Starling Banking Services: What it is and why it matters

At Starling Banking Services, we want to help financial services thrive. By providing organisations – fintechs, credit unions, insurance dispersers, investment companies, and point of sale companies – with payment solutions, we’re opening up the world of cloud-based, cutting-edge banking so that more customers can benefit from better financial tools.

The services we offer run on the same technology used to power Starling Bank - it’s robust, reliable and always evolving. In our books, if you’re standing still, you’re sinking. Our APIs are world-class, as are our connections to the UK’s payment schemes: Faster Payments, Bacs and inbound CHAPS. All clients are regulated within the UK and each recognises the value of fast, slick payments and processes for their customers.

Our solutions

24/7 access to the Faster Payment System (FPS)

By using Starling Banking Services (SBS), you no longer have to be a direct member of FPS to benefit from real-time payments, which levels the playing field across the industry and ultimately means more people can make and receive payments quickly and efficiently. We can also facilitate Bacs payments and inbound CHAPs payments.

Banking as a Service (BaaS)

If our payment offerings are the foundations, our BaaS offering is the house – which you get to design. BaaS clients can create or expand on their own choice of financial products, from savings accounts to debit cards, without having to apply for their own banking licence. Everything your customers see will be designed by you, everything they don’t will be taken care of by us. How? Through the trusted technology that powers more than 3.6 million current accounts with Starling Bank.

E-money safeguarding and CASS 7^* compliant client money accounts

For those who need to safeguard client funds or protect them in the event of insolvency, we offer a range of client money accounts suitable for e-money and payment institutions, as well as investment firms. You’ll have your own addressable sort code and will be able to open physical or virtual accounts without friction and with the peace of mind that if something were to go wrong, client funds will be protected.

^*CASS 7 is the part of the FCA Handbook that sets out the rules a firm must follow where they receive or hold money on behalf of a client in relation to Investments

Our platform

Our cloud infrastructure handles hundreds of thousands of payments daily with performance and reliability at the core of our offering. Clients' transactions are executed swiftly and securely.

Starling Banking Services is not only 100% cloud based, but 100% API-based. That means we don’t do batch files or delays. As soon as we know the status of a payment, so do you. It's this level of transparency and immediacy that allows our clients to run their financial operations so effortlessly.

Developed in-house, our tech reimagines banking for today’s world and puts essential money management tools into the hands of the people who need them.

What sets us apart?

Starling Banking Services is not your typical banking partner. Here’s why:

Near zero downtime: Transactions happen smoothly, time after time, with almost no downtime.
Growing customer base: We have a proven track record of delivering results. Our existing clients transact millions of payments every month.
Simple onboarding: We offer a quick and straightforward onboarding process, which includes handling the FPS settlement for you.
Ongoing support: During the course of your relationship with us you’ll have your own assigned Account Manager to provide support and guidance. Their priority is your success.

Meet the team

Our team is made up of highly capable professionals who know fintech inside out. We have a deep understanding of the industry as a whole and Starling’s technology – knowledge you can tap into as clients. With real-time access to FPS, transparent pricing, rapid setup, state-of-the-art infrastructure, and settlement all handled by Starling, we provide the tools you need to succeed.

Let’s shape the future of finance together. Reach out to us to find out more.