Canadian Fintech Affiliate: B2B brands want you to build an audience
Finder launches Rewards, Business banking is having it's moment and I sat down with Fintel Connect's CEO to chat about affiliate marketing in Canada.
Morning!
Welcome to the Canadian Fintech Affiliate newsletter, a monthly roundup of industry news, interviews with industry leaders, conferences worth attending and jobs for Canadian affiliate marketers.
In today’s email:
What’s trending: Finder launches Finder Rewards, business banking startup are ripping in Canada
Interview: Nicky Senyard, CEO of Fintel Connect interviewed me on all things affiliate marketing and what I would tell my younger self.
Best conferences to attend in August.
Jobs: Roles at Milesopedia, Chexy , Rakuten and 10+ others.
Today’s reading time is 5 minutes.
Opinions expressed are my own*
Affiliate Tip
Your refer a friend program is not a replacement for an affiliate program. If you’re serious about the channel, put some work into it.
🤑 What’s Trending
Finder enters the rewards space
Over the past 10 months, I’ve been working on developing a strategy to increase conversion rates for our partners while building a best-in-class experience for our users.
I’m excited to announce the launch of Finder Rewards, a cashback program for Finder members. With this program, when you become a Finder Member, you’re eligible to earn cashback with participating brands.
I’m now leading the launch of this program across Canada and US. If you’re interested in learning more, reply to this email or ping me on Linkedin.
Business banking is having a moment
Business SaaS isn’t the first vertical that comes to mind for most affiliates. Audiences are difficult to grow, traffic is expensive to buy, and partnerships are limited.
With Canadian BaaS companies raising a combined $203.7 million over the last 12 months, that might be changing.
Here’s who’s raised and how much.
International brands operating in Canada like Airwallex (raised $300m in May) and OFX have also launched similar platforms and features to attract small and medium sized business with cross border operations looking to automate and simplify business financial operations.
With all this capital raised, they’re armed with cash to spend on marketing and growth initiatives, including affiliate programs.
Here’s how I’d build the affiliate program from the ground up
Figure out how much you’re going to pay
First, I’d look at the LTV of an account and the variance across current marketing channels (Google, Meta, organic, referral, channel etc).
Then, I’d work the LTV back into two payable events, lead/application submit (CPL) and KYB (CPA).
After the target CPA has been set, I’d look at current conversion rates across the channels above to calculate the earning per click. To be competitive, the EPCs need to be north of $15 to make it attractive for affiliates. Knowing that, I’d adjust the payouts on the event or set a range depending on affiliate volume.
Now you have the CPA and target EPC with an average CR.
Next, we set up tracking.
I’d speak to networks like Partner Stack (specializes in B2B), Impact, Fintel to get an idea of the cost and weigh that vs setting up internally with like Hasoffers or Everflow.
I want to know how flexible the tracking is, what tools do they have to mitigate fraud, if there’s a built-in invoicing and payments feature and if they have a marketplace or help with affiliate recruitment.
Get your assets in order
Set up your landing pages and all creative materials for affiliates in your tracking platform. Test your flows with internal paid traffic to vet they’re working correctly and the CRs are backing into the EPCs you’re aiming for.
Now, we get some affiliates
I’d start with Finder.com (obvi) then the directories like G2 and Capterra. I’d comb through Google, Meta and TikTok ad libraries to look for paid publishers.
Tools like AMAttendees, Affistash, and SparkToro can help, but keep in mind that affiliates with traffic for business services will always be small compared to anything B2C.
My focus would be on onboarding quality publishers and affiliates, and not necessarily all of those who are interested. I’d vet each individually to understand their audience, gather feedback on the program (including payouts, landing page, funnel, tracking, etc.), and assess potential volume.
Lastly, be easy to work with.
Put those all together and with a bit of luck voila! You have a successful affiliate program.
🍸Conferences
Upcoming conferences worth checking out:
Affiliate Summit East - August 3-5, 2025 | New York City
Good international event with relevance for the Canadian market. Plenty of Canadian based publishers make the trip. Top verticals are often insurance and lending.
🎙️Interview Nicky Senyard, Founder and CEO of Fintel Connect
Last month, I had a chat with Nicky Senyard to talk about what I would do differently early in my career, AI in content discovery, the opportunity for Canadian FIs in affiliate marketing, and how publishers are shifting focus from CPA to long-term customer value.
Here’s our conversation, edited for clarity and length.
Nicky: If time travel existed, what would you tell your younger self?
Cameron: Take more risks, especially early in your career. My biggest moments of growth came from stepping out of my comfort zone and trying things I wasn’t sure would succeed. I’d tell myself not to be afraid of making mistakes.
Nicky: What’s the biggest trend you’re paying attention to currently?
Cameron: AI, and specifically how it’s reshaping content visibility. It’s no longer just about using AI to create content—it’s about how people are discovering it. Google is shifting from search to chat, and engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity are becoming destinations in their own right. The question is: how do you become the answer in a generative AI response? It’s still unclear, but this is the direction things are going and it’ll be huge for publishers and brands alike.
Nicky: What opportunities are Canadian financial institutions missing right now?
Cameron: They’re overlooking what’s in their own backyard. Many Canadian publishers focus solely on U.S. programs. If local banks invested more at home through higher payouts and better tracking, they’d see higher investment in content leading to more traffic and more acquisitions.
Nicky: What’s one thing you want financial brands to understand about affiliate marketing?
Cameron: Affiliates aren’t just performance partners, we’re brand ambassadors. We know the audience, have the product expertise, and the trust. In finance especially, publishers do more than drive conversions. The halo effect is real, and brands need to recognize the full value affiliates bring.
Nicky: What role does data and reporting play in making that case?
Cameron: It’s critical. Tracking beyond conversions like deposits, usage, and retention would be a game changer. Publishers don’t always get credit for the full value they deliver. More visibility into long-term outcomes would justify higher payouts and better goal alignment. It’s not just about signups anymore.
Nicky: How has your strategy evolved over the past two years?
Cameron: We’re focused on building long-term engagement with our users. We’ve strengthened our membership experience with the launch of Finder Rewards to help users find financial products over time, not just at the moment of intent. It’s about earning trust, adding value, and becoming a go-to destination.
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💼 Affiliate Marketing Jobs
Looking for a job board specifically for affiliate marketing roles in Canada?
Check it out 👉 affiliate-marketing-jobs.com
See roles from Milesopedia, Chexy , Rakuten and 10+ others.
If you're hiring in the affiliate space, you can post a job for free. Get started👉 here.
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