Zilch

In our first year of eligibility, we’re proud to announce that Zilch has been recognised as the 2nd fastest-growing fintech in the Deloitte UK Technology Fast 50. With nearly 8,000% growth over four years, we’re honoured to be named among the UK’s most transformative tech companies in 2024’s Top 10. Milestones like this reflect our commitment to pushing boundaries in financial inclusion by creating a regulated, ubiquitous payment product. Our solution securely and seamlessly switches between paying now (and earning rewards) and paying later (interest-free) - empowering millions to pay with confidence, protect their credit, and avoid the pitfalls of high-interest, revolving credit card debt. Congratulations to Richard Davies, CEO of Allica Bank, for securing 1st place, and to other leading fintechs on the Winners list in this year’s Top 50, including the fantastic CEOs Charles McManus of ClearBank, Jaidev Janardana of Zopa Bank, and Raman Bhatia of Starling Bank - all fellow Innovate Finance Unicorn Council for UK FinTech (#UCFT) members. A heartfelt thank you to our exceptional #Zilch team, supportive partners, and shareholders for helping us redefine the future of payments. See comments to explore the full list of Deloitte’s Winners 🏆...

Last month, our Chief Revenue Officer, Andreas Andreou, joined Awin Global’s CEO Adam Ross on the main stage at PI LIVE Show 2024, announcing their new Conversion Protection Initiative, launching April next year.  Awin’s bold initiative is exactly what our industry needs, and Zilch is fully on board. Improved tracking drives growth across the board - empowering brands, enriching publishers, and ultimately benefiting customers. Now, it’s time for every affiliate network and agency to support this initiative that solves a unmet need in global advertising. PI LIVE Show was a tremendous success, with inspiring presentations and talks from top retailers. It was a fantastic opportunity for our Partnerships Team - Gary McQuarrie, James Cartlidge, Sarah Holland, Rob Nutter, Jack Hughes, Phil Thompson, and Kimberley Quince - to connect with key brands and networks, achieving over 80 meetings in just two days. We also invited brands and networks  including Tesco, Amazon, Boohoo Group PLC, Iceland Foods, impact.com, Awin Global, Rakuten, Partnerize and many others to an exclusive dinner. Without them, our vision is to eliminate the high cost of consumer credit wouldn't be possible. With £500 million saved for our customers in fees and interest to date, this was the perfect way to thank our partners for helping make it happen. So much in-store for 2025! Watch this space 🚀 #Zilch #AdTech #Fintech #Payments #Credit #BNPL #Partnership

We recently had the pleasure of our Chief Technology Officer, Sean Hederman, delivering the main fireside chat at Amazon Web Services (AWS)’ GenAI Loft event in London, titled "FinTech Reinvented: The Future with GenAI". Sean shared how Zilch’s partnership with AWS is transforming lending with AI. Since day one, Zilch has been built cloud-native on AWS, processing over 10 million transactions per month and handling 3,000 requests per second. Using Amazon SageMaker and Bedrock, we’re enhancing fraud detection, analysing buyer intent, and creating personalised affordability, allowing us to make smarter lending decisions at groundbreaking speeds. With a 10X increase in data capacity, now exceeding half a billion datasets, Zilch enables real-time insights and delivers a tailored customer experience. Zilch has been regulated from the start, meaning every AI-driven improvement aligns with rigorous regulatory standards and a customer-first approach, enabling us to innovate responsibly. As we continue to grow, we’re committed to investing in future-ready talent and fostering team autonomy to drive ongoing breakthroughs in GenAI for payments. Born on AWS, we’re proud to partner with them to shape the future of AI-driven payments. Special thanks to Tricia Troth, Jake Nielen, and our moderator, Laura Caicedo, for another exceptional event. We’re already looking forward to the next one! #Zilch #GenAI #Fintech #MachineLearning #Payments #AI #GenAI #SageMaker #Bedrock #Credit

Breaking New Ground with a Major Milestone for Zilch 🌍 Today, we’re thrilled to announce the expansion of Zilch’s securitisation facility to £150 million, backed by Deutsche Bank and now joined by two of the world’s largest global credit funds. This £50 million boost just four months since our first announcement is a testament to our partners' growing trust in our unique, Ad-Subsidised Payments Network (#ASPN) and our scalable, capital-efficient model. For context, this total deal will allow Zilch to support £10 billion in annual commerce and maintain its rapid growth trajectory, meeting soaring demand while capturing new wallet and market share. In fintech, few achievements speak louder than top-tier investors doubling down on your potential, and that’s exactly what we’re witnessing - a vote of confidence in our securitised lending portfolio and our commitment to robust regulatory standards. ✅  As our Co-Founder and CEO, Philip Belamant, notes: “Every £1 of finance fuels over £25 in sales. We’re in an exceptional position to deliver significant shareholder value and expand our offering." ✅ Zilch’s CFO Hugh Courtney is confident about future growth: “With our class leading unit economics and unique high engagement business model mean that this growth will accelerate as we head into 2025 and beyond.” To everyone at #Zilch and our partners, thank you for your trust and for making this journey possible. Desmond McNamara Rakesh Harji Sean Hederman Ryan M. Andreas Andreou Albert Periu Sean O’Connor Amy Sandys Philippos Galanis #Zilch #DeutscheBank #Fintech #Payments #Credit #BNPL #Growth #Securitisation #Innovation

Feeling incredibly humbled as more 4th anniversary congratulations continue to roll in! 🎈🎉 Four years ago, we launched Zilch out of beta. Reflecting on this, as a UK-built, UK-scaled, and FCA regulated business right from day one, we're not just celebrating another milestone year - we're celebrating our 4m+ customers and the unwavering support of many amazing partners who believe in our purpose to advance financial inclusion. ✨ Special thanks this time to Craig Russell Google, Christopher Woolard CBE EY, Brent Hoberman Founders Forum Group, Cassandra Seier NYSE, and not least Janine Hirt Innovate Finance ✨ Your advice & belief in our vision to eliminate the high cost of consumer credit has been absolutely invaluable. To all our many amazing partners: Here's to an even brighter future, let's keep raising the bar and transforming lives! 🏆 #ZilchDay #Fintech #Payments #Credit #Partnerships #Payments #InnovateFinance #UCFT #Google #EY #FoundersForum Philip Belamant Sean O’Connor Hugh Courtney Rakesh Harji Sean Hederman Ryan M. Desmond McNamara Andreas Andreou Albert Periu Kirsty Spickett Joe Zender Özlem Yüce Syed Yasir Rizvi Amy Sandys Helen Pericleous Will Tran Nadja Jema Khan James Schofield Ruchi Mohabe

Innovate Finance is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, so at Zilch we were proud for the second year in a row to sponsor their annual "Fintech as a Force for Good Forum" this month, alongside Robinhood and Allica Bank. The event took place in the heart of #London, convening hundreds of the UK’s industry leaders and CEOs of high-growth fintechs. The opening keynote by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury (EST), Tulip Siddiq, was especially timely, considering her announcement of the long-awaited #BNPL #regulation days after. She highlighted fintech’s critical role in driving future economic growth and improving financial wellbeing. Our CEO & Co-Founder, Philip Belamant, was asked to deliver a fireside chat exploring Zilch’s vision and how it’s integrating the trillion dollar markets of advertising and credit to advance financial inclusion and transform lending through #AI. Innovate Finance also hosted a unique panel with four CEOs from the £50bn+ Unicorn Council for UK FinTech (#UCFT). Philip joined the panel alongside Francesca Carlesi (UK CEO of Revolut), Richard Davies (CEO of Allica Bank), and Lisa Jacobs (CEO of Funding Circle UK). Moderated by the brilliant Sasha Qadri, they discussed capital markets, tax and regulation. Later, with growth being the mission of the new government, Philip and our CCO, Ryan M., joined the EST and 20+ CEOs from the UCFT for a private roundtable. Hosted by the Council’s Co-chair, Janine Hirt, they discussed strategies and the key policies for unlocking the next wave of UK fintech IPOs and reshaping perception that will strengthen the UK’s trillion tech sector (see comments for policy). We’re excited to help do our part to help ensure the UK remains the top destination for entrepreneurs to continue to invest, scale and grow their companies here. #Fintech #Payments #Credit #Innovation #FinancialInclusion

Celebrating 10 Years of FCA Innovation and Regulation 🏆 October 17th, 2024, marked an important milestone. Since our beginnings in 2020, Zilch has been regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, witnessing firsthand how effective regulation gives consumers security while driving innovation and positive industry change. Yesterday, to honour the 10th anniversary of the FCA's Innovation Sandbox, our CEO and Co-Founder, Philip Belamant, had the privilege of joining industry leaders and the Lord Mayor, Michael Mainelli, for a special event. Moderated by FCA Board Member Bryan Zhang, Philip was joined on stage by Charlotte Crosswell OBE, Chair of Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology (CFIT); Janine Hirt, CEO of Innovate Finance; and Anna Wallace, a driving force at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and creator of the FCA’s Innovation Sandbox. Together, they discussed the past, present, and future of fintech, banking, and technology - a unique perspective from leaders who have redefined fintech growth and consumer protection in the UK. We’re excited to see the government’s recent move to regulate BNPL, closing loopholes and ensuring a level playing field. At Zilch, we already provide FCA-backed safeguards to our 4 million customers, helping them build their credit profiles. With the regulatory train now in motion, we're calling on our industry - which prides itself on innovation and speed - to bring regulation day forward to 2025. Consumers deserve it and the world is watching! A huge thanks to City Minister Tulip Siddiq for her support. With the FCA launching its AI Lab, the future of fintech and AI in the UK looks brighter than ever. To CEO Nikhil Rathi, Jessica Rusu, Sheldon Mills and the entire team leading the charge - including Ian Phoenix, Helene O., and Toby Whitlock - thank you for your leadership. We are proud to celebrate alongside you and look forward to continued collaboration. This is just the beginning. Hugh Courtney Rakesh Harji Sean Hederman Ryan M. Desmond McNamara Andreas Andreou Albert Periu Sean O’Connor Kirsty Spickett Joe Zender Özlem Yüce Syed Yasir Rizvi Amy Sandys Helen Pericleous Will Tran Nadja Jema Khan James Schofield Ruchi Mohabe

At Zilch we’ve always led with a focus on reshaping how people engage with their finances for the better. Four years into our journey, it’s amazing to hear the personal stories of our users and how we’ve supported their financial well-being—it’s truly inspiring! We’re deeply grateful to our customers; they inspire us each day and make our journey so worthwhile. This is what powers our mission to make financial services more inclusive for all! #Fintech #Credit #Payments #Innovation #CustomerFirst #FinancialWellbeing #DebtFreeLiving

Four years ago, we launched Zilch to the world, with a vision to eliminate the high cost of consumer credit—for good. To achieve this, we built a regulated consumer payment platform behind an ordinary-looking digital debit and credit card that can be used anywhere in the world, connecting merchants with customers at peak intent. Our platform offers transparent credit at market-leading prices, along with unbeatable deals and rewards for debit, all subsidised by merchant advertising budgets—a proprietary technology we call our Ad-Subsidised Payments Network (#ASPN). Since then, we’ve saved customers over £500M in fees and interest and kick-started a transformation in financial inclusion. We’re helping millions make smarter financial choices and avoid the pain of traditional revolving credit card debt traps. To celebrate our extraordinary journey, we caught up with a few of our incredible partners, investors, and collaborators who have supported us along the way. Special thanks to StepChange Debt Charity, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Arkose Labs, Awin Global, Ventura Capital, London Stock Exchange, and Thredd for being part of our journey! Philip Belamant Sean O’Connor Hugh Courtney Rakesh Harji Sean Hederman Ryan M. Desmond McNamara Andreas Andreou Albert Periu Kirsty Spickett Joe Zender Özlem Yüce Syed Yasir Rizvi Amy Sandys Helen Pericleous Will Tran Nadja Jema Khan James Schofield Ruchi Mohabe #ZilchDay #Fintech #Payments #Credit #Partnerships #Payments #UCFT

Proud to be supporting and working with such a purpose-led event Our CEO & Co-Founder, Philip Belamant and CCO Ryan M. will be attending alongside the UK’s leading #Fintech CEOs. ☑️ Opening with Innovate Finance's CEO Janine Hirt, followed by a keynote from the new EST & City Minister @Tulip Saddiq MP. ☑️ 9:30 Philip takes the stage with the outstanding CEOs of Revolut Francesca Carlesi, Allica Bank Richard Davies and Funding Circle UK Lisa Jacobs . ☑️ 10:00 Philip will participate in an exclusive fireside with the brilliant TV business anchor Sasha Qadri, formerly of Bloomberg Television CNBC Thomson Reuters, and Sky News. #Payments #Credit #InnovateFinance #Fintech #Growth #UCFT #FFG #FinTechAsAForceForGood #InnovationDrivingGrowth #FinTechForGood