraudulent traffic.

💬 “They (Mobile OEMs) contribute a lot to our user acquisition—around 30 to 40% of all our user acquisition efforts.” – Kelvin Saputra, Kredivo

David Murphy (Host): If we look at mobile OEM partnerships, how have they contributed to your user acquisition efforts?

Kelvin Saputra (Kredivo): I believe they (mobile OEMs partnerships) contribute a lot since we operate primarily online through our app. All of our users need to download the app and find us through social media, digital networks, websites, and online videos.

We are partnering with many partners, like AVOW, of course, to help us acquire users. We have our own framework to qualify or check the quality of our partner traffic, and that’s how we manage all the paid digital channels and decide whether to select, stop, or pause testing on new channels.

They contribute a lot to our user acquisition—around 30 to 40% of all our user acquisition efforts

💬 “AVOW has become one of our top partners, helping us drive and acquire new users.” – Kelvin Saputra, Kredivo

AVOW’s Strategic Role in Kredivo’s Marketing and App Growth

David Murphy (Host): Staying on the topic of AVOW, what role have they played in your app’s marketing and growth strategies?

Kelvin Saputra (Kredivo): AVOW itself is one of the channels we’ve been working with for, I think, around four years now. From the beginning, we told AVOW that we have a lot of restrictions, starting with installs, attribution, and the approval process. Unlike others, our approval process has stricter requirements. We have quite strict rules and regulations, so we don’t approve a lot of people who come to our app. We tell AVOW that we are aiming to get higher-quality users. We also have a higher benchmark for user rates, such as install-to-apply and apply-to-approval, compared to other competitors.

Because we know our approval rate might be much lower than others, we ask AVOW if they are okay with that. Once they agree, we establish our own commercial model with them and encourage them to keep scaling up. We also give AVOW flexibility to try new channels, new inventory, new creatives, and new targeting.

We work closely with AVOW, meeting every week or every two weeks. We started with really small numbers, and now AVOW has become one of our top partners, helping us drive and acquire new users.

Members of the AVOW and Kredivo teams meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, to discuss user acquisition strategies and partnerships.
Guenole and Jedi from AVOW with the Kredivo team in Jakarta, Indonesia, including Kelvin Saputra (third from the left)
💬 “What’s really interesting about working with AVOW is that they drive less fraud traffic. This helps us a lot because it allows us to focus on finding new users without having to worry so much about fraud. Since the beginning, AVOW has been driving good quality traffic for us.” – Kelvin Saputra, Kredivo

Key Successes and Milestones Achieved with AVOW

David Murphy (Host): Are there any specific successes or milestones you’ve achieved with AVOW’s help that you can share?

Kelvin Saputra (Kredivo): Yes, I think it’s not just about the number of user acquisitions; it’s also about the fraud levels. What’s really interesting about working with AVOW is that they drive less fraud traffic. This helps us a lot because it allows us to focus on finding new users without having to worry so much about fraud.

Lastly, AVOW is quite transparent for us in terms of doing the campaign planning, campaign execution, and also the reporting. So we know which placements are working best, which audience targeting is performing best for us, and which creatives are performing better than others.

It helps us a lot with scaling up the campaigns. By doing this, we also have the flexibility to conduct A/B testing on audiences, inventory, and placements. We review the results together, discuss them, and then come up with better planning for better results.

💬 “With AVOW, you’ve found a partner you can rely on—delivering good users, much less fraud, and a far more reliable source of new users.” – David Murphy, BTA Host & Mobile Marketing Expert

Simplifying User Acquisition with a Trusted Partner in AVOW

David Murphy (Host): So, as you mentioned earlier, the entire user acquisition process and working with multiple app networks can be, as you put it, a little messy. What you’re saying is that with AVOW, you’ve found a partner you can rely on—delivering good users, much less fraud, and a far more reliable source of new users.

Kelvin Saputra (Kredivo): Yes, correct.

💬 “But with AVOW, they understand our business. They care about our business, and I think that’s the most important.” – Kelvin Saputra, Kredivo

Lessons Learned from Partnering with AVOW

David Murphy (Host): Are there any lessons that you’ve learned from working with AVOW?

Kelvin Saputra (Kredivo): I think the way we work together is the most important. Basically, all the ad networks come to us every day, asking to advertise our app, but they don’t care about what our business really is. What they care about is driving installs, clicks, and upper-funnel metrics. But with AVOW, they understand our business.

They care about our business, and I think that’s the most important. That’s why, for Kredivo, we always look for long-term partnerships, not shorter. We always tell what we need, what we want to achieve, and what we aim for, and we wait for a response. AVOW gave us a good response.

They’re quite flexible with us and adapt to what we need. I think that’s how we value the partnership with AVOW – and it has helped us.

Quote from Kelvin Saputra, Co-Head of Performance Marketing at Kredivo regarding their successful partnership with AVOW

Editor’s Note: The interview text has been lightly edited for clarity and flow. Watch the full interview on YouTube.


Inspired by Kredivo’s success with mobile OEMs? Boost your app’s user acquisition through mobile OEM advertising with AVOW’s expert help. Contact AVOW today to grow your audience and elevate your mobile marketing strategy!

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