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Zopa Bank Ltd. (/ˈzoʊpə/[6]) is a British online bank which offers deposit accounts, personal loans and credit cards. It began as the world's first peer-to-peer lending company in 2005 and gained a full banking licence in 2020. The peer-to-peer side of its business closed in December 2021.
Key Information
History
[edit]Zopa was launched in the UK in March 2005 as an arranger of peer-to-peer lending, connecting investors with individuals seeking loans.[7][8] It was founded in Buckinghamshire in 2004 by a team from the internet banking company Egg Banking.[9][10]
Zopa grew steadily[11] in the years prior to the 2008 financial crisis. It navigated the period with no losses to investors' capital and only a small dip in returns during 2008.[12][13]
In September 2016, the first portfolio of Zopa loans was securitised on the European markets.[14]
In January 2017, Zopa became the first UK based peer-to-peer lending company to lend more than £2 billion worth of loans.[15] Zopa became fully regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in May 2017.[16][17] Following FCA authorisation, and HMRC approval as an Individual Savings Account (ISA) manager, Zopa started offering Innovative Finance ISA products in June 2017.[18]
In November 2016, Zopa announced its intention to apply for a banking licence so it could expand the range of financial products it offers to UK consumers.[19][20] In August 2018, Zopa obtained £44 million in funding for the launch of its new digital challenger bank.[21] In December 2018 the company was awarded interim banking licences by the UK financial regulators, the FCA and PRA.[22]
Retail banking services – including deposit accounts and a credit card – were launched in June 2020, soon after a full banking licence was awarded.[23] By March 2021, Zopa had attracted around £250m in fixed-term savings accounts and had become a "top ten" credit card issuer. In the same month, the company raised £20m further capital from its existing lenders.[24]
In June 2021, CEO Jaidev Janardana stated that Zopa could be taken public as early as the last quarter of 2022.[25] In October of that year, the company raised $300 million from Softbank Vision Fund and other investors, implying a $1 billion valuation.[26] A further £75m was raised from existing investors, not including Softbank, in early 2023.[27]
In December 2021, Zopa announced it would be winding up the peer-to-peer side of its business, including buying back the existing loans of investors.[28]
In early 2023, Zopa had around 850,000 customers, over £3 billion in deposits and £2 billion on loan. The company indicated that it expected to make a profit over the full year for the first time in its history.[27]
In February 2023, it was announced Zopa had acquired the Newcastle-under-Lyme-headquartered, 'buy now, pay later’ (BNPL) platform DivideBuy.[29]
In December 2024, Zopa raised $87 million in equity at a valuation exceeding $1 billion, prioritizing profitability and growth over an IPO amidst a sluggish tech IPO market.[30]
Products and services
[edit]Peer-to-peer lending
[edit]Zopa enabled investors to lend to UK consumers through its peer-to-peer lending platform.[31] By 2021, around £6 billion in loans had been processed.[26] Borrowers could take out loans between £1,000 and £25,000.[32] Typically individuals used these to funds to help buy a car, consolidate debts, cover home improvements or weddings.[2]
Investors could choose from four investment products[33] based on their risk and return appetite. Investors' money was split across multiple borrowers.[34] Investors then received monthly repayments of interest and capital, which they could re-lend to compound the interest.
In December 2021, Zopa announced that it would withdraw from peer-to-peer lending.[28]
Banking and credit cards
[edit]Zopa offers FSCS-protected deposit accounts, personal loans, credit cards,[35] and a money management app which makes use of data made available by the introduction of Open Banking.[36] A current account was launched in March 2025.[37]
Corporate identity
[edit]The company's main office is at London Bridge.[38] Since 2017, Zopa also has a development centre in Barcelona, Spain.[39]
The company's name comes from "zone of possible agreement", a negotiating term identifying the bounds within which agreement can be reached between two parties.[40]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Akst, Daniel (5 February 2006). "Where Lender Meets Borrower, Directly". New York Times. No. Business Day. New York, N.Y., United States. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ^ a b Werdigier, Julia (10 December 2012). "RIT Capital to Take Stake in British Financial Start-Up". The New York Times. No. DealBook. New York, N.Y., United States. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ^ "Zopa CEO Jaidev Janardana: Leading UK P2P Lending with Superior Service, Transparency and Cutting-Edge Fintech". McGill University.
- ^ Scott, Mark (9 June 2014). "A Lift for One of London's Financial Tech Start-Ups". New York Times. No. DealBook. New York, N.Y., United States. The New York Times Company. p. B3. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ^ a b "Zopa Bank doubles full year profit to £34.2 million". Zopa. 14 November 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
- ^ Zopa (15 October 2021). "Why you should join Zopa: a message from our new Chief People Officer". YouTube. Archived from the original on 30 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
- ^ Prosser, David. "Happy Birthday Zopa, The Inventor Of P2P". Forbes. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ "Q&A: Online lending exchange". BBC News. United Kingdom: BBC. 7 March 2005. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
- ^ Evans, Judith (14 August 2015). "My Money — Giles Andrews, Zopa chief". Financial Times. Nikkei. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
- ^ "Zopa opera". computing.co.uk. 6 September 2007. Archived from the original on 24 January 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
- ^ "P2P lending: where will the P2P industry go next? - Verdict". www.verdict.co.uk. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ Ficenec, John (26 July 2015). "How safe is peer-to-peer lending?". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ Jones, Rupert (15 February 2014). "The major peer-to-peer lenders". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ Hale, Thomas (26 September 2016). "Debut securitisation for Zopa loans". United Kingdom: Financial Times. Nikkei. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- ^ "Peer-to-peer lender Zopa passes £2 billion loans milestone". Business Insider. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ Williams, Aime. "Zopa gets FCA approval as peer-to-peer lender". Financial Times. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
- ^ Barber, Lynsey (11 May 2017). "Zopa just got full approval as a P2P lender from the FCA". City A.M. Archived from the original on 12 April 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ Suter, Laura (26 May 2017). "Zopa Isa offering up to 6.1pc finally available". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ Hurley, James (17 November 2016). "Peer-to-peer lender Zopa to launch bank". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ Dunkley, Emma (16 November 2016). "Peer-to-peer lending pioneer seeks banking licence". Financial Times.
- ^ "Digital Bank: Zopa Raises £44 Million to Help Fuel Expansion, "Launching Our Bank is a Key Next Step"". Crowdfund Insider. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
- ^ "Zopa, the UK P2P lending company, secures bank license". TechCrunch. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
- ^ Megaw, Nicholas (23 June 2020). "P2P lender Zopa wins UK banking licence". Financial Times. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ Lanyon, Daniel (22 March 2021). "Zopa raises £20m to expand digital bank, eyes profits". AltFi. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ Finn, Aisling (29 June 2021). "Zopa is setting its sights on a 2022 IPO". AltFi. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ a b Lunden, Ingrid (18 October 2021). "Zopa raises $300M at a $1B valuation to expand its P2P lending and savings neobank in the UK". TechCrunch. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
- ^ a b Lunden, Ingrid (2 February 2023). "Zopa, the UK neobank, raises $93M more at a $1B+ valuation". TechCrunch. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Zopa exits peer-to-peer lending". AltFi. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
- ^ "Zopa acquires BNPL DivideBuy". AltFi. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- ^ "Zopa, the UK neobank, snaps up $87M at a $1B+ valuation, eschewing the IPO route". 6 December 2024.
- ^ Lewis, Martin. "Peer to peer lending: boost savings returns? - MSE". MoneySavingExpert.com. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ "comparethemarket.com - Zopa loans". www.comparethemarket.com. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ Beioley, Kate. "P2P platform Zopa re-opens to new customers". Financial Times.
- ^ "Peer-to-peer lending explained - Which?". Which?. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ "Zopa is 'pretty close to finishing' building its new bank". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ "Zopa boss Janardana details plans for customer-centric bank - AltFi Opinion". AltFi. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ "Zopa current account". Zopa.
- ^ Hurst, Samantha (4 August 2016). "Zopa Relocates: Moves Into New London Bridge Digs". Crowdfund Insider. Crowded Media Group.
- ^ "Zopa Establishes Development Center in Barcelona". Crowdfund Insider. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- ^ Cave, Andrew (5 March 2016). "Zopa aims for enough growth to stop explaining its name". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Zopa Bank at Wikimedia Commons
History
Origins as Peer-to-Peer Lender (2005–2015)
Zopa was founded in March 2005 by Giles Andrews and four other co-founders as the world's first peer-to-peer lending platform, with the goal of disrupting traditional banking by directly connecting individual lenders and borrowers online.[2][8][9] The company emerged from discussions in 2004 among its founders, who sought to create a more efficient alternative to high-street banks by eliminating intermediaries and leveraging technology for matchmaking.[10] Headquartered in London, Zopa initially targeted UK residents, offering a marketplace where lenders could fund personal loans without the overheads of conventional financial institutions.[11] The platform's core model involved matching lenders with creditworthy borrowers for unsecured personal loans, typically ranging from £1,000 to £15,000, used for purposes such as car purchases, debt consolidation, and home improvements.[12][13] Borrowers underwent a proprietary application process, while lenders bid on loan portions at competitive interest rates, with Zopa charging a 1% annual service fee to lenders and an arrangement fee of up to £190 to borrowers. Early interest rates for lenders averaged 5-7%, providing returns higher than traditional savings accounts but lower than bank lending margins, thanks to the direct model.[14] Zopa introduced innovative credit scoring and risk assessment models tailored to peer-to-peer dynamics, drawing on applicant data to categorize risk bands and ensure diversified lending to minimize defaults.[15] In its formative years, Zopa navigated significant challenges, including the 2008 global financial crisis, during which it maintained positive returns for lenders with no capital losses and bad debt rates below 1% after initial adjustments.[16][17] Operating under a consumer credit license from the Financial Services Authority (FSA), Zopa focused on conservative underwriting, which helped it thrive as bank lending tightened.[18] By 2015, the platform had facilitated over £1 billion in total loans, with annual lending volumes reaching £532 million that year, serving hundreds of thousands of users and establishing itself as a fintech pioneer.[19][20][21]Transition to Banking (2016–2021)
In 2016, Zopa achieved a significant milestone by securitizing its first loan portfolio, which received the highest debut rating globally for any peer-to-peer (P2P) securitization at AAA. Later that year, in November, the company applied for a banking license from the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), marking the beginning of its strategic pivot toward becoming a fully regulated bank.[22][23] By early 2017, Zopa had cumulatively lent £2 billion through its P2P platform, facilitating over 300,000 loans to more than 246,000 borrowers since its inception. In May, it received full FCA authorization as a P2P platform, enhancing its regulatory compliance and operational stability. This paved the way for the launch of the Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA) in June, offering investors a tax-efficient wrapper for P2P returns targeting up to 6.1%.[24][25][26] Between 2018 and 2019, Zopa raised £44 million in August 2018 as the first tranche of funding to support its digital bank development, later topping up to £60 million in November. In December 2018, it was granted a restricted banking license by the PRA and FCA, allowing initial testing of banking products under supervision. The company expanded its offerings in 2019 by launching secured car finance, providing transparent hire purchase options to diversify beyond unsecured personal loans.[27][28][29][30] In June 2020, Zopa received its full banking license from the PRA and FCA, enabling it to accept deposits and operate as a fully licensed institution. This led to the launch of Zopa Bank shortly thereafter, introducing fixed-term savings accounts protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) up to £85,000 per depositor. The transition allowed Zopa to leverage its lending expertise while offering enhanced consumer protections previously unavailable in its P2P model.[3][4] By 2021, Zopa had processed over £6 billion in loans through its P2P platform over 16 years. In December, it closed the P2P lending business, acquiring the outstanding £347 million loan portfolio from retail investors at face value to ensure they received full principal returns. This closure facilitated a complete shift to a direct lending model, where Zopa funds loans from its own balance sheet as a bank, eliminating reliance on external investors. Concurrently, in October, Zopa raised $300 million (£220 million) in equity funding led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, achieving a $1 billion valuation and unicorn status to fuel banking expansion.[31][32][33][34]Expansion and Recent Milestones (2022–present)
In 2022 and 2023, Zopa significantly expanded its customer base and deposit portfolio as it solidified its position as a digital bank. By early 2023, the company had reached approximately 850,000 customers, supported by over £3 billion in deposits across more than 150,000 savings accounts and £2 billion in outstanding loans.[35][36][37] This growth was bolstered by the acquisition of DivideBuy in February 2023, which integrated buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) capabilities into Zopa's embedded finance offerings, enabling higher credit limits up to £30,000 for point-of-sale financing and marking the company's first major acquisition.[38][39] Zopa achieved its second consecutive year of profitability in 2024, doubling pre-tax profits to £34.2 million from £16.8 million the previous year, driven by a 30.2% increase in total revenue to £303.4 million. The bank's deposit base surged 62.5% to £5.5 billion, while loans on the balance sheet rose 16.2% to £3.1 billion, reflecting robust demand for its savings and lending products. In December 2024, Zopa secured $87 million in equity funding led by A.P. Moller Holding, maintaining a valuation exceeding $1 billion.[40][41][42] Building on this momentum, Zopa launched its "Biscuit" current account in June 2025, offering 2% interest on balances, 2% cashback on household bills up to £30 annually, and access to a linked regular saver account at 7.10% AER on up to £300 monthly deposits, aiming to attract everyday banking users with fee-free features and seamless integration. In September 2025, the company acquired Rvvup, an AI-powered payments platform, to enhance its embedded finance capabilities by unifying checkout experiences for merchants and tripling the size of this business segment within two years. Earlier that year, in May, Zopa raised £80 million in Additional Tier 1 (AT1) capital through its first bond listing on the London Stock Exchange, strengthening its balance sheet for accelerated expansion. The bank set an ambitious target of reaching 5 million users by 2028, focusing on product innovation and market penetration. In August 2025, Zopa initiated the "Jobs 2030" campaign, a five-year initiative to reskill 100,000 UK banking workers in AI disciplines, including through a GenAI Engineering Programme and Zopa Coding Academy, to address sector-wide technological shifts.[43][44][45][46][47][48][49] Overall, Zopa's growth trajectory has seen it lend a cumulative over £13 billion since inception, while managing over £4 billion in customer savings by mid-2024, with deposits surpassing £5 billion later that year.[6] As of November 2025, Zopa serves over 1.5 million customers, with customer savings exceeding £5 billion. The company earned recognition as Best Credit Card Provider at the British Bank Awards 2025, underscoring its product quality and customer satisfaction amid ongoing scaling efforts.[2][50][51][52][53]Products and Services
Banking and Savings Accounts
Zopa offers deposit-taking products through its banking license, focusing on accessible current accounts and savings options designed for everyday financial management. The Biscuit current account, launched in June 2025, serves as the primary everyday banking product, providing a fee-free option for spending and saving with built-in rewards.[54][44] This account earns 2% AER (fixed for the first 12 months) on balances up to £2,000, along with 2% cashback on direct debits totaling up to £1,500 annually, and supports fee-free overseas spending via a contactless Visa debit card.[54][55] It is managed entirely through the Zopa mobile app, with automated onboarding allowing account opening in minutes and instant access to virtual cards for immediate use.[55] Zopa's savings products are centered around the Smart Saver account, which enables users to organize funds into flexible "pots" for different goals, all accessible via the app. This includes easy-access Access pots at 3.25% AER (variable), notice-based Boosted pots offering up to 3.75% AER (variable) with 7-, 31-, or 95-day notice periods, and fixed-term pots locked for 6 months to 5 years at fixed rates up to 4.25% AER.[56][57] Biscuit account holders can also access a Regular Saver pot at a market-leading 7.10% AER (variable) on deposits up to £300 per month, ideal for building savings habits without penalties for early withdrawal on non-fixed options (as of October 2025).[58] All eligible deposits across these products are protected up to £85,000 per person by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), ensuring customer funds' safety in the event of bank failure.[59][60] Key features enhance user accessibility and financial oversight within the banking and savings ecosystem. The Borrowing Power tool, integrated into the app, provides a personalized 1-10 rating of financial health based on credit score, affordability, and spending patterns, offering tailored recommendations to improve eligibility for products without impacting credit files.[61][62] Users can view their credit score directly in the app for ongoing monitoring. Customer support includes in-app live chat with human agents and phone assistance available Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm and Saturday from 9am to 5:30pm, emphasizing responsive, non-bot interactions.[63][54] By November 2025, Zopa manages over £5 billion in customer savings and serves 1.5 million total customers, with one in four holding multiple products across banking and savings.[6][5]| Savings Product | AER (as of October 2025) | Key Flexibility | Maximum Deposit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access Pot | 3.25% (variable) | Withdraw anytime | £250,000 |
| Boosted Pot | Up to 3.75% (variable) | 7-95 days notice | £250,000 |
| Fixed-Term Pot | Up to 4.25% (fixed) | Locked 6 months-5 years | £250,000 |
| Regular Saver | 7.10% (variable; Biscuit-linked) | Up to £300/month | £3,600/year |