Starling Bank

Starling Bank in brief

• Rank: #55 of 100 in UK's Most Powerful 100 Brands 2026; #6 of 12 in Technology & Digital.
• WCRC Power Score: 64.88 out of 100.
• Founded: 2014, by Anne Boden.
• Owner: Starling Bank Limited, London, England.
• Leadership: Raman Bhatia, Group Chief Executive (reported in November 2026 to be departing; successor not named).
• Latest revenue: £887m revenue (FY2026, year to Mar 2026, -5.6%), group revenue of Starling Bank Limited, as per company filings.

What makes Starling Bank powerful

Starling is the UK digital bank that showed app-only banking can make money. Founded in London in 2014 by Anne Boden, it grew customer accounts from 5.3 million to 6.2 million in the year to March 2026, and it has now reported five consecutive years of profit.

Its second business is literally called Engine. Starling sells its banking platform to other banks, and in the year to March 2026 Engine revenue rose about 25% to 10.9 million pounds while its client base doubled to four. That gives Starling a technology story beyond UK lending, even if Engine is still small next to the bank. With profit before tax of 217 million pounds in FY26, it has the capital to keep investing in both.

Starling's Engine software business doubled its client base in the year to March 2026.

Why Starling Bank ranks #55

Starling Bank is 55th with a WCRC Power Score of 64.88, between Premier Inn and BT. Product & innovation is its strongest pillar at 70, reflecting its app and Engine software business. Trust and Digital & financial both score 68, supported by five straight years of profit. Positioning & recall and Sustainability & governance, both at 60, hold it back, along with uncertainty over its leadership.

The Achilles' heel

Starling's profits depend heavily on interest income, so falling rates cut revenue from 940 million to 887 million pounds in FY26, and it has had to provide for more credit losses. Leadership is now uncertain: in November 2026 chief executive Raman Bhatia was reported to have told the board he no longer wants to run the bank, about two years into the job, and no successor has been named.

The 2026 story

Starling's FY26 results in May 2026 showed revenue down 5.6% to 887 million pounds and profit before tax down 3% to 217 million pounds, its second year of falling profit, though customer accounts rose to 6.2 million and Engine's client base doubled. In November 2026 the Financial Times reported that chief executive Raman Bhatia had told the board he no longer wants to run Starling, and that the board had stepped up succession planning.

Pillar profile

Provisional desk scores out of 100, for the WCRC Business Intelligence Unit to validate.

Versus its nearest rivals

Questions people ask

Also featured in

• Most powerful Technology & Digital brands
• Most Innovative British Brands
• Most powerful brands in England

Key facts

Sources

• Revenue figure published by Starling Bank Limited
• Company website, official announcements and press releases
• Published interviews and statements by the leadership
• WCRC Business Intelligence Unit research: consumer sentiment, ratings and reviews, search demand, media and social data