Zilch is proud to have been recognised as the UK’s ‘Fastest Growing Financial Services Firm’ and London’s ‘Fastest Growing Firm’ at the UK Fast Growth Index Awards, in partnership with UBS.

As a company proudly serving millions of customers across the UK, it was an honour to join this celebration of British business excellence. The UK’s 350 fastest-growing private businesses have contributed over £15 billion in turnover to the economy and created 24,000 jobs in just two years.

Huge thanks to our dedicated team, valued partners, and loyal customers for their trust and support – these achievements would not have been possible without you. Congratulations to all the winners, and we are delighted that our executive committee members, Desmond McNamara and Ryan Mendy, had the privilege of accepting these awards on Zilch’s behalf.

View the full list here.

Zilch commerce sales more than double compared to Black Friday 2023

Travel spending soars with consumers targeting holiday bargains

Black Friday electronics spending jumps 140% 

London, 5 December 2024 Zilch, the fintech payments innovator of the world’s first ad-subsidised payments network (ASPN), releases data today showing the full impact of a record Black Friday that saw its sales more than double compared to the previous year.

Black Friday bargains drove a 116% year-on-year growth in sales, with 93% year-on-year growth following on Cyber Monday. The figures underline the power of Zilch’s network to connect its 4 million users to great deals.

Travel spending was the surprise standout category on a day best known for delivering deals on consumer goods, as Zilch users spent more than ever on securing getaways with flights and spa breaks proving the most popular subcategories.

The fastest-growing payment method was the recently-launched ‘Pay over 3 months’ option, providing a more flexible way to spread the cost for bigger-ticket purchases.

  • Product categories showing the fastest growth compared to Black Friday 2023 were electronics (+140%), travel (+127%) and health and beauty (+125%) 
  • Retailers’ advertising spend with Zilch increased 135% over Black Friday week this year compared to 2023
  • The peak trading minute for brands was 12:02 on Black Friday

eBay was among the retailers benefiting from the Black Friday surge. 

Rebecca Mangaroo, EPN Partnerships Lead, United Kingdom, eBay, said: “eBay has been working with Zilch for over three years and we are over the moon with the volume and quality of sales generated. As a key affiliate, Zilch is dedicated to providing customers a unique and invaluable service to help spread out their purchases without accruing any interest or late fees – helping everyone to shop worry free. Most impressive is the performance during this peak period compared to last year: we saw an incredible year-on-year  increase in GMV of 118%. Truly impressive.”

Andreas Andreou, Chief Revenue Officer at Zilch, said: “On Black Friday, Zilch delivered a 116% year-on-year increase in commerce for our retail partners, while saving customers millions in future late fees and interest payments. Accelerated by our product innovation and continued record ad-spend on our Ad-Subsidised Payments Network.”

— ENDS —

Notes for Editors

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.

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 $130 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.

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

Contacts 

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

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

It was an honour to be named the UK’s ‘Financial Institution of the Year’ at the City AM Dragon Awards, held at London’s iconic Mansion House.

In just four years since our launch – and in our first year entering – we’re beyond proud to have won this against some of the biggest and most established banks operating in the UK.

The next wave of innovation is here. UK fintech is thriving, and this award demonstrates that forward-thinking companies driving real social impact are being recognised. By working from first principles, our mission is clear: to transform consumer finance and use AI as a force for good.

On behalf of Zilch, our Chief Operations Officer, Rakesh Harji, and Chief Communcations Officer, Ryan Mendy, had the privilege of collecting the award from LSEG’s Jane Goodland. 

Read the full press coverage here.

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 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.

A heartfelt thank you to our exceptional Zilch team, supportive partners, and shareholders for helping us redefine the future of payments.

View the full list of Deloitte’s Winners here.

London, 28 October 2024 – Zilch, the fintech payments innovator of the world’s first ad-subsidised payments network (ASPN), today announces the successful expansion of its securitisation facility by an additional £50 million, bringing the total to £150 million. This latest round includes participation from two of the world’s largest credit funds, alongside lead arranger Deutsche Bank.

The total deal will allow Zilch to support £10 billion in annual commerce and maintain its rapid growth trajectory. This expansion of the facility and an increase in its maximum size just four months after the initial securitisation announcement reflects the acceleration in Zilch’s transaction and lending volumes. Securing the addition of two of the world’s top credit funds is also testament to the strength of Zilch’s lending portfolio and its solid regulatory foundation.  

Philip Belamant, CEO and Co-Founder of Zilch, said: “Bringing two more leading global credit funds into our securitisation structure not only underscores the increasing confidence in our business model but also provides the financial fuel and resources we need to accelerate our growth, serve increasing customer demand and continue the dramatic expansion of our wallet and market share. With our uniquely capital-efficient model meaning that every £1 of finance powers over £25 of sales, we’re in an exceptional position to deliver significant shareholder value and expand our offering, thanks to this new milestone achievement.”

Hugh Courtney, Chief Financial Officer of Zilch, said: “We are fortunate to be able to satisfy the pent-up demand for our securitisation as the business has grown at pace through the last six months. Our class-leading unit economics and unique high-engagement business model mean that this growth will accelerate as we head into 2025 and beyond. The syndication of the facility allows us to confidently drive the business forward with the headroom to grow.” 

This securitisation facility marks a pivotal moment for Zilch as it continues to scale its operations and provide innovative financial solutions to consumers, while maintaining a commitment to robust regulatory standards.

— ENDS —

Notes for Editors

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.

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 $130 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.

Contacts

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

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

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

On October 17th, 2024, Zilch’s CEO and Co-Founder, Philip Belamant, was honoured to be invited to join industry leaders at a landmark event celebrating a decade of the FCA’s Innovation Sandbox. Moderated by FCA Board Member Bryan Zhang, Philip shared the stage with industry leaders, including Charlotte Crosswell OBE (Chair of Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology (CFIT)), Janine Hirt (CEO of Innovate Finance), and Anna Wallace (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and creator of the FCA’s Innovation Sandbox), discussing the evolution of fintech and its future.

Zilch remains committed to consumer protection, already offering FCA-backed safeguards to our 4 million customers, and supports the government’s efforts to regulate BNPL. With AI advancements underway, led by the FCA’s new AI Lab, the future of fintech in the UK looks promising.

A huge thanks to Economic Secretary to the Treasury 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.

Click here to read more on our LinkedIn post.

Zilch turns profitable within just four years post-launch.

CEO announces $130m (£100m) annual revenue run rate — 100% YoY growth.

Mark Wilson, former CEO of Aviva and AIA and current BlackRock Board member, joins Zilch’s Board.

Rapid revenue growth beats average UK and US tech industry growth by over 10 years.

London, 3 September 2024 – Zilch, the world’s first ad-subsidised payments network (ASPN), today announced its first month of operating profit while surpassing a revenue run rate of more than $130m (£100m). The business has reached these milestones within just four years of launching its groundbreaking consumer payment platform. Zilch also announced the appointment to its Board of Mark Wilson, former CEO of Aviva and AIA and current member of BlackRock’s Board of Directors.

Zilch achieved both operating profit and surpassed $130 million revenue run rate in July 2024. The speed at which Zilch has achieved profitability places it in the same bracket as European fintech giants such as Revolut, Starling Bank, and Monzo. All four companies also reported revenues in excess of $130 million within three to five years1, with Zilch almost doubling revenues in the year to March 2024. By comparison, industry data shows that it takes the average tech company 8-10 years in the US to break through the $100m revenue ceiling, 15 years in Europe and 17 years in the UK.2  

Philip Belamant, CEO and co-founder of Zilch, said: “This milestone fundamentally changes the game for us. Profitability is something that a lot of fast-growing businesses are struggling to achieve, and I am hugely proud of the team for reaching this mark, ahead of plan. While many have cut their way to profit, we’ve doubled our revenue year on year, expanded our team, saved our 4 million customers over half a billion dollars in fees and interest costs, and generated over $3 billion in new sales for merchant partners through our ad-subsidised payments network.” 

“In a market saturated with competition, we’ve distinguished Zilch from inception by owning the customer relationship, pioneering regulation, and generating real credit profiles, savings, and value for customers where others haven’t. We’re hugely optimistic about the future, all the while recognising that this is our day 1 and it’s all ahead of us.”

Zilch is leveraging AI to unlock the full potential of four years of first-party consumer data and drive even more precise, personalised offerings. A deep understanding of users’ needs allows Zilch to convert sales better than any online platform to date – converting sales for advertisers up to 10-20 times more effectively than traditional search and social platforms. 

As a result, customers now open their Zilch app daily, which creates unrivalled engagement and conversion – all of which continues to drive major merchants to switch their ad budgets to Zilch’s ad-subsidised payments network, in turn fuelling better deals, discounts, and subsidies for customers. Zilch’s remarkable performance accelerates the fintech’s momentum as the business eyes even greater milestones in 2025.

Commenting on his new appointment to the Board of Zilch, Mark Wilson, said: “I am excited to join Zilch at this critical juncture. Under Philip’s visionary leadership, Zilch is transforming consumer finance with an innovative and responsible approach that lowers customer finance costs and fills a fast-growing need in society. I look forward to working alongside the Board to further help Zilch steer its path toward sustainable success as a category leader.”

Chairman of Zilch, Serge Belamant, remarked: “As Zilch’s Chair, I am delighted Mark has made this commitment as the value he will add will complement the expertise we currently have and help guide the company in its mission to provide affordable credit and rewarding debit for all as part of its financial inclusion vision. Mark’s deep expertise running global financial businesses will be a tremendous asset as Zilch continues its rapid trajectory, profitable growth, and market expansion.” 

— ENDS —

Background and notes.

Today’s announcement follows the launch of the company’s second longer-duration zero-interest ‘Pay over 3 Months’ credit payment product; the creation of the Unicorn Council for UK FinTech, where Philip Belamant acts as founding co-chair; the selection of Checkout.com as Zilch’s primary acquiring partner globally; the extension of Zilch’s collaboration with Amazon Web Services to accelerate the rollout of its AI innovation; surpassing the milestone of 4 million registered customers; and raising $125 million in a securitised debt financing arranged by Deutsche Bank.

1.   Zilch, Revolut, Starling Bank, and Monzo all reported either run-rate or full-year revenues in excess of £100 million within three to five years of launch and achieved profitability between two and eight years post-launch. Revolut launched its service in July 2015, achieved full-year revenues of £162.7m year-ending December 2019, up from £58.2m the previous year (ARR not publicly disclosed) and reported its first monthly operating profit for December 2017. Starling Bank launched its service in May 2017, achieved annualised run rate revenue of £108m by October 2020 and reported its first monthly operating profit for October 2020. Monzo launched its service in October 2015, achieved annual run rate revenue of £105m+ by December 2020 and reported its first monthly operating profit for January 2023.

2.   Bessemer Ventures, Boardwave.org

Contacts

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

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

BNPL Transactions surge, corporate spending continue through June signalling further traction of fintechs.

A key, competitive renewal with Zilch reinforces Thredd’s position as a global leader in fintech payments.

Further momentum through H1 2024 includes new business with Discover, Nium, and Terrapay as well as U.S expansion inroads.

London, 31 July 2024 Thredd, the rapidly expanding next-generation global payments platform, reports both industry-wide growth in fintech-led digital payments and the renewal of its partnership with Zilch, the world’s first ad-subsidised payments network (ASPN). This positive trajectory, coupled with recent product and market expansion, adds further momentum to Thredd’s leadership in modern payments processing.

“2024 continues to build on the robust foundation we established in 2023. Our clients, both new and old, are driving strong transaction growth, through a combination of market expansion and increasingly innovative financial services solutions,” said Jim McCarthy, Chief Executive Officer at Thredd. “The expansion we have seen is a testament to their resilience and the demand for new payments use cases in both B2C and rapidly growing B2B payments.”

In February, Thredd noted an atypical early-year uptick in debit and prepaid transactions across several business verticals. This growth has continued in BNPL (+56% YTD), corporate spend management (+74%) and B2C Retail (+28%) transactions.

Success Story: A Growing Partnership with Zilch

BNPL shows no signs of slowing. Since January 2022, Thredd’s clients in this space have seen transaction volumes grow by 175%, reflecting the growing importance of instalment payment options at the point of sale. Leading the way is Zilch, with whom Thredd has recently renewed, retaining the business in a hotly contested evaluation against larger US and European-based competitors. Zilch, one of the world’s fastest growing BNPL providers and a true innovator in this space, offers consumers repayment optionality combined with cashback and rewards through a regulated and unique business model where they uniquely combine the world’s $1 trillion dollar advertising with personal credit. 

The Zilch-Thredd partnership combines payment network connectivity and transaction management expertise that allows Zilch to focus on its key business objectives of driving billions in commerce to retail partners on ASPN while delivering hundreds of millions of savings, discounts and rewards to their growing customer base. The two companies work collaboratively on product and service innovations to improve the experience of over 4 million customers using Zilch.

“Working together with Zilch since their inception, we’ve had the privilege to be a part of their incredible growth,” said Jim McCarthy. “We sincerely appreciate the trust that Zilch has put in Thredd to help them reach more than 10 million monthly payments, and are looking forward to continuing our close working relationship to help Zilch set further growth records. We’ve seen Zilch grow from zero to over 4 million registered users, gain industry-leading utilisation rates where their customers pay on their platform 100 times a year on average and over $3bn in sales using Thredd as a trusted partner”.

Philip Belamant, CEO and Co-Founder of Zilch commented: “Thredd has always allowed us to focus on delivering an unparalleled service to our customers. With Jim at the helm as the driving force of their talented team, it gives us confidence that Zilch will continue to have a reliable and secure payments link in the background as we continue in our next phase of rapid growth and roll-out of innovative products for our customers.”

Rakesh Harji, Chief Operating Officer at Zilch, added: “From inception, our partnership with Thredd has been crucial in building the core infrastructure to securely handle over 10 million monthly transactions and maintain a seamless user experience. Thredd have been with us from zero to over 4m customers and we look forward to continued innovation on product and services as we scale the business and expand our offering to our highly active customers who trust Zilch for their increasing daily lifestyle payment needs.”

“My prediction is that the remainder of 2024 through 2025 will prove even more immensely impactful as payments technology continues to evolve removing friction from the user experience while improving security,” said Ava Kelly, Chief Product Officer at Thredd. “We’re having conversations with our clients every week about their expansion plans, whether that’s entering new geographies, like the U.S. or supporting new verticals and we’re pleased to be able to power this growth.”

— ENDS —

Notes for Editors

About Zilch

Zilch’s vision is to eliminate the 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. 

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. 

In 2023, Zilch launched its proprietary ASPN service, which allows retailers worldwide instant connection with millions of Zilch’s first-party data, closed loop network 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. 

For more information, visit: www.zilch.com 

Contacts

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

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

About Thredd

Thredd is the trusted next-gen payments processing partner for innovators looking to modernise their payments offerings worldwide. We process billions of debit, prepaid and credit transactions annually, serving over 100 fintechs, digital banks, and embedded finance providers, from consumer to corporate, across 44 countries.

Thredd’s unique offering is its client-centric approach, combining hands-on support with modern, reliable, and scalable technology. Thredd’s assured solution accelerates the development and delivery of consumer and corporate payments components embedded within digital banks, as well as for expense management, B2B payments, crypto, lending, credit, Buy Now Pay Later (“BNPL”), FX, remittance, and open banking innovators. By partnering with our clients from concept to creation with our easily configurable solutions, we allow these leaders the agility to achieve their core business aspirations. 

Thredd has enabled market leaders since 2007 and has a highly reliable platform with 99.99% availability.Thredd’s highly customisable solutions on our API-first platform, surrounded by our in-depth industry expertise, value-added services, global presence, and technical resilience, are designed to scale with ease.Thredd is certified by Visa and Mastercard to process transactions globally and has branded offices in London, Newcastle, Singapore, and Sydney, with remote colleagues based all over the world.

Contacts 

Thredd – Betsy​​​​ Samuel | Chief Marketing Officer | [email protected]

Zilch raises £100M in securitisation debt deal led by Deutsche Bank

Business poised to triple sales volume with new milestone deal as Zilch works towards IPO

London, June 19, 2024 – Zilch, the world’s first ad-subsidised payments network (ASPN), today announces a key £100 million securitised debt financing arranged by Deutsche Bank (DB).

The financing will enable Zilch to grow its business and accelerate Zilch’s ability to create and launch new products for a broader base of customers.

In just under four years, Zilch has achieved remarkable growth, amassing over 4 million customers and now processing more than 10 million monthly payments. Zilch gives customers a reward-earning debit & zero-interest instalment offering in one. The platform has already generated over £2.5 billion in commerce and saved its customers more than £450 million in fees and interest through its ad-subsidisation model, as it works to eliminate the high cost of consumer credit.

Zilch CEO and Co-Founder Philip Belamant said: “We’re thrilled to announce the financing as it marks a transformative step in Zilch’s journey. With this new securitisation, we’re poised to triple sales volumes and achieve significant capital efficiencies as we continue to drive billions in commerce to our retail network and, in turn, hundreds of millions in savings and subsidies to our customer base.

“This partnership not only provides an excellent opportunity for debt investors to join in Zilch’s success, but it also enables us to accelerate the rollout of our feature roadmap which will broaden wallet and market share. We’re adding over 100,000 new customers every month, doubling revenue year over year, and this deal will allow us to build upon that momentum.”

Hugh Courtney, Chief Financial Officer of Zilch, said: “We are excited to announce our entry into the securitisation market. Optimising our capital structure and pricing is key to providing our customers with more flexible ways to pay. Deutsche Bank really leant in to find a bespoke solution to match our uniquely capital- efficient model.

“The financing sets an initial benchmark for us to price our debt issuance in the future, allowing us to competitively match the pricing and terms as the business continues to develop. Finally, the securitisation represents a major milestone as we work towards an IPO in the future.”

For more information on Zilch, ASPN and its innovative payment solutions, visit www.zilch.com.

— ENDS —

Notes for Editors

About Zilch

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

Zilch is a multi-award-winning and 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.

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.

In 2023, Zilch launched its proprietary ASPN service, which allows retailers worldwide instant connection with millions of Zilch’s first-party data, closed loop network 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 FCA 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.

Contacts:

For more information, visit: www.zilch.com

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

Hawthorn – Press & Media enquiries: [email protected]

Zilch charges ahead with enhanced AI capabilities via AWS

Zilch’s total GMV now over $3 billion, 50% of which was generated in the last 12 months

London, 23 May, 2024Zilch, the world’s first ad-subsidised payments network (ASPN), today announced its latest milestone: surpassing 4 million registered customers within just 44 months of launch.

“In less than four years, we’ve transformed how millions experience, engage and – most importantly – are rewarded with their daily payments, generating our customers over $500 million in savings and counting,” said Philip Belamant, CEO and co-founder of Zilch.

Zilch currently adds over 100,000 new customers each month and now around 12% of the UK’s 33 million adult working population has a Zilch account. Since its launch the platform has created over $3 billion in commerce, or Gross Merchandise Value (GMV), for retailers with over half of this GMV generated in just the last 12 months, reflecting an accelerating pace in its rapidly growing business activities.

Zilch customers today interact with the platform 10-15 times more frequently than users of peers. This high customer frequency not only drives Zilch’s continuous growth but also attracts an increasing number of retailers to the platform, who are eager to connect through data-led ad targeting with Zilch’s hyper-engaged and growing user base. Through Zilch’s ASPN services, any of the c.37 million retailers on Mastercard can offer attractive contextualised deals and discounts on everyday purchases the customer makes, online or in-store via tap-and-pay. This virtuous cycle of value draws more consumers to use Zilch’s array of features, all of which are subsidised by retailers’ advertising spend.

Years of high recurring transaction activity with Zilch’s now 4-million-strong customer base have given the company a uniquely rich data set to train and optimise its AI engine. Following the recent enhancement of its partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Zilch continues to push the boundaries of innovation in Artificial Intelligence across its business operations. Leveraging AWS’s powerful machine learning (SageMaker) and GenAI (Bedrock) services, Zilch has unlocked its deep lake of customer behavioural data. In April, AWS invited Zilch’s CEO to present the opening keynote at its annual AWS Summit, where he announced that over the past year, this has enabled the company to further develop and deploy sophisticated AI tools that have advanced credit underwriting, fraud prevention and customer servicing.

Belamant added: “Our advanced use of GenAI and machine learning, backed by AWS’s robust cloud capabilities we’ve been building with for years, allows us to continuously innovate our flywheel of value at the sustainable operational pace and scale necessary to lead the revolution in payments – such as live, personalised affordability limits and buyer intent prediction.”

Zilch’s momentum in 2024 is highlighted by several strategic initiatives, including the introduction of a new ‘Pay over 3 Months’ zero-interest regulated credit option, the co-founding of the Unicorn Council for UK FinTech (UCFT) and the partnership with Checkout.com as its global acquiring partner. These developments, combined with the ongoing AWS collaboration, are expected to further accelerate the deployment of next-generation AI capabilities, ensuring Zilch remains at the forefront of technological advancements in fintech and cutting edge of consumer financial services.

For more information on Zilch, ASPN and its innovative payment solutions, visit www.zilch.com.

— ENDS —

About Zilch
Zilch’s vision is to eliminate the 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.

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.

In 2023, Zilch launched its proprietary ASPN service, which allows retailers worldwide instant connection with millions of Zilch’s first-party data, closed loop network 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.

For more information, visit: www.zilch.com

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

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