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London, 17 June 2025 – Zilch, the trailblazer behind the Ad-Subsidised Payment Network (ASPN), has officially joined The Affiliate & Partner Marketing Association (APMA) – a move that underscores its long-term commitment to driving innovation in the affiliate and partner marketing space.

This membership is a marker of intent with Zilch here to stay as a technology-first disruptor in an industry undergoing profound transformation.

In the recently launched ‘2025 State of the Affiliate Nation’ report by the AMPA, affiliate marketing continues its upward trajectory, with brands spending an estimated £1.7 billion in 2024 – a 9% increase year-on-year. Zilch’s ASPN, however, is growing at a significantly faster pace, with a yearly growth rate of 75%, positioning the company as one of the fastest-scaling affiliate players in the UK.

Today, Zilch powers partnerships with over 5,000 brands, including Tesco, Expedia, Just Eat, JD Sports, and eBay – delivering unparalleled performance, measurement, and real-time customer acquisition at scale.

Andreas Andreou, Chief Revenue Officer at Zilch said of the partnerships, “We’re proud to join APMA not as a signal of arrival, but as a sign of our investment in this channel. Affiliate and partner marketing is a core pillar of the future of advertising. With ASPN and AI, we’re building a Financial Media Network, combining media, data, payments, and performance marketing to drive measurable, incremental value for both merchants and consumers in a way that drives genuine incremental value for retailers – and our technology is only accelerating.”

Kevin Edwards, Founder & Director of The Affiliate & Partner Marketing Association, added: “Zilch is doing something different – and doing it fast. Their model sits at the convergence of FinTech and marketing. Some of the biggest growth we’re seeing in the industry is in finance and tech and we’re excited to welcome such a forward-thinking player into the APMA community.”

As consumer acquisition, advertising, and payments converge, Zilch is cementing its role not just as a participant, but as a category-shaping force within affiliate and partner marketing.

During London Tech Week, we were proud to host a first-of-its-kind roundtable: “How AI Can Reshape UK Financial Services.

Co-chaired by our CEO & Co-Founder, Philip Belamant, and Clare Barclay, President of Enterprise & Industry (EMEA) at Microsoft and Chair of the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council, the session convened a powerhouse group – from trillion-dollar hyperscalers to UK unicorns poised for IPO.

Together, we explored:

How firms are already leveraging AI to fuel growth and productivity.
The barriers hindering progress, and how smart regulation can unlock further innovation.
The critical role government can play in giving the UK an unassailable edge in AI and fintech.

The discussion underscored not only AI’s tangible impact today, but also the UK’s opportunity to lead the charge in financial innovation globally.

Attendees:

Charles McManus, Co-Founder & Executive Director, ClearBank
Chris Frost, Enterprise Solutions Engineer, Wiz
Clare Barclay, President, Enterprise and Industry (EMEA), Microsoft
Emily Prince, Group Head of Analytics, London Stock Exchange Group
Henrike Mueller, AI Strategy Team Manager, Financial Conduct Authority
Janine Hirt, CEO, Innovate Finance
Jessica Rusu, Chief Data, Information, & Intelligence Officer, Financial Conduct Authority
Justin Basini, Co-Founder & Group CEO, Clearscore
Matt Hooper, Chief Marketing Officer, Quantexa
Peter Donlon, Chief Technology Officer, Zopa
Philip Belamant, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Zilch
Richard Caven, Lead EMEA Banking Specialist, Amazon Web Services
Ryan Mendy, Chief Communications Officer, Zilch
Sean Hederman, Chief Technology Officer, Zilch
Valentina Kristensen, Corporate Affairs Director, OakNorth
Vince Mullin, Financial Services Lead (UK&I), NVIDIA
Zak Lambert, Head of Product, Europe, Plaid

Overwhelming majority of consumers insist on carrying credit and debit cards, despite soaring popularity of mobile digital wallets

Gen Zers among those refusing to rely on phone payments alone

Zilch debuts first physical card as the firm surpasses 5 million customers in UK

London, 3 June 2025 – British shoppers refuse to be parted from physical payments cards, despite the huge popularity of digital services like Apple Pay and Google Pay, new figures from ad enabled payments company Zilch reveal today.

The findings from a Zilch poll come as Zilch launches its first physical card, offering benefits for customers however they choose to pay.

Two thirds (66%) of consumers insist on carrying physical cards every day, rather than relying on their phones to make payments. A mere 1% say they never carry a credit or debit card.

The risk of being left with no way to pay if a phone’s battery runs flat or a device is lost or stolen, means even the youngest shoppers are relying on credit and debit cards. More than half (52%) of Gen Z consumers carry physical cards – which were first used in the UK in the 1960s – every day. Almost two thirds of them (63%) refuse to rely on digital payments alone, thinking it’s very important to have either cards or cash as a backup.

Older shoppers are even more committed to cards, with more than three quarters of baby boomers (77%) carrying physical cards every day.

Zilch has announced that it will launch its first-ever physical payments card as part of a wider strategic multi-year partnership with Visa, a global leader in digital payments. The new physical card will function just like Zilch’s virtual payment card, allowing customers to earn rewards and enjoy flexible repayment options with just a tap at the checkout. It will be available in different shades of the brand’s distinctive bright green.

One in seven UK working adults are already Zilch customers, with a virtual payment card stored in the Zilch app or their mobile wallets. To date, Zilch has processed over £4 billion of purchases – both online and in-store.

Joe Zender, Chief Product Officer at Zilch, commented: “Digital payments have been transformational for shoppers, but consumers of every generation are holding onto their physical cards. People still love to know they can buy what they need even if their phone’s battery runs flat. That’s why we’re giving people the option of having a new physical card, so they can get the full benefit of using Zilch whichever way they pay.”

Zilch’s new physical card will be available to existing customers from September 2025. The card will work securely and seamlessly across Visa’s extensive global network that reaches over 150 million merchant locations in 200+ countries and territories, providing trust, resilience and innovation to global money movement.

— ENDS —

Notes to editors

Media contacts

Ryan Mendy, Chief Communications Officer: [email protected]

For any Press & Media enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

About Zilch.

Zilch is a London-based, ad-enabled payments technology company with a vision of eliminating the high cost of consumer credit – for good. Established in 2018 and launched in 2020 in the UK, Zilch was created on first principles to rewire the economics of credit, advertising and merchant-consumer engagement. Zilch is the creator of the world’s first direct-to-consumer, ad-subsidised payments network (ASPN). It combines the benefits of debit, credit, and savings in a single, intelligent platform, connecting people (buyers) in real time with the world’s retailers (sellers). Powered by a proprietary first-party data engine, Zilch delivers unmatched value to both consumers and marketers – while generating profitable revenue through its vertically integrated model. With over 5 million registered customers and growing, Zilch gives people the freedom to pay anywhere – online or offline – and earn up to 5% cashback on ‘Pay Now’ debit purchases or spread payments interest-free over six weeks or three months. It also helps them build their credit profiles with the major agencies, all under the protection of FCA regulation. In under five years, Zilch has saved its customers over £750 million in fees and interest.

Founded by Philip Belamant, Sean O’Connor, and Serge Belamant, Zilch is transforming the multi-trillion-pound worlds of advertising, data, and payments. Just 14 months after its public launch, Zilch reached a valuation of $2 billion in 2021 – making it Europe’s fastest fintech to reach double-unicorn status at the time. By 2025, Zilch was named the fastest revenue-growing tech unicorn in the UK and EMEA (Deloitte, Financial Times, The Sunday Times), with a £145 million annual revenue run rate and more than £4 billion in retail sales to date. Backed by a total securitised debt facility of £400m – led in 2024 by Deutsche Bank and two of the world’s largest funds – Zilch can unlock £10bn in annual merchant commerce. From becoming FCA-regulated pre-launch, to pioneering a new credit-reporting model across the UK’s leading credit reference agencies, to launching its proprietary Financial Media Network (FMN) with AI technologies, finance and infrastructure from AWS, Deutsche Bank, and Visa, Zilch is defining a new global category – Ad-Enabled Payments: a next-generation consumer platform built to help accelerate and transform the lives of hundreds of millions of people seamlessly and securely ‘spend with benefits’ every time they pay anywhere in the world.

Learn more at: www.zilch.com

New multi-year partnership unlocks Zilch’s access to Visa’s 150 million+ global merchant network

Zilch launches first physical card as the brand surpasses 5 million customers in under 5 years

The launch builds upon Zilch’s digital native proposition, increasing credit access to 80% of UK adults who still don’t regularly use mobile wallets*

Zilch shifts billions in annual transactions onto Visa’s global infrastructure to power its future scale and technological innovation

Amsterdam, 3 June 2025 – Zilch, the London-based ad-enabled FinTech transforming the way people pay, today announced a strategic multi-year partnership with Visa, a global leader in digital payments. This deal will drive Zilch’s growth by paving the way for innovative new products and enable the launch of the company’s first-ever physical payments card, capturing an even greater wallet share of customers’ spend.

The partnership marks a significant step forward for Zilch in delivering faster, smarter and more seamless payment experiences, laying the groundwork for continued growth. The deal will also continue to help expand the next generation of customer-first benefits, including more ad-enabled deals, discounts and cashback opportunities.

One in seven UK working adults are already Zilch customers with a virtual payment card stored in the Zilch app or in their mobile wallets. To date, Zilch has processed over £4 billion of purchases – both online and in-store. The new physical card opens up flexibility to millions of customers – particularly those who prefer the assurance a physical card brings. It also unlocks the ability for Zilch to be used for key transactions like home maintenance, hotel check-ins or car rentals, unlocking a space that currently witnesses tens of billions in spend annually. The card will work securely and seamlessly across Visa’s extensive global network that reaches over 150 million merchant locations in 200+ countries and territories, providing trust, resilience and innovation to global money movement. Customers will have the ability to shop anywhere in the world that Visa is accepted, online or offline, while continuing to earn rewards and enjoy flexible repayment options.

The card will be available to Zilch’s existing customers from September, function identically to the virtual card and be available in different shades of the brand’s distinctive bright green. Its launch means the near 50% of active customers who currently only use Zilch for online shopping, not in-store via digital wallets, can now instead have the assurance and convenience of a physical card to ‘tap-and-pay’ anywhere in the world.

Upgrading to Visa’s technology has already enabled a transformation in how Zilch processes card transactions and capital efficiencies. This partnership paves the way for powerful new features which deliver expanded value for customers.

Mandy Lamb, Managing Director, UK & Ireland at Visa, commented: “It’s fantastic to welcome Zilch into the Visa ecosystem, as we work together to deliver word-class products and solutions to help them scale. Fintechs are shaping the future of commerce and we’re proud to support UK unicorns such as Zilch with their growth ambitions as they provide innovative services to consumers and businesses, while driving financial inclusion through their core offering.”

Speaking on the main stage at Money 20/20 Europe in Amsterdam Zilch CEO and Co-Founder, Philip Belamant, said: “Today’s announcement is about scaling reach, deepening utility, and setting the stage for the next era of Zilch. By partnering with Visa – a global leader in payments – we’ve plugged our AI-driven engine into a network that touches over 150 million merchants worldwide. This move will allow us to fully deploy our ad-enabled payments technology across both digital and physical retail, bringing measurable savings to consumers and margin efficiencies to merchants.

With nearly 80% of UK adults still not regularly using mobile wallets, the physical card is a strategic unlock to greater transaction volume. This move is Zilch executing its model at scale – removing cost from payments, increasing behavioural intelligence, and converting that into enduring value for both users and the ecosystem.”

— ENDS —

Notes to editors.

*A 2024 survey from Finder found that 1 in 5 Brits (21%) regularly use a digital wallet on their phone to pay for items in person

Analysis conducted by finder.com. Source: https://www.finder.com/uk/banking/digital-wallet-statistics

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private

Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that relate to, among other things, our future operations, prospects, developments, strategies, business growth and financial outlook. Forward-looking statements generally are identified by words such as “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “projects,” “could,” “should,” “will,” “continue” and other similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact could be forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made, are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond our control and are difficult to predict. We describe risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, any of these forward-looking statements in our filings with the SEC. Except as required by law, we do not intend to update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts.

Ryan Mendy, Chief Communications Officer: [email protected]

For any Press & Media enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

About Zilch.

Learn more at: www.zilch.com

About Visa.

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement.

Learn more at Visa.com.

We’re proud to announce Zilch has been recognised as as one of the region’s fastest-growing tech companies in the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 2024.

With nearly 8,000% growth over three years, Zilch has also been named:

EMEA’s fastest-growing tech unicorn
UK’s fastest-growing tech unicorn
15th overall in EMEA, across all 500 tech companies

This achievement is a testament to the strength of our customer-first approach. From day one, our mission has been clear: eliminate the high cost of consumer credit – for good. This ranking underscores the momentum we’ve built and the leadership position we’ve established in driving meaningful change across the industry.

A heartfelt thank you to our exceptional team, partners and investors for their unwavering belief and continued support as we transform the future of payments.

📄 View the full list of Deloitte’s winners here: https://www.deloitte.com/uk/en/services/deloitte-private/about/emea-tech-fast500-winners.html

Zilch launches its largest marketing campaign to date, with a multi-city media takeover highlighting all the extra benefits that customers get when they pay with Zilch

The campaign includes a media first with Metro, wrapping the paper for every day of the week, highlighting a different benefit of shopping with Zilch

The company has now surpassed 5 million customers (1 in 7 UK working adults) and saved its customers over £750 million in interest and fees accelerating Zilch’s mission to eliminate the £15 billion annual burden of high-cost credit for UK consumers by traditional credit providers

London, 12 May 2025 – Zilch, the ad-enabled payments company, has today launched its largest marketing campaign to date: “Spend with Benefits.” The campaign champions a new standard in consumer value – positioning Zilch as the payments provider offering the most benefits of any in the market today.

Marking the brand’s continued growth and commitment to helping consumers pay smarter, the new campaign launches with a multi-channel, multi-city media plan. It features Zilch’s second full advertising takeover of Metro newspaper, including daily cover wraps throughout the week – a world first for any newspaper. The campaign also includes a takeover on the MailOnline homepage, Apple News, and a range of digital and Out Of Home (OOH) formats across the country.

The campaign will see the Zilch brand in some of the UK’s most iconic OOH advertising sites including Old Street, Euston, Waterloo and Victoria Station.

“There isn’t just one reason to spend with Zilch – there are loads,” said Kirsty Spickett, Zilch’s Marketing Chief. “We offer customers multiple advantages at once: regulatory protection, instant rewards, interest-free flexibility, the ability to snooze payments, and credit-building tools – all with no hidden fees. No smoke, no mirrors – just better outcomes. That’s our secret sauce. Because when you pay with Zilch, you get it all. There’s something positive in every single payment and every transaction. That’s our differentiation. Hitting 5 million customers, means 1-in-7 working adults in the UK now have a Zilch card. Traditional credit products extract value – Zilch returns it.”

This landmark campaign arrives as Zilch surpasses 5 million customers and reports £750 million in cumulative consumer savings on interest and fees. Zilch was also recently named the fastest-growing UK FinTech Unicorn in 2025, by The Financial Times and The Sunday Times.

Philip Belamant, Co-Founder and CEO of Zilch, added: “We’re solving a £15 billion unspoken high cost credit problem for consumers in the UK. This first of its kind campaign is both a creative and commercial milestone, and I’m proud of the entire team for earning our way here. In five years, we’ve saved customers over three quarters of a billion pounds, never charged a late fee, hit quarterly profitability, and driven over £4 billion in sales for brands – cutting their advertising costs by 50% and converting sales at 10–20x the rate of Google and Meta. Helping our revenues double YoY.

Today, Zilch is re-inventing credit from the ground up. By using the latest AI technologies, we’re not just underwriting smarter – we’re helping brands deliver real-time, personalised offers at scale. And with every payment, we’re turning advertising revenue into something meaningful: lower costs and better rewards for our customers. It’s a smarter, more human way to do credit and drive commerce.”

Empowering every payment.

The “Spend with benefits” campaign champions a new standard in consumer value – positioning Zilch as the payments provider offering the most benefits of any in the market today.

From instant Rewards and flexibility to transparency and credit-building, Zilch empowers customers to get more out of every transaction – turning everyday spending into a consistently positive experience.

Zilch benefits include:

Monthly credit reporting to the three major UK credit bureaus
Consumer protection – FCA Regulated
Pay over time anywhere, always interest-free
Pay with Credit or Debit (switchable anytime)
Flexible tools like “snooze your payments” and three payment options
No late fees. No hidden charges – ever
No revolving credit
Unlimited, instant rewards up to 5% when you Pay now
Exclusive daily offers from brands
Application and decision in minutes

Media-first creativity meets bold brand thinking.

Zilch continues to lead the way in media innovation. With a full print + digital + video takeover of the Metro – a UK-first that the brand is repeating due to popular impact – the campaign brings benefit-driven messaging to every commuter in London and Manchester.

Further reach comes via Mail Online takeovers, Apple News display, and expansive OOH placements across the UK, with iconic media real estate in Euston, Waterloo, Old Street and Victoria helping to bring the Zilch story to life.

— ENDS —

Contacts.

Zilch – Ryan Mendy, Chief Communications Officer: [email protected]

For any Press & Media enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

For more information, visit: www.zilch.com

About Zilch.

Zilch’s vision is to eliminate the high cost of consumer credit. For good.

Zilch is a multi-award-winning pioneer of the world’s first direct-to-consumer, ad-subsidised payments network (ASPN). Leveraging its unique, vertically integrated, first-party-data business model, Zilch sets itself apart from the incumbent FinTech industry with a profitable global revenue source, bringing unrivalled value to customers and marketers alike. Today Zilch is revolutionising the $50 trillion advertising and payments industries by merging the very best of debit, credit, and savings.

Co-founded by Philip Belamant, Sean O’Connor, and Serge Belamant, Zilch provides millions of customers the freedom to go anywhere in the world (online or offline) and, when they pay, earn up to 5% cashback & rewards on debit payments (‘Pay Now’) or spread interest-free credit repayments over six weeks or three months. In the process, Zilch helps customers build their credit profiles with the major credit agencies. Within 44 months of launch in 2020, Zilch amassed more than 4 million registered customers.

As of January 2025, Zilch had surpassed 5 million customers, hit a £145m annual revenue run rate and exceeded £3.6 billion in total sales to date for retailers.
In October 2024, Zilch announced it had increased its securitised debt deal to £150m – with a total facility of £400m – led by Deutsche Bank and two of the world’s biggest funds, enabling Zilch to drive £10 billion in annual commerce for retailers.
In September 2024, four years after its public launch, Zilch announced that in July 2024 it had achieved first-month profitability in record time while surpassing £100 million of revenue run rate, keeping pace with European FinTech giants like Revolut, Starling Bank, and Monzo.
In 2023, Zilch launched its proprietary ASPN service, which allows merchants worldwide instant connection with Zilch’s first-party-data, closed-loop network of millions of high-intent customers, while offering customers personalised savings, deals, and discounts codified to their habitual daily spend.
In January 2023, Zilch struck a ground-breaking reporting agreement with the UK’s prime credit reference agencies, transforming the UK lending ecosystem by enabling all adults to build their credit records using interest-free credit rather than high-cost revolving credit products.
Since April 2020, Zilch has been regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), obtaining a consumer credit licence through the Regulatory Sandbox Programme.

Driven by innovation and a commitment to excellence, Zilch is setting new benchmarks in the industry to create a more inclusive and efficient ecosystem, empowering millions of users to budget and manage their financial lives more effectively and transparently.

During her keynote address at the Innovate Finance Global Summit (IFGS) 2025 on 29 April, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves highlighted Zilch as one of Europe’s fastest-growing companies, citing it as a standout example of British fintech success.

In her address, the Chancellor emphasised the strength and global standing of the UK’s fintech sector:

“Last year, the UK’s FinTech sector attracted $3.6 billion of investment – more than any other country bar the US. Almost half of Europe’s FinTech unicorns are based here in Britain and roughly a third of all UK unicorns are FinTechs – a higher share than anywhere else. Companies like Allica Bank and Zilch, who were both recently named among the fastest growing companies in Europe by the Financial Times or Zopa, for whom 2024 marked another year of extraordinary economic growth.”

As the Chancellor made clear, Zilch is setting the pace for growth, both across the UK and Europe.

🔗 Read the full speech on GOV.UK

Zilch named the fastest-growing UK private fintech valued at over $1bn

Achievement celebrated by Baroness Gustafsson CBE, Minister for Investment, and Brent Hoberman, Co-Founder and Chairman of Founders Forum Group, firstminute capital and Founders Factory

London, 27 March 2025 – Zilch, the fintech payments innovator of the world’s first ad-subsidised payments network (ASPN), has seen its undisputed position as the UK’s fastest-growing unicorn company confirmed in a Financial Times ranking of high-growth firms.

The FT1000 league table ranked Zilch the highest of the UK’s unicorns – private firms worth more than $1 billion.

With a compound annual revenue growth rate of more than 300% over the past three years, Zilch was recognised as both the second-fastest growing UK company and second fastest-growing company in fintech or financial services across Europe. It was the fastest-growing unicorn business in both categories.

The news follows the publication of the inaugural Sunday Times 100 Tech 2025 in January, which also ranked Zilch as the UK’s highest-growth unicorn, measured by average annual revenue growth over three years.

Last year, Zilch continued its rapid growth trajectory, doubling revenues year on year, breaking into profitability and achieving six months of operating profit. In January this year, the company generated run-rate revenue of £145 million.

Baroness Gustafsson CBE, Minister for Investment, said: “The UK has a thriving tech sector worth over $1 trillion, and more fintech unicorn companies than any other market in Europe, so I’m delighted that British companies including Zilch have been recognised as some of Europe’s fastest growing companies.

“With financial services and technology identified as key growth sectors in our upcoming Industrial Strategy, we are helping to deliver the long-term, stable growth that supports skilled jobs and raises living standards across the UK.”

Philip Belamant, CEO and Co-Founder of Zilch, said: “At Zilch, speed and innovation is core to our DNA. We’ve scaled revenue at an exceptional pace, reaching monthly operating profitability in under four years – a milestone that puts us in rare company. We’re relentlessly ambitious, and today with a £145m revenue run rate we remain incredibly steadfast in our pursuit of creating extraordinary value for our customers each time they pay – and we’re never done pushing for better.”

Brent Hoberman, Co-Founder and Chairman of Founders Forum Group, firstminute capital and Founders Factory – ranked by the Financial Times as the UK’s no1. start-up hub – said: “I’ve known Zilch and Philip for a long time, and I’ve seen firsthand how bold leadership and rapid execution can redefine an industry. Built from first principles and harnessing AI to address unmet needs in the trillion-dollar worlds of consumer credit and advertising, Zilch is helping shape the future and global reputation of UK fintech. What makes Zilch stand out isn’t just its innovation; it’s also its deep commitment to strengthening the UK’s world-leading tech ecosystem and empowering the next generation of founders. That’s a mission my team and I deeply align with.”

This quarter also marks a year since the launch of the Unicorn Council for UK FinTech (UCFT), a coalition of UK-based fintech unicorn founders and CEOs seeking to accelerate and unlock growth in the UK fintech sector. Co-founded with Innovate Finance, with Philip as a founding Co-Chair, the UCFT continues to engage proactively with the UK Government around the policies that can truly help unlock a wave of liquidity, deals and investment in the UK.

— ENDS —

For more information

Ryan Mendy, Zilch, Chief Communications Officer: [email protected]
For any Press & Media enquiries: [email protected]

About Zilch

Zilch’s vision is to eliminate the high cost of consumer credit. For good.

Zilch is a multi-award-winning pioneer of the world’s first direct-to-consumer, ad-subsidised payments network (ASPN). Leveraging its unique, vertically integrated, first-party-data business model, Zilch sets itself apart from the incumbent fintech industry with a profitable global revenue source, bringing unrivalled value to customers and marketers alike. Today Zilch is revolutionising the $50 trillion advertising and payments industries by merging the very best of debit, credit, and savings.

As of January 2025, Zilch had surpassed 4.5 million customers, £145m revenue run rate and exceeded £3.6 billion in total sales to date for retailers.
In October 2024, Zilch announced it had increased its securitised debt deal to £150m – with a total facility of £400m – led by Deutsche Bank and two of the world’s biggest funds, positioning Zilch to drive £10 billion in annual commerce for retailers.
In September 2024, four years after its public launch, Zilch announced that in July 2024 it had achieved first-month profitability in record time while surpassing £100 million of revenue run rate, keeping pace with European fintech giants like Revolut, Starling Bank, and Monzo.
In 2023, Zilch launched its proprietary ASPN service, which allows merchants worldwide instant connection with Zilch’s first-party-data, closed-loop network of millions of high-intent customers, while offering customers personalised savings, deals, and discounts codified to their habitual daily spend.
In January 2023, Zilch struck a ground-breaking reporting agreement with the UK’s prime credit reference agencies, transforming the UK lending ecosystem by enabling all adults to build their credit records using interest-free credit rather than high-cost revolving credit products.
Since April 2020, Zilch has been regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), obtaining a consumer credit licence through the Regulatory Sandbox Programme.

Great news to start the year – Zilch has been recognised in the top five of the The Sunday Times 100 Tech 2025 list, ranking Britain’s fastest-growing still currently private software companies.

We are officially the UK’s top-performing unicorn, recording higher growth than any other private tech business valued at over $1 billion.

After six months of research, this first-ever list analysed and measured average annual revenue growth over the past three years, ranking Zilch as one of the UK’s most innovative and high-growth businesses.

As a UK-born and scaling company, a big thank you to The Times and News UK for championing innovation and supporting growth in the tech sector.

You can view the full list here: https://lnkd.in/dCyAjxMn.

Zilch has announced the launch of Zilch Travel, a white-label solution powered by lastminute.com, the go-to provider of online travel and leisure services.

With Zilch figures showing a 140% YoY growth in Travel spending, Zilch’s millions of customers can now seamlessly search, book, pay for and earn rewards on holidays, hotels and flights, all in the palm of their hand using their virtual Zilch card.

Zilch Travel changes the game for customers, who can earn 3% rewards on every trip or spread flexible, regulated, interest-free payments over 6 weeks or 3 months – allowing them to travel and securely pay with confidence while building their credit profile.

London, 13 January 2025 – Zilch, the fintech payments innovator of the world’s first ad-subsidised payments network (ASPN), today announces the launch of Zilch Travel. This new partnership will make booking and paying for holidays easier and more rewarding.

Powered by lastminute.com, the European Travel-Tech leader in Dynamic Holiday Packages, this new white-label partnership will enhance Zilch customers’ experience of seamlessly searching, booking and paying for holidays, hotels and flights in the Zilch app. Customers can earn up to 3% back in rewards on their travel bookings or can opt to spread the cost of their trip with interest-free payments over six weeks or three months – always with complete transparency and no hidden fees.

Travel is one of the largest household expenses, yet it’s also a non-negotiable annual priority, and in 2024, it hit an all-time high. This surge has made travel a rapidly growing category for Zilch, with a remarkable 140% year-on-year growth as customers seek smarter, more flexible ways to fund their trips. Nearly half of families now book their travel plans 5 to 12 weeks before departure*, and Zilch Travel is perfectly positioned to meet this demand. By offering easy payment options to spread out the cost of large bookings and rewarding customers with perks they can use on their holidays, Zilch Travel ensures that planning the perfect getaway is both simple and rewarding.

Alessandro Petazzi, CEO of lastminute.com, said: “By investing in flexible financial solutions and leveraging our technology to enhance customers’ travel experience, we can unlock a world of possibilities for holidaymakers. We’re delighted to partner with one of the UK’s leading fintech companies by powering their new Zilch Travel service.

This new offering will seamlessly combine lastminute.com’s cutting-edge platform for booking holiday packages, hotels, and flights with Zilch’s fantastic, flexible payment options. This will allow consumers to earn cashback rewards or spread the cost of their holiday purchases interest-free.

With more than twenty-five years of experience, we know that holidays are the one ring-fenced purchase everyone makes annually, this is why we will continue to invest in FinTech solutions and flexible payment options to enhance personalisation and empower people to pay on their terms.”

Philip Belamant, CEO and Co-Founder of Zilch, said: “Partnering with lastminute.com, a pioneer in online travel, marks an exciting step forward as we launch Zilch Travel. In 2025, travel is no longer a luxury – it’s a professional and family priority, with 84% of UK consumers exploring destinations at home or abroad, they’re spending over £72 billion on overseas holidays alone in 2023. Zilch Travel is designed to give our customers what they’ve been asking for, three years into an unprecedented cost-of-living squeeze: the convenience, security, and flexibility to design and pay for their trips seamlessly within the regulated app they trust to manage their money.

This launch is another way we’re transforming everyday spending and broadening Zilch’s share of wallet, following the success of our Pay over 3 Months product for bigger-ticket purchases, which has already helped accelerate total sales on the Zilch platform to over £3.6 billion since launch and double our revenues for three years running.”

— ENDS —

*lastminute.com Travel Horizons family report

For more information:

Ryan Mendy, Zilch, Chief Communications Officer: [email protected]

For any Press & Media enquiries:

lastminute.com: [email protected]
Zilch: [email protected]

About Zilch

Zilch’s vision is to eliminate the high cost of consumer credit. For good.

Zilch is a multi-award-winning pioneer of the world’s first direct-to-consumer, ad-subsidised payments network (ASPN). Leveraging its unique, vertically integrated, first-party-data business model, Zilch sets itself apart from the incumbent fintech industry with a profitable global revenue source, bringing unrivalled value to customers and marketers alike. Today Zilch is revolutionising the $50 trillion advertising and payments industries by merging the very best of debit, credit, and savings.

As of January 2025, Zilch had surpassed 4.5 million customers, £145m revenue run rate and exceeded £3.6 billion in total sales to date for retailers. In October 2024, Zilch announced it had increased its securitised debt deal to £150m – with a total facility of £400m – led by Deutsche Bank and two of the world’s biggest funds, positioning Zilch to drive £10 billion in annual commerce for retailers.
In September 2024, four years after its public launch, Zilch announced that in July 2024 it had achieved first-month profitability in record time while surpassing £100 million of revenue run rate, keeping pace with European fintech giants like Revolut, Starling Bank, and Monzo.
In 2023, Zilch launched its proprietary ASPN service, which allows merchants worldwide instant connection with Zilch’s first-party-data, closed-loop network of millions of high-intent customers, while offering customers personalised savings, deals, and discounts codified to their habitual daily spend.
In January 2023, Zilch struck a ground-breaking reporting agreement with the UK’s prime credit reference agencies, transforming the UK lending ecosystem by enabling all adults to build their credit records using interest-free credit rather than high-cost revolving credit products.
Since April 2020, Zilch has been regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), obtaining a consumer credit licence through the Regulatory Sandbox Programme.

For more information, visit: www.zilch.com.

About lastminute.com

lastminute.com is the European Travel-Tech leader in Dynamic Holiday Packages. Our mission is to simplify, personalise, and enhance customers’ travel experience by leveraging our technology. Thanks to the iconic brand lastminute.com and a rich portfolio of vertical brands, we meet the most diverse needs of travellers across the entire holiday experience. As one of the few fully licensed European tour operators, we offer unlimited real-time travel combinations thanks to our proprietary Dynamic Holiday Packaging engine, providing additional customer protection and exclusive deals. lastminute.com N.V. is a publicly traded company listed under the ticker symbol, LMN on the SIX Swiss Exchange.