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The idea for Starling was hatched in 2014 when Anne Boden envisioned a different kind of bank. A bank that respected and embraced the technological changes in the banking sector occurring at that time.
We’ve already come a long way. Our continued digital banking innovation drives Starling forward and bridges the gap between the customer, their finances and technology.
As we now tie our own history to the history of fintech and evolution of mobile banking, our journey is far from over.
January 2020
We supercharged our business accounts, adding unsecured loans, bigger overdrafts and a financial management Business Toolkit (our first paid-for accounts). We also gave a warm welcome to Rosie, our financial agony aunt.
December 2019
We welcomed two shiny new additions to the Marketplace this month. First came Sparqa Legal – your (free) online business lawyer, equipped with practical guidance and customisable contracts aplenty. Then came QuickBooks – whose accounting software makes balancing your books that little bit easier. We also enabled Express Transit mode for those travelling with TfL. Londoners, you’re welcome.
November 2019
We became a Which? Recommended Provider and opened our one millionth account, which is a pretty big achievement – even if we do say so ourselves. On the subject of big achievements, owning your own property got a little easier this month. Habito Go, our newest Marketplace partner, allows eligible customers to become cash buyers.
October 2019
A murmuration of starlings flew across the nation’s screens this month, courtesy of our debut TV ad. Into our Marketplace, two-by-two, came so-sure and Nimbla. We then launched our euro business account and debit card. And to top it off, we raised another £30m in investment for our expansion into Europe next year.
September 2019
In a previous life, our Head of Banking was an Olympic archer – so, it only felt right to sponsor the Archery GB National Tour Finals. Away from the range, we attended Sibos 2019 in London, launched our online banking platform for business accounts, and introduced Digital Risks and Cyber Smart to the Marketplace for business banking.
August 2019
We made a trip up to Edinburgh to attend Turing Fest. Meanwhile, back in the office, we launched Growth Street in the Marketplace, published our letter from the CEO and reported on our progress with the Women in Finance Charter.
July 2019
Glitter, rainbow flags and banners – a colourful start participating in ‘Pride in London’. We launched two new partnerships – SumUp (Banking Services) and CreditLadder (Marketplace) and delivered business accounts for companies with multiple people with significant control.
June 2019
We completed the roll out of our euro account. Our founder, Anne Boden, released ‘The Money Revolution’, her book on money management in the digital age, and the Starling Developer Podcast returned with series four. We also opened our new Southampton office, our first base outside of London.
May 2019
Our business bank account was the star of the show this month. We launched an advertising campaign – featuring billboards, buses and radio ads in both London and Southampton – and attended the Great British Business Show. We also celebrated our app’s second birthday.
April 2019
We launched FreeAgent integration for our business customers and published our latest gender pay gap figures. Our trophy cabinet also gained another new addition, after we won Best Open Banking Strategy of the Year at the Retail Banker International Awards.
March 2019
We were named Best British Bank and Current Account Provider (for the second consecutive year) and Best Business Banking Provider at the Great British Bank Awards. We went live with 3D Secure to provide even more security for our customers.
February 2019
We announced a further £75m fund raise and were awarded £100m from a fund to boost competition in business banking. And that's not all, we started rolling out our euro accounts.
January 2019
Starling's founder Anne published her roadmap for 2019 and went to Buckingham Palace to pick up her MBE for services to fintech. Congrats Anne!
December 2018
We ended 2018 on a high! For our business accounts, we launched Marketplace, as well as the Xero integration. Our out of home advertising campaign went live across London’s tube stations and buses. And we also got accepted onto the RBS Incentivised Switching Scheme.
November 2018
Our partnership with the Post Office lets customers deposit and withdraw cash from their local branch. We added overdrafts to business accounts and extended the Marketplace to our business customers too. And our radio ads aired across London for the very first time.
October 2018
Banking-as-a-Service launches and the Current Account Switch Service (CASS) is made available for business and joint accounts. It’s now possible to make High Value Payments in-app, and Starling is named as one of the Fintech 100 list’s Leading 50!
September 2018
We hit 250k accounts and are listed in LinkedIn’s Top 25 Startups 2018.
August 2018
Loans finally land, alongside accounts for 16-17 year olds.
July 2018
We release our new portrait and teal card design and win Hottest fintech startup at the Europas awards.
June 2018
Anne is awarded an MBE for services to fintech and we launch joint accounts, alongside sole trader accounts for Starling for business. We also add a gambling block to our app.
May 2018
Digitised payments get an upgrade with the launch of Google in-app provisioning and Garmin Pay.
April 2018
International Payments is launched and Starling raises another £10m in investment.
March 2018
Starling wins Best British Bank and Best Current Account provider at the British Bank Awards 2018! Plus after months of hard work, Starling for business launches alongside our campaign for more gender equality in finance.
February 2018
Anne wins the Industry Achievement Award at the Card and Payment Awards 2018. Settle Up sets sail and Marketplace continues to grow.
January 2018
Series two of the Developer Podcast begins.
December 2017
Starling is officially the first UK digital challenger bank to become a member of the Single Euro Payments Area payments system.
November 2017
Our Marketplace gets the permissions it needs to start expanding. Starling wins B2B Payments Innovation of the Year at the Payment Awards 2018.
October 2017
The app’s waitlist is removed and we launch our saving tool Goals. We get the go-ahead from the PRA to start moving Starling Payment Services forward.
September 2017
Starling’s Marketplace officially launches with digital receipts app Flux, giving customers access to other financial products straight from their app. We also launch Android Pay.
August 2017
Series one of the Developer Podcast launches and we add the ability to add photos to payees.
July 2017
We’re the first bank in the UK to do in-app provisioning and launch Apple Pay for Starling.
June 2017
Team Starling hits the big 100 and we launch our first major money management feature, Spending Insights.
May 2017
Starling is released to the public for the first time, and in the process becomes the UK’s first mobile bank! We also sign the Women in Finance Charter as a commitment to helping women progress in finance.
April 2017
The Prudential Regulation Authority lifts its restriction which means we are able to accept more than £50,000 of deposits in total – and to celebrate, we throw Starling’s first Hackathon!
March 2017
Starling becomes the very first digital bank to join the Current Account Switch Service.
February 2017
It’s a big moment for Starling as our app finally launches in beta.
January 2017
Starling joins the Faster Payments scheme.
December 2016
Direct debits are officially a go.
November 2016
Alpha testing begins for the first version of our mobile app.
October 2016
The first Mastercard debit cards are used in the real world.
July 2016
Starling is now 30 strong and authorised as a bank by the PRA (with restriction) – and our very first accounts are put into production.
January 2016
After a hard-won investment round that raises £48 million, the bank is finally ready for building.
December 2015
Our banking licence application is officially submitted.
September 2015
The team grows and the first technical prototypes for Starling begin to take shape.
June 2014
We become a limited company and begin talks with the Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority.
January 2014
Our founder Anne sees the potential for a new kind of bank and starts to put a team together to build what will later become Starling.
Download the app to apply for a Starling Bank account in minutes.
Our Privacy Notice sets out how the personal data collected from you will be processed by us.