No, not that f-word.

“Innovative fintech startup” is a convenient term for your company, managing to convey a sense of newness of  all the shiny technologies you’re hammering out in your blockchain labs, artificial intelligence facilities, and technology hubs.

The one problem is that the term “fintech” now actually means nothing — and, everything.

The word has passed through the buzz phase, and entered into a more ambiguous one. Now, “fintech” could describe a technology, startup, incumbent, or even a specialization, without indicating what any of those things actually do.

It’s not that “fintech” has always been irrelevant (this American Banker post gives a good rundown on this), but really–is there a bank that does not utilize any financial technology these days? In other words, is calling your company a fintech the same as saying you’ve gone “digital?”

We use the term a lot (seriously, a lot; six times in this piece alone) in our daily reporting for Bank Innovation, and today we’ve decided to undertake a collective challenge: Bank Innovation will stay clear of the term “fintech” for one full week in our posts, our tweets, our LinkedIn discussions, and all other types of communication.

If the term is irrelevant, we won’t miss it. Otherwise, you’ll see the term back next week.

Time starts… now.