Exclusive Guide: Build a Fintech Design System That Scales

Did you know that businesses see around 135% ROI from design systems on average, within just 5 years?

 

For fintech companies racing to scale across mobile, web, and API-driven platforms, returns can be even higher when a fintech design system is implemented correctly.

 

Design bottlenecks, fragmented UIs, and redundant work aren’t just workflow problems—they’re business growth blockers. They slow down development, confuse users, and double your team’s effort.

 

A well-built design system flips that script.

 

It establishes a shared language for design and engineering, boosts product velocity, and guarantees UX consistency—whether you’re shipping one feature or ten at once.

 

In this blog, we break down why every fintech product needs a design system to scale. We’ll unpack the ROI, show you what a scalable system looks like, and share real case studies of how we’ve helped fintech companies grow through fintech design system thinking.

 

Let’s dive in!

 

Why Fintech Products Break Without a Design System

Fintech teams move fast across mobile, web, and API platforms. But without a fintech design system, that speed creates chaos—and blocks growth.

 

Here’s what typically goes wrong:

1. Inconsistent UX across platforms

UI elements look and behave differently depending on the team or sprint.

Example: The “Withdraw Funds” button is green on mobile but greyed out on the web — users assume it’s inactive.

 

2. Redundant design and development work

Designers rebuild the same components. Developers rewrite the same logic.

 

Two teams design their own KYC form—both need QA, and neither matches the brand.

 

3. Misaligned product teams

No shared source of truth means everyone builds from a different playbook, resulting in rework, delays, and frustration.

 

In fintech, these aren’t small issues. They delay compliance, confuse users in high-stakes flows like KYC, and hurt metrics across mobile and web—especially when scaling in global markets like Singapore or the US.

 

At ProCreator, we’re a global web design company in Singapore, the US & India that solves these kinds of fintech challenges through a fintech design system approach.

What Is a Design System and How It Scales Growth in Fintech

A design system isn’t just a component library—it’s the infrastructure behind how modern fintech products scale without breaking.

 

At its core, a design system is a centralized framework with:

 

• Reusable UI components – buttons, input fields, forms
• Design standards – typography, grids, spacing, color palettes
• Design tokens and documentation – to maintain consistency and scale updates

 

A design system diagram is used to map how the various tokens, components, and documentation work together.

 

Here’s how a design system directly impacts fintech business growth:

 

1. Accelerates Time-to-Market

No need to start from scratch.

 

Designers and developers pull pre-approved, production-ready components. It brings design, product, and engineering teams into alignment through a shared Figma and code system—so everyone ships faster.

 

Why It Matters: Design time can be reduced by 30–50%, dev time by up to 37%, and companies report 50% faster design-to-dev handoffs. For fintech companies – this means quicker go-lives for onboarding, lending, and KYC flows.

Image source – Aslipart

 

2. Brings A Consistent User Experience

In fintech, trust is earned through clarity and reliability.

 

A design system ensures users see the same UX logic across mobile, web, and dashboards—so no re-learning, no confusion. A mobile design system further ensures UX doesn’t break across Android and iOS.

 

Why It Matters: This improves user confidence, reduces drop-offs during critical actions (like payments or investments), and increases retention. It also makes it easier to see quicker results in your fintech UX design practices, as you’re not dealing with UI or consistency problems.

 

3. Ensures Accessibility and Regulatory Compliance

Design systems allow product teams to embed WCAG standards right from day 1—vital for serving aging users, and people with disabilities, and avoiding legal risk.

 

They also standardize user flows tied to fintech regulatory compliance (e.g. KYC, disclosures) – with a design that aligns with MAS, PSD2, and other global regulatory bodies.

 

Why It Matters: This minimizes compliance risk, speeds up regulatory approvals, and helps avoid legal fines.

 

How to Build a Scalable Design System for Fintech Products

Building a fintech design system shouldn’t mean pausing innovation or hiring a dozen new designers. It’s about identifying the core patterns your product relies on—and scaling from there.

 

Here’s how fintech teams can build a design system that works for your brand and allows growth –

 

1. Start with What’s Reused Most

Audit your existing designs to identify repeatable elements—buttons, form fields, modals, and alerts. Start with high-impact, high-frequency components for KYC forms, transaction cards, & dashboard tables.

 

Focus on the 20% of UI powering 80% of the experience. Start your fintech design system here.

 

Pro tip: Get inspired by real-world design system examples, and start with a proven design system template as per your use case to avoid reinventing the wheel.

2. Build a Core Library in Figma

Create a robust Figma design system to document and version components. Include:

 

• States (hover, focus, disabled)
• Responsive behavior
• Clear usage guidelines

 

This becomes your design source of truth for all future builds — especially valuable when multiple teams or design agencies are working on the product.

 

3. Define Design Tokens from Day One

Tokens help you scale design updates without chaos. Start with basics:

 

• Color palette and typography
• Spacing units, radii, and shadows
• Theme variables (e.g., dark/light mode, regional styles)

 

For fintech companies operating globally – tokens make localization and visual adjustments much easier—without needing to rewrite components.

4. Partner With Engineering Early

The most common reason fintech design systems fail?

 

They look good in Figma—but never reach production.

 

Avoid that by aligning design and engineering from day 1.

 

Sync your Figma library with a front-end library (e.g., Storybook, Chromatic) that developers can reference and ship from. Further use these design system tools for live previews.

 

Every component built should match what’s designed—and vice versa.

 

5. Keep Documentation Lightweight but Useful

Don’t aim for a 100-page manual. Build just enough guidance so that any designer, developer, or product manager can make informed decisions. You can also use a scalable design system template to speed it up.

 

Great documentation answers:

 

• When should I use this component?
• What are the edge cases?
• What should I never do with it?

 

Update documentation iteratively, just like your product.

6. Build Compliance into the System from Day One

Fintech products can’t afford to treat compliance as an afterthought.

 

Design systems should include built-in patterns for:

 

• Consent capture and disclosures
• KYC identity steps
• Error states and recovery flows
• Localization for regulatory language (e.g., MAS, RBI, SEC)

 

Work with legal and compliance teams to validate key UX flows—so you avoid friction or legal gaps later.

 

7. Assign Ownership and Governance

Design systems aren’t static—they evolve with your product roadmap, brand, and regulations.

 

Appoint clear owners for:

 

• Component updates
• UI Testing for design systems
• Token versioning
• Compliance checks

 

Set up a feedback loop so teams can flag issues or propose improvements, without breaking the system

8. Track Success Metrics and ROI

A design system isn’t done when it’s live—it’s successful when it drives measurable outcomes.

 

Set clear KPIs tied to your fintech product goals. This can include:

 

• Time saved per release cycle
• Reduction in design or dev rework
• Faster QA or compliance approvals
• Conversion rates in KYC, payments, or onboarding flows

 

Review these metrics quarterly. Use them to justify continued investment, spot inefficiencies, and refine the system as your product scales.

Case Study: How ProCreator Helped ZebPay Scale with a Design System

At ProCreator, we partnered with Zebpay – a global cryptocurrency exchange platform to scale their platform to serve millions of users with clarity, consistency, and trust.

The Challenge

ZebPay was rapidly expanding its feature set across mobile and web. But as new services were layered in, so were UX inconsistencies. Users ranged from crypto-curious beginners to seasoned traders – the product needed to cater to both, without confusing either.

 

Our Approach

We implemented a structured, scalable fintech design system tailored to fit their UX needs:

 

• Reusable UI Components: We built a robust design system with 300+ standardized components including button styles, cards, tabs, and navigation across platforms — all versioned in Figma and dev-ready.
• Dark theme optimization: Created a visually low-friction UI using Lato typography and rounded iconography to reduce cognitive load—especially for night-time trading behavior.
• Cross-platform consistency: Established a unified design language that worked across Android, iOS, and web – powering consistency across 1000+ screens and ensuring brand familiarity & consistent user experience no matter the device.
• Systematized, Actionable empty states: Designed modular patterns and guidance messages for empty portfolios, pending KYC steps, & zero-data screens—prompting users to explore actions like “Start Investing” or “Create SIP.”

 

The Result?

Zebpay saw a massive rise in app downloads, and consistent user experience across geographies, and acquired significant new users. It is certainly one of the most powerful fintech design system examples for crypto platforms.

 

To Summarize, Every Fintech Company Needs a Design System

Think design systems are just for design-led companies or billion-dollar enterprise teams?

 

Think again.

 

• If you’re shipping weekly, onboarding users across geographies, or handling KYC & payments—you need a fintech design system.
• If you’re juggling mobile, web, dashboards, & marketing campaigns – Guess what? you need a design system.
• If your designers are rebuilding buttons and your devs are guessing margins—you needed one yesterday!
• If you’re handling a global fintech business or an enterprise that requires high design consistency, especially for web design in Singapore or US – a design system is a must to scale up!

 

Because by the time inconsistencies show up in churn, or compliance flags a UX issue – you’re already fixing in production.

 

A well-built fintech design system isn’t overhead—it’s infrastructure. It scales trust, speed, and quality across every part of your product. So, whether it’s in the form of a Figma file or a design system diagram – you should make it part of your product framework.

 

At ProCreator, we’re a UI UX design agency that has helped fintech companies & enterprises across Asia, the Middle East, India, & the US build scalable fintech design systems that reduce rework, accelerate launches, and drive consistent growth.

 

If you’re ready to scale your app or web design the right way, let’s talk

 

FAQs