Starling Delivers Fifth Year of Profitability and Accelerates Global Growth Strategy

LONDON, 21 May 2026 – Starling Group (“Starling”) today published its financial results for the twelve months ending 31 March 2026 (FY26), highlighting continued profitability, deeper customer relationships and significant progress in scaling its global technology platform.

FY26 Highlights: 

• Group platform accounts rose to 6.2 million (FY25: 5.3 million).

• Starling achieved a fifth consecutive year of profitability, with profit before tax of £217.1 million (FY25: £223.4 million).

• Engine by Starling’s revenue grew by 25% as its client base doubled on international demand for the Group’s banking technology. 

• Group revenue was £887.4 million (FY25: £940.0 million) demonstrating a strong underlying performance despite the softening interest rate environment.  

• Sector-leading average revenue per active user (ARPAU) of £275 and pre-tax return on capital employed (ROCE) of 34.6%.

• Customer deposits increased to £12.7 billion (FY25: £12.1 billion) as the average deposit balance per customer rose 7.9% to £4,241.

• High primacy rate with 56% of SME customers and 35% of retail customers using Starling as their primary bank account.*

Raman Bhatia, Group Chief Executive Officer, said: “We have delivered a fifth consecutive year of profitability while continuing to invest in the business – from deepening UK customer relationships to scaling our technology platform globally.” 

“As we approach our tenth anniversary, this is a moment to reflect on how far we have come. Starling was founded to challenge the status quo in banking and that spirit still defines us today; in our expanding range of products, our fresh new brand, and our willingness to use advanced technology to empower customers.” 

“We are innovating at pace to put the capabilities of AI directly into our customers’ hands, while taking Engine by Starling to customers around the world. With strong momentum across both our UK and our global platforms, we are in the foothills of a huge opportunity, looking out with confidence at our next phase of growth.” 

Declan Ferguson, Group Chief Financial Officer, added: “We grew platform accounts and kept our focus on customer quality during the year, delivering sector-leading revenue per active user of £275. Thanks to our robust capital position we were able to acquire Ember - a brilliant business which has already enhanced our SME offering - and with a current surplus exceeding £500 million we remain well placed to pursue further organic and inorganic growth opportunities.”

“Our business delivered sustained earnings against a backdrop of softening rates and certain regulatory restrictions that moderated our ability to grow our UK customer base during the financial year. However, the Bank has now returned to growth, with SME account openings more than tripling in April compared to the same period last year. Customer quality - as measured by activity levels and average balances - remains high.” 

Expanding product offering and brand relaunch

In the summer the Group refreshed its brand positioning with a bold new visual identity and a brand mission to help people become ‘Good with money’. In FY27 we will invest significantly in marketing to capitalise on the new brand and to drive further customer acquisition. 

Starling strengthened its UK Bank offering during the year with the launch of a Cash ISA that expanded its savings proposition and that, along with the Easy Saver, helped grow savings deposits by 44.8% to £2.2 billion. The Group also acquired Ember, an all-in-one accounting and tax platform, and within six months launched an HMRC-recognised ‘Making Tax Digital’ solution enabling sole traders and landlords to manage and submit their taxes directly through Starling’s platform.  

AI-powered banking innovation 

Starling continued to lead the market in digital banking innovation, launching a suite of AI-powered tools including Spending Intelligence, Scam Intelligence and the Starling Assistant; the first agentic AI financial assistant from a UK bank.

These features allow app users to analyse spending, identify fraud risks and automate everyday financial tasks, marking the dawn of a new era in digital customer experience. 

The Group was also at the forefront of deploying AI as an enterprise, delivering further operational leverage and efficiencies. 

Scaling Engine globally 

Engine by Starling, the Group’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform, received £19.7 million of investment from the Group to expand its engineering resources and global footprint. Engine has now secured £70 million of committed annual recurring revenue and is on a pathway to surpassing £100 million in the near future. 

During the year Engine signed a new 10-year agreement with Tangerine, a subsidiary of Canada’s Scotiabank that boasts over 2 million underlying users and that is now Engine’s first client in North America. Engine then signed with New Zealand’s SBS Bank; its first mutual banking partner and its fourth client overall.