Let’s go fly a kite
In just three and a half years, we’ve opened 1.8 million accounts. But this is only the beginning. With the introduction of Starling Kite, young people aged 6-16 can also start learning to manage their money with Starling. Kite is like a child bank account but with more visibility and control for the adults.
Our hope is that your app’s monthly spending insights will act as a conversation starter in the family, so that the children can start learning about saving and spending and establish healthy money habits. We like to think of it as financial flying lessons.
Adults can set up a Space from their personal or joint account and give their child their own debit card, charged at £2 per month per card. Once activated, the app owner will receive real-time notifications when money is spent and can lock the card if lost or stolen. When a child turns 16, they’ll be able to apply for our young person’s bank account. Until then, Kite gives kids a taste of independence, while making sure adults can still hold the reins.
Planting the seed
We know that many of you have already recommended Starling to friends and family members, something we really appreciate. We wouldn’t be the bank we are without your word of mouth recommendations.
That’s why we’ve partnered with Trillion Trees, a joint venture between BirdLife International, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and WWF, as part of our refer a friend scheme. Every time you send someone your referral link and they become a new Starling customer, we’ll plant a tree as a thank you.
We want to make sure that as we grow, we stay green. And get greener. All of our UK offices run on renewable energy already and we save a lot of resources and energy in being a paperless, branchless bank. You can read more about Starling’s environmental approach on our ethics statement.
Eyes on the prize
We’re excited to say that BusinessCloud named Starling #1 in its ranking of 100 FinTech Disruptors for 2020, based on 5000 reader votes and an independent judging panel. We’ve also received a gold ribbon from Fairer Finance for happiest customers and most trusted bank account brand. We were given the Financial Inclusion & Diversity award for Raising the Standards of Banking for Small Businesses by the Financial Services Forum.
Our founder Anne Boden has been named Fintech Mover & Shaker of the Year at the Future Digital Awards for Fintech & Payments. She was also included in Computer Weekly’s list of the Most Influential Women in Tech 2020.
Thank you to everyone who has helped us win these awards by voting for us or by posting positive feedback on social media about how Starling has helped you manage your money. We love hearing from you.
Starling Bank will make a donation to WWF-UK, a registered charity with charity registration number 1081247 in England and Wales and SC039593 in Scotland, of £3 for each bank account, which is successfully opened with Starling Bank as a result of a referral under this scheme.
