Zilch has been accepted as a participant in the Financial Conduct Authority’s Scale-Up Unit, becoming one of the first consumer fintechs to join the programme.
The FCA’s Scale-Up Unit is a programme designed to support high-growth regulated firms as they scale, and our acceptance is a significant milestone for Zilch.
It also reflects the progress we’ve made since our early days in the FCA’s Regulatory Sandbox. We’re proud to be collaborating with the FCA again as one of the first consumer fintechs accepted into this framework.
What is the FCA Scale-Up Unit?
The Scale-Up Unit was launched by the Chancellor as part of the UK Government’s Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy. It forms a core part of the FCA’s Strategy 2025-2030, which sets out a mandate to deliver growth and rebalance risk across the UK’s financial services ecosystem.
The programme is designed to provide fast-growing firms with dedicated regulatory resource to support their growth ambitions. For Zilch, that includes support for our next wave of product innovation as we continue to build new tools and services for our customers.
The UK is home to approximately 25 active fintech unicorns with a combined valuation of over £121bn, and remains second only to the US in terms of fintech investment. The Scale-Up Unit is part of the FCA’s commitment to ensuring that position is maintained.
What it means for Zilch
As a solo-regulated consumer credit fintech, Zilch is among the first companies of its kind to be accepted into the programme – a reflection of the scale we’ve reached and the regulatory maturity we’ve built.
This sits alongside a period of significant momentum for Zilch. We’ve raised $175m to accelerate our growth, launched Intelligent Commerce – our AI-powered data intelligence platform connecting retailers with our highly engaged customer base – and acquired Fjord Bank to lay the foundations for our European expansion.
Towards the end of 2025 we also further cemented our position as a trusted leader within the UK market by securing a payments services licence from the FCA.
Philip Belamant, CEO and Co-Founder of Zilch, said:
“We’ve never shied away from engaging with regulation and found that leaning into it has been to our benefit at Zilch.
“We’ve been on a journey with the FCA since our early days in the Regulatory Sandbox and are now pleased to be collaborating with them again at this stage of our growth. As one of the first consumer fintechs to join the Scale-Up Unit, we see it as both a recognition of what we’ve built and an opportunity to help shape how regulation evolves for companies like ours.”
Jessica Rusu, Chief Data Information and Innovation Officer at the FCA, said:
“High-growth firms play a vital role in driving economic growth across the UK. We want the UK to remain one of the best places in the world to start, grow and scale a financial services business. That’s why we’re supporting ambitious firms as they scale, helping them navigate regulation and innovate with confidence.”