Starling

Starling was proud to sponsor the ‘Free The Founder’ event organised by the Office of the Small Business Commissioner, Emma Jones, at the ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales). The day was highly collaborative, featuring insights and knowledge-sharing by a diverse group of political, commercial and NGO stakeholders committed to supporting the UK’s SME community. Representing Starling, Adeel H., Managing Director of SME Banking, and Daniel Hogan, co-founder of Ember by Starling, focused on actionable solutions to the critical challenges facing small businesses. Digital tools such as Ember, as Dan explained, have been designed to reduce the time business owners spend on financial admin so they can free that time to focus on growth. Recognising that many small businesses struggle with late payments and lack time to invest in digitalisation, it was fantastic to see so many participants backing the Commissioner’s Fair Payment Code and stepping up to educate the community about productivity-boosting technologies.

Huge congratulations to Monica Risam, our Group General Counsel, for her recognition in Legal 500 GC Powerlist UK 2025. This is Monica’s fifth year on this prestigious list, highlighting her exceptional leadership and strategic vision. Monica’s commitment to helping Starling grow and create high performing teams speaks directly to her dedication to excellence and our value to ‘Aim for greatness’. We’re proud to see Monica using her legal skills and experience to help others through her board position at the Royal British Legion and as a non-exec on the Elton John AIDS Foundation Finance & Investment Committee. Congratulations Monica!

‘Sorry can I just – sorry, thanks.’ Ever walked into a wall and asked yourself, ‘Why did I just apologise to a wall?’ Author of ‘Stop Apologising’ and positive psychology coach, Tara Rule, recently took part in a Q&A organised by Ewa Pecherzewska and Starling’s With Women network. In a discussion with Charlotte Lorimer, Tara highlighted the number of situations where we default to apologising – from raising a point in a meeting, to asking for more clarity on an issue. But there’s another way. Try the following: • Ask yourself ‘Why?’ five times about a habit to understand where it comes from • Replace ‘Sorry’ with ‘Thank you’, offering a positive alternative • Replace ‘Sorry to interrupt’ with a more direct ‘Thank you for explaining, I have a question’ • Take a moment to pause and reflect on if there’s a reason why you find yourself apologising often How many times do you apologise in a day? Any tips on breaking the habit? Comment below!

Girls and women across the country desperately need coaches - the role models that hold their teams together. If you think you could become one, we’re giving away free coaching vouchers, as well as kits and equipment. Teams will be chosen at random and there’s limited availability. You must be a UK amateur women or girls football team or school to apply. Entries close at 11:59pm on 14th October 2025. One entry per team and T&Cs apply. Apply here: kickonwithstarlingbank.com.

Do you find money harder to understand than the offside rule? If so, we’ve got you. We’ve teamed up with Arsenal F.C and some of their legends to help make managing your money a tap-in. Kicking things off with a safe pair of hands, David Seaman shows how to line up your defence to help keep your bank account protected. It’s the start of our three-season partnership with Arsenal, so stay tuned for our next episodes with Alessia Russo and Beth Mead! Our partnership with Arsenal includes the women’s and men’s teams and makes us Arsenal’s retail banking partner. The partnership covers everything from ticket giveaways to helping provide extra resources to their community initiative, ‘Arsenal in the Community’.

Our new look has landed. And it’s all part of our mission to help the UK build life-changing money habits and get good with money. Why the refresh? We carried out research that told us almost half of Britons find money management difficult. So we asked ourselves: how can our brand energise positive daily financial habits, making them feel easier and more engaging, and help put our customers back in control? Our service hasn’t changed, from 24/7 human support to our clear, easy app features. Here’s what has: • We’ve kept the teal colour we’re known for, but made it more electric. • Our new icon is bolder and easier to understand. • Precision is important, so our new font is more legible. It’s easier to distinguish between characters like 'O' and '0' — crucial when looking at account numbers and transaction details. • All our cards have been redesigned for accessibility, meeting the AAA color contrast standard. To reduce wastage, we won’t send out any physical cards in our new colours until next year. • We’ve dropped ‘bank’ from our logo. Most people call us Starling anyway. • Our new design language takes inspiration from the murmuration behaviour of our namesake, the starling bird. We even consulted experts to capture their unique movements. It’s the Starling you know, with more motivational spark across our site, socials and app. Thanks to our design partners at Wolff Olins, and to Kay Young, the musician behind the track in this film. Remember: scammers sometimes try to take advantage in times of transition. We'll never contact you and ask for information, or ask you to move your money. Good with money starts here.

We’re happy to announce that Jody Bhagat has been appointed to lead Engine by Starling's expansion in North America, from a new regional headquarters in New York. The appointment and office plans come as a natural addition given the significant market opportunities the Starling Group sees in North America to serve the region’s 4000+ mid-tier banks and credit unions. Speaking at Starling Group offices in London this week, Jody (Jaideep) Bhagat, commented: “Digital-forward financial institutions are seeking a partner that can deliver technology transformation that drives real business results. Tried and tested in Europe and Australia, Engine by Starling has strong proof points demonstrating how the platform helps banks better acquire and serve customers.” Sam Everington, CEO, Engine by Starling, said: "Our ambition is clear: we want to become a significant partner to ambitious and customer-focused banks in the US and Canada, supporting them in replacing legacy technology constraints with revolutionary banking systems. To bring this vision to life, we need a top-class dedicated team for North America, and in Jody Bhagat we’re confident we’ve found the leader to make that happen.” As part of an investment upwards of US$50 million in North America, Engine will operate from regional headquarters in New York, complemented by a Canadian team based in Toronto. Earlier this month, Engine also opened regional offices in the Middle East and APAC, selecting Dubai in the UAE and Sydney in Australia. These will act as further bases for the business to grow and work with clients and partners internationally.

The way we look is going to change in the next couple of weeks.

 Scammers can sometimes try and take advantage when a business changes how they look. We won’t ever contact you and ask for your information or ask you to move your money. 

 Suspect a scam? Call 159 to report it or reach out to our 24/7 customer service team.

We’re happy to announce our acquisition of Ember, an all-in-one accounting and tax platform for small business owners. The London-based fintech will be our first company acquisition since Fleet Mortgages joined Starling Group in 2021. Ember’s platform gives our business customers a solution to manage their finances and tax submissions, ahead of the changes to HMRC’s Making Tax Digital for ITSA requirements in April 2026. Adeel H., our Managing Director of SME Banking, said: “Ember’s platform is beautifully designed to simplify complex accounting tasks through a user-friendly interface that businesses love. As Starling ramps up the roll-out of best-in-class solutions for small businesses, we will build, partner or buy as best meets the needs of our customers.” Daniel Hogan and Aaron Shaw, co-founders of Ember, said: “We created Ember to take the pain out of accounting for small businesses - to help people make faster, clearer financial decisions without the stress. Making Tax Digital has created a real call to action for SMEs and Ember provides the solution to this. Our deal with Starling Group will mean that we’re setting a new standard for how banking and accounting should work together — seamlessly integrated and refreshingly simple.”

A big award win for our fellow Starling, Kasia, who was named as a winner in the technology category at #RisingStars100 by WeAreTheCity. The awards celebrate talented women across UK industries and professions. Kasia is a Software Engineer here at Starling. She’s also an advocate and mentor for women in tech, teaching budding technologists through Code First Girls and acting as an ambassador to Girl Code and Next Tech Girls. Congratulations! 🌟