Publicly launched in September 2020, Zilch reached 4 million registered customers within 44 months.[6][7][8] In November 2021, Zilch’s valuation reached $2.2 billion, making it the fastest FinTech company in Europe to achieve double unicorn status.[9]
Since April 2020, Zilch has been regulated by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), obtaining a consumer credit license through the Regulatory Sandbox Programme.[10][11]
Zilch was founded by Philip Belamant, Serge Belamant, and Sean O’Connor in 2018.[17][18] In 2019, Zilch was accepted into the UK's FCA Regulatory Sandbox Programme to trial its product, launching a beta version for external customer testing in August.[19]
After receiving a consumer credit license from the FCA in April 2020, the Zilch app was officially launched to UK consumers in September 2020.[20][21]
Zilch's valuation surpassed £500 million in April 2021, followed by Series B funding of £83 million from Goldman Sachs and DMG Ventures, and a debt facility of £125 million from Goldman Sachs in July.[21] November saw an additional £82 million from Series C funding, led by Ventura Capital and Gauss Ventures.[22] By November 2021, Zilch had 1 million registered users and a valuation of $2 billion, becoming the fastest FinTech company in Europe to attain double unicorn status since Series A funding.[23][24][25][26][27][28]
In April 2022, Zilch partnered with credit reference agencyExperian to announce plans to reciprocally report credit data for its credit transactions.[29]
In May 2022, Zilch expanded into the US, opening an office in Miami, and appointing Albert Periu as CEO of Zilch USA, alongside a beta product rollout to over 150,000 pre-registered US customers.[13][12]
In June 2022, Zilch increased its Series C funding from $50 million to $110 million and grew its customer base to 2.5 million.[30][31][32] At the June 2022 Credit Strategy Lending Awards, Zilch won ‘Best Credit Card’.[33]
Zilch announced it was to start reporting to leading credit reference agencies (CRAs), including Experian and TransUnion, in January 2023.[34][35][36] The agreement enables UK adults to build their credit records using interest-free credit options instead of relying on higher-cost, revolving credit products.[37] This agreement made Zilch the first Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) provider to have payment data reported to all major UK credit reference agencies and utilised in determining credit scores.[6]
Zilch collaborated with leading UKdebt charity StepChange in February 2023 to integrate StepChange Direct's service into its platform, becoming the first UK provider of BNPL to do so.[38][37][39][40]
Zilch opened a new innovation and software development hub in Krakow, Poland, on June 29, 2023.[41][42][14]
In January 2023, Zilch published a public white paper titled The Googlisation of Payments, outlining the company's pioneering method of funding payments and financial services through advertising revenue. This strategy emulates the revolutionary business models established by Google and Meta, where services are provided to the user at no cost, supported by advertising proceeds.[1][43]
Zilch marked its third anniversary since the beta launch on August 31, 2023, with the London Stock Exchange Group'sCEO, Julia Hoggett, inviting the company to open the stock markets for trading in celebration.[44] Zilch took this opportunity to announce that its 3.5 million customers had spent over £1.5 billion using its product, yielding more than £300 million in rewards and savings on interest and late fees.[45][46]
In January 2024, it was reported by Sifted that Zilch had secured an investment from eBay.[47] In June 2024, Zilch stated it raised $125 million in debt financing from Deutsche Bank.[48]
In September 2024, Zilch achieved profitability with an annual revenue run rate of $130 million.[49] Mark Wilson, former CEO of Aviva and AIA and a BlackRock Board member, joined the board.[50]
In October 2024, Zilch expanded its securitisation facility by an additional £50 million, bringing the total to £150 million, with investment from major global credit funds in partnership with Deutsche Bank.[51][52]
In December 2024, the company reported that over the past 12 months, it had reached 4.5 million customers, saved them £600 million, and generated over and £3.6 billion in total sales.[53][54][55]
In January 2025, The Sunday Times 100 Tech 2025 list ranked Zilch among the top five fastest-growing private software companies in the UK.[56] That same month, the company reported an annual revenue run rate of £145 million.[57] In March, the Financial Times, in partnership with Sifted, included Zilch among the top fifteen fastest-growing one thousand companies in Europe in its 2025 FT1000 list.[58][59]
Products and Services
Ad-Subsidised Payment Network (ASPN)
Zilch’s Ad-Subsidised-Payments Network (ASPN) facilitates transactions between merchants and consumers, using first-party data.[60][61] ASPN relies on Zilch virtual card transactions which generate advertising revenue that is partly distributed back to customers.[62] This system allows merchants to target consumers based on past purchases, and customers to receive rewards.[63][2]
“Pay Now”
Zilch provides an over the top (OTT) virtual debit card payment option for its customers, who can then earn up to 5% in cashback and rewards on both online and in-store debit purchases.[64][65][66]
“Pay Over 6 Weeks” and “Pay Over 3 Months”
Zilch customers can choose to in-app toggle to switch from “Pay Now” to “Pay Over 6 Weeks” or “Pay Over 3 Months”, allowing them to spread interest-free credit repayments over six weeks or three months.[67][68][69] If all repayments are made on time, customers can enhance their credit profiles with all three major credit reference agencies.[70][71]
Zilch Up
In October 2023, Zilch launched Zilch Up, a credit-building product that does not charge interest.[72][73][74] It allows users to choose flexible payment options, such as a 50% initial instalment with the remaining balance payable over six weeks.[75][76]
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£145 million ARR (January, 2025)