Starling Bank bets on tech to boost growth as much-anticipated IPO looms December 4, 2023 Starling Bank hopes to make technology an "increasingly significant part" of its business model as it ramps up international expansion ahead of an IPO, the chief of the group's software-as-a-service (SaaS) business has told Morning Wire
Oaknorth founder accuses lenders of underserving SMEs for years November 7, 2023 Oaknorth is offering to help scale-up businesses that are being overlooked and underserved by big banks
Culture clash: Why banks need to rid themselves of culture-by-consultancy September 26, 2023 Retail and investment banks are under scrutiny like never before - and culture is on the frontline, argues City lawyer Barnabas Reynolds
Cashplus looks to shrug off rival challenger banks after delivering £5m profit September 19, 2023 Cashplus, which secured a banking licence in 2021, delivered a post-tax profit of £5.5m on the back of record revenue, which rose 28 per cent year-on-year to £52m.
Clearbank ups profit and eyes US expansion – but it has no plans for an IPO September 14, 2023 Clearbank today reported a pretax profit of £5.9m for the first half of the year as it said it was eyeing an expansion into the US. Revenue more than doubled compared to the same period last year, reaching nearly £50m, while deposits increased 80 per cent to hit £5.4bn, the firm said. Clearbank said its [...]
More fintechs secure UK banking licences as Revolut struggles to get approval September 7, 2023 Two new challengers succeeded in securing banking licences from regulators today, raising more question marks for Revolut as it struggles to get approval from the City watchdogs.
Exclusive: Bank of London crowned fastest-growing challenger amassing £300m since getting licence August 31, 2023 The Bank of London has amassed £300m in deposits within six months of taking client money, making it comfortably the UK’s fastest growing SME-focused challenger. Chief executive Anthony Watson said that the bank has been “inundated with demand” since exiting its regulatory restrictions in February this year. Businesses in Britain have been “under-served by both [...]
Challenger Cynergy Bank secures £20m funding boost August 21, 2023 Challenger bank Cynergy Bank has secured a £20m Tier 2 investment from British Business Investments in a boost for its expansion plans. The funding will go towards supporting Cynergy Bank’s growth plans, which include delivering over £250m of new lending across the SME and property sectors. The challenger bank was formerly a part of the [...]
UK’s newest bank Griffin secures £11m in funding round as it plots expansion June 7, 2023 Griffin, the UK’s newest bank, has gathered £11m in a fundraising round just a few months after it secured its banking licence. The funding round was led by venture capital firm Mass Mutual Ventures, with existing investors Seedcamp and EQT Ventures participating in the fundraise. Griffin said the funds will go towards leaving the ‘mobilisation’ [...]
Challenger banks hunt for acquisitions as rising interest rates reveal opportunities June 7, 2023 Challenger banks are increasingly on the lookout for acquisition opportunities as rising interest rates reveal takeover opportunities in the sector. Nigel Terrington, chief executive of Paragon Bank, told Morning Wire that they “continue to look for opportunities” having made four acquisitions in seven years. Terrington noted that “in environments like this, some lenders are not [...]