Starling is launching a web portal in September, but there’s a catch

The bank will also be partnering with “leading SME lenders” to offer third-party loans.

Next month Starling Bank will launch its first web portal to let customers manage their accounts outside of its mobile app, but not all customers.

The feature, developed with funding from the £100m Starling won from the Banking Competition Remedies (BCR) fund in February, will be limited to Starling’s business account holders only at launch.

“Starling understands that many SMEs want to manage their banking online as well as through mobile applications and to support this, it will launch its web portal in Q3 2019,” Starling wrote in its six-monthly update to the BCR.

“Construction of this portal is underway and on track for launch in September 2019.”

It’s not yet clear when, or even if, this web portal will be available for Starling’s consumer banking customers.

Along with its web portal, Starling also revealed that, while developing its own lending products, it’ll also be partnering directly with “leading SME lenders” to enable them to offer loans via the Starling Marketplace.

Other features being developed by Starling as part of its public commitments to the BCR include: “flexible deposit accounts, multiuser card functionality, instant invoicing, VAT management, advanced invoice financing, smart FX, supply chain finance using blockchain-based technology and secured business lending.”

High-touch customer support for business customers is also in the works, with a relationship programme in development along with “micro scheduling” to book “to the minute” customer appointments.

In February CEO Anne Boden said on the news that her bank had been awarded the £100m grant that: 

“Starling will deliver an advanced fully-digital offering that connects SMEs with the financial solutions they need to thrive. This is the opportunity to bring new technology and a new approach to the sector.”

Starling at the time pledged to make £913m of lending available to business customers by the end of 2023.