YouGov Buys Open Banking Firm Lean App

YouGov has announced the acquisition of open banking start-up Lean App, adding financial transaction data to its panel, profiling and other products and services.

The deal, for an unspecified amount, includes a three year earn-out based on success in enriching YouGov's data in the UK and US, and involves all four of Lean App's co-founders - Luke Dugdale, Tom Stuart, Max Lascombe, and Artur Jurgenson - joining the new parent firm.

Members of Lean App's system will be asked to give consent to share their financial transaction data with YouGov, adding data on the value, timing and frequency of purchases made both online and offline, across nearly 40 industries, to YouGov's existing products and services. YouGov says the buy, together with the recently announced launch of cross-device tracker and data marketplace YouGov Safe, the latest buy will help to enrich its stream of observed behavioural data, taking consumer profiling to the next level.

CEO and co-founder Stephan Shakespeare (pictured) comments: 'We are excited to bring Lean App into the YouGov fold as we continue to invest for growth in line with our strategy. The addition of financial transaction data, alongside the launch of YouGov Safe, expands our capabilities to provide our clients with data that verifies consumer behaviour. By helping our clients understand their audience's full journey across their digital activities and connecting it to YouGov's rich attitudinal data, YouGov is redefining the possibilities of connected customer data for both consumers and clients'.

The company has operations in the UK, North America, Mainland Europe, the Nordics, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, and is online at www.yougov.com .