It takes a long time to build confidence, but just a little while to lose it. That's what happened to the banking sector, which emerged from the scandal, with its image tarnished. 

With no way of saying that this won't happen again, businesses, investors and entrepreneurs are looking for more transparent and open ways of investment.

The recently launched social network financial institution, BankToTheFuture.com, which claims to be the world’s first social media-driven financial institution, could very well be the answer, as it evaluates customers not on just credit rating, but on their social media “capital” on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn (News - Alert) and Google+, company officials said.

The current launch is a sequel to the online CrowdFunding platform, figuring in the top 50 of Sir Richard Branson’s global Virgin Unite Screw Business As Usual competition.

This is one of the three types of financial offerings that are being made available: CrowdFunding, CrowdInvesting and CrowdLending (available 2013).

According to Simon Dixon, CEO at BankToTheFuture.com, this new institution is a working model that is changing the rules of money and banking and giving ordinary people a chance to invest small or large sums of money in the country's future businesses - something that was formerly available only to the “rich and mighty.”

By signing up to www.BankToTheFuture.com, members will actually know to whom their money goes. They can earn interest on their savings, invest in shares and rewards in businesses and be sure that their money is safe as it is lent to credit-worthy borrowers.

Money lent will be invested only in products that have value and future potential and in businesses that deserve it. A couple of businesses are already making an effort to get funds from BankToTheFuture.com, both of them supposedly worthy causes.

Branson, noting that his own bank, Virgin money, had a great team, a great leader and was capable of big things with great plans for its future, backed the new social network financial institution.

“I like the goals of BankToTheFuture.com, where everything is transparent and open and people can see what happens with their money. It is great that they are offering support to entrepreneurs and businesses who will create jobs in the future,” commented Branson.

nCino launched the Bank Operating System comprised of nCommercial, nRetail, nMortgage and nCompliance, which works alongside a bank s existing core system to provide small- to mid-sized financial institutions with transparency across relationship management, portfolio management, origination and internal policies.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2012, taking place Oct. 2-5, in Austin, TX. Stay in touch with everything happening at ITEXPO (News - Alert). Follow us on Twitter.