The road to Starling

May 2020

A contender for Starling’s busiest month on record! We launched government-backed Bounce Back loans to help struggling businesses get back on their feet, plus a partnership with Funding Circle to lend a further £300 million under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme. We brought the month to a newsworthy close with another £40m funding round from our investors, bringing the total raised so far in 2020 to £100m.

April 2020

We switched to remote working as the UK went into lockdown in March 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic. To support customers struggling as a result of the emergency, we launched mobile cheque deposits and Connected cards, allowing someone you trust to go out and shop on your behalf. We also became a Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme lender, providing loans for business customers.

March 2020

We won big at the British Bank Awards, bringing home the trophy for Best British Bank (for the third year in a row). Talking of home: we opened up a new office in Cardiff – our third UK office to date. And finally, inspired by our latest TV ad, we conducted some research into the UK shed economy (turns out, sheds are big business!).

February 2020

Our first business-focused ad aired this month, featuring a woman taking to the skies in a souped-up shed. Also taking off were our three latest Marketplace integrations. Lastly, we introduced Confirmation of Payee to provide additional security.

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.