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INSIFR: not a bank but a movement

INDUSTRY

Finance

CHALLENGE

INSIFR set out to create the first digital financial platform in the Netherlands to meet the unmet financial needs of the Muslim community. To do this, they needed a full-service partner to handle every aspect from brand strategy to go-to market launch.

RESULTS

SUM Digital led the end-to-end creation and launch of INSIFR, ultimately helping Mohamed Karrouch bring his vision to life. 

KEY SERVICES

  • Brand identity & strategic messaging
  • UX/UI website design & development
  • HubSpot implementation
  • GDPR-compliant data architecture
  • Go-to market campaign
Meet the Founder

Mohamed Karrouch

Mohamed Karrouch had a clear vision: to build a digital financial platform that aligns with Islamic values, a need he saw so far unmet in the Netherlands.

With a successful investor pitch and seed funding secured, Mohamed was ready to move fast. But building such platform from the ground up requires more than vision. It takes deep expertise in brand, tech, and growth. Rather than hiring a full in-house team of designers, developers, and marketers, Mohamed sought a strategic partner who could deliver across all disciplines.
That’s when he partnered with SUM Digital, a full-service growth agency equipped to help bring INSIFR to life, from branding to go-to-market launch.

SUM Digital truly delivers on its promise. Many thanks! 

Mohamed Karrouch 

CEO 

Why halal banking matters

Traditional Western banking systems often exclude Muslim customers due to practices like charging interest (riba), financial speculation (gharar), or engaging with non-halal industries. For years, Muslims in the Netherlands had to choose between compromising their faith or staying outside the modern financial system.

INSIFR was created to solve this - a financial platform that upheld Islamic values without sacrificing innovation or accessibility. But building it from the ground up, with no pre-existing brand, website, or infrastructure, was a massive challenge.

How INSIFR went from vision to launch

To bring his vision to life, Mohamed needed more than just execution. He needed a strategic growth partner to help him build INSIFR with the long-term goals in mind - that’s where SUM Digital came in.

With over a decade of experience across brand strategy, technology, HubSpot, and customer experience, our team acted as an integrated partner, guiding INSIFR through each step of the journey.

We used our Growth Plan, a proven methodology that combines exceptional customer experience and streamlined marketing, sales, and service operations. Every phase was designed to help INSIFR launch as not just a halal platform, but a new standard for inclusive, ethical finance for the Muslim community.

INSIFR’s growth journey in 7 phases

Brand identity and guide

Starting from zero meant unlimited creative freedom, and for INSIFR, "zero" had symbolic meaning: it’s what the name stands for in Arabic. This inspired a clean, minimal design language rooted in quiet luxury.

Our Design & Visual Lead Haley created INSIFR’s full brand identity, where visuals and brand assets were designed to balance trust, modernity, and cultural relevance. Like your trusted financial partner, but reimagined for the digital world.

“The most exciting part of the design process was breaking down the original word, ‘sifr’, into separate elements and combining them into a seamless logo with a sleek and modern look.”

Haley Jansen
Visual Lead Designer

Creating INSIFR’s 
communication strategy

Frame 980

With a visual identity in place, INSIFR faced the next challenge: how to communicate their message in a way that speaks to their audience’s values. They weren’t just launching a digital financial platform - they were introducing a new way of thinking about money, focused on empowerment, transparency, and inclusion. 

To articulate this vision, INSIFR worked with SUM Digital’s CEO and Growth Strategist, Diederik, who guided the team through the StoryBrand framework. This process helped crystallize INSIFR’s value proposition and ensured their message was clear, compelling, and audience-focused.

“Your values, our priority.
At INSIFR – your trusted digital Islamic financial partner – respect for your Islamic norms and values is always at the heart of what we do. Whether you're managing your finances for business or personal needs, we ensure everything is fully halal and transparent.
We’re clear about all costs and keep our processes simple. No fine print, no confusion. Because you deserve financial peace of mind and clarity. This way, you can confidently build your future – in a way that aligns with your beliefs.”

Building a scalable online presence

With their brand identity and message in place, INSIFR needed a website that could deliver on their promise: sleek, simple, and reliable. The team chose HubSpot CMS as their platform, and the website was designed and developed with performance, usability, and scalability in mind.

“The INSIFR project was a significant challenge, requiring us to balance client vision, strong performance, and marketing value. Our goal was to create a simple website that clearly communicated INSIFR's message while generating leads. Success was achieved through close collaboration with the client, the designer, and the Growth Team.”

Coleen Yuson
Lead UX/UI Designer

Laying the foundation for  end-to-end customer engagement

As a new digital financial platform, INSIFR needed more than a website - they needed a fully integrated commercial backbone. That meant marketing automation, a clear sales pipeline, and a support system anticipating personal needs from day one. 

To achieve this, our HubSpot Lead Boudewijn and the team took charge of implementing and onboarding HubSpot Marketing, Sales and Service, tailored to fit INSIFR’s customer journey. Lifecycle automations, lead capture flows, CRM setup, and helpdesk tools were configured to ensure INSIFR could engage prospects, convert leads, and support customers - all from one platform.

“From day one, INSIFR was clear about wanting more than just tools. They wanted a commercial system that could scale with their ambition. Building that with HubSpot was a rewarding challenge.”

Boudewijn Dekker
HubSpot Lead

A privacy-first data infrastructure, built for the future

The next challenge INSIFR faced was setting up their data architecture in accordance with 2025-level standards - luckily, nothing our SUMInsights team couldn't handle. They implemented advanced server-side tagging via Stape.io and a robust consent mode to ensure GDPT and privacy compliance.

This approach prioritizes user privacy while maintaining the marketing intelligence which is essential for growth. 

Taking the brand live: INSIFR’s launch campaign

Once the strategy, systems, and brand were realized, it was time to go live. With a clear message and a salient visual identity, the campaign was ready to roll out across key digital channels to build early brand awareness and welcome INSIFR’s first clients. Every channel and creative asset worked together to invite users into a banking experience built around them. 

“From a vision to a fully realized brand, commercial strategy and infrastructure, and go-to-market launch. This is the kind of challenge we live for at SUM Digital.”

Diederik Gerbranda
CEO

What’s next for INSIFR? 

INSIFR’s launch brought together everything we do best at SUM Digital: strategy, design, development, HubSpot, data and growth, all under one roof.

But the real hero of this story is INSIFR. With our guidance, Mohamed was able to turn an idea into a brand, serving the banking needs of the Muslim community in the Netherlands. By combining our expertise, insights, and problem-solving, we helped Mohamed reach his first milestone - launching INSIFR.

Our cooperation doesn’t end here, if you’re wondering. We’ll continue to support INSIFR on their growth journey - they have a lot of goals, and our team is here to make it happen!  

B2B Growth Playbook

By the end of this playbook, you’ll have a clear plan to grow your business by attracting new clients and turning them into loyal fans. It’s a long-term strategy that builds lasting momentum.

READ THE SUM PLAYBOOK
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