Oportun's AI Bills Feature Boosts Savings by 48%

The feature arrives as Oportun also pushes deeper into responsible lending. Earlier this month, the company struck a partnership with Column, a nationally chartered bank that provides regulatory infrastructure for tech firms. Column will originate unsecured personal loans through the program, while Oportun handles marketing, servicing, and platform support. Gaurav Rana, Oportun's senior vice president and general manager of lending, said the partnership “supports Oportun's mission to empower more people to build a better future by expanding that access.”

The savings tool targets a demographic that often struggles to put money aside. A PYMNTS Intelligence report found that zillennials – those born between the mid-1990s and early 2000s – are more likely than older generations to cite living comfortably between paychecks as a financial goal. The same report noted that zillennials who lacked access to financial literacy tools as children tend to have more trouble paying bills on time.

Oportun (OPRT) did not disclose the number of users enrolled in Smart Bills or the total dollars saved through the feature. The company said the 48% savings lift came from the first cohort of members who activated the tool.