Gig-economy workers and the self-employed face unique financial difficulties, from building a credit score to finding flexible insurance. But how are a growing number of financial technology solutions – delivered by big banks and challengers alike – serving the needs of a growing demographic?

UnderPinned is a London-based support network built by freelancers for freelancers. The digital platform caters to the city’s burgeoning self-employed community by providing an accessible one-stop-shop covering every aspect of career management, from emotional wellbeing to daily admin.

The gig economy enables people to enjoy flexible hours and juggle other priorities with greater ease than in a full-time job. But working this way can also create issues around payments, expenses and taxes. Help is now at hand from Coconut, the first bank account specially designed for freelancers.

As people across the globe abruptly adjust to remote working, many have faced challenges – from WiFi woes to toddler tantrums on Zoom. Canvas8 spoke to Dave Cook, an anthropologist at University College London, to better understand how people can perform their best when working remotely.