Starling Bank

Starling Bank is a digital bank in the United Kingdom. Anne Boden, a former executive at Allied Irish Banks, founded the bank in 2014, and it received its banking licence in 2016. It is based in London.

Customers open and manage accounts through the Starling app. It offers personal current accounts, joint accounts, accounts for teenagers and business accounts for sole traders and small companies. Spending insights, savings spaces and instant notifications are built into the app. Deposits are protected under the UK deposit guarantee scheme.

Starling is known for its strong position in small business banking in the UK. It also sells its banking software, called Engine, to other banks in other countries. Anne Boden stepped down as chief executive in 2023. In 2024 the UK regulator fined Starling over weaknesses in its financial crime controls. Starling has also expanded its lending to small businesses. The bank remains privately held.