The Challenge

Mintos is Europe’s leading platform for investing in loans. With a mission to make alternative investing more accessible and transparent, they’ve built a strong reputation in the fintech space, serving hundreds of thousands of users across the continent.

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When the Cost Per Verified User (CPV) on their Google Search campaigns started creeping up, Mintos considered shifting more budget into Meta. As their long-standing growth partner, we knew the foundations we’d built on Google were solid, and that optimisation was a better strategy than abandonment for their long-term growth. With a few targeted adjustments, we mapped out a clear path to get performance back on track.

The Solution

Our first move was to review all strategic options. While shifting more budget to Meta could boost brand awareness and continue driving conversions, scrapping search altogether risked a serious drop in verified users. We needed a smarter way to make Google ads work harder. So, we proposed using Performance Max (PMax) instead of standard Search.

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Originally built for ecommerce, PMax has since evolved to support a range of sectors, including fintech. It goes beyond keyword targeting by using Google’s full network (YouTube, Gmail, Discover, Display) to deliver high-performing, multi-format ads. PMax doesn’t wait for people to search - it anticipates intent and gets in front of the right users earlier in their journey.

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To make this work for Mintos, we leaned into audience signals. We uploaded a list of opted-in users to exclude existing customers and build high-quality lookalikes for prospecting. Then we layered on intent-based Google audiences - people actively researching investment opportunities - and narrowed the age range to 25–64. We also added a tailored set of search themes by uploading relevant keywords and semantically related terms likely to signal investor intent.

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This gave the algorithm a clear and comprehensive brief, helping PMax target more accurately and optimise across channels.

The Result

Switching to PMax cut Mintos’s average CPC by 65% and brought the cost per verified customer down by 54% - making Google a viable channel again. Conversion rates from registration to verification jumped from 50% to between 70 and 80%.

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And there was more. By tapping into Google’s full ecosystem, the campaign helped strengthen brand visibility too, reaching potential investors earlier in the funnel with engaging visuals and video that reinforced Mintos’s market position.