Tink poaches Stripe’s Rafael Plantier to lead UK and Ireland

After its NatWest win earlier this year, Tink is doubling-down on the UK.

Tink has appointed Stripe’s former head of EMEA banking, Rafael Plantier, as its new country manager for the UK and Ireland.

Plantier will look to expand Tink’s UK work, which currently includes partnerships with companies like NatWest, PayPal and Klarna.

“The UK and Ireland is charging ahead of the rest of Europe in its open banking journey,” said Plantier.

“It’s a brilliant launchpad for challenger banks and fintechs, and a thriving hub of investment and innovation. I’m excited to be right at the heart of the open banking revolution and look forward to this new leadership challenge to turbocharge Tink’s growth in the UK and Irish market.”

Tink’s pitch to banks, fintechs and startups is to use one API which lets their customers access aggregated financial data, initiate payments, etc.

Earlier this year NatWest announced it will partner with Tink to operate the personal finance management features of its UK banking app going forward.

PayPal also revealed its involvement in Tink’s €56m Series D, of which it’s understood to have taken a sizable €10m chunk of.

Tink now has more than 250 employees globally and says its API allows connections with more than 2,500 banks across 14 markets like the UK, Sweden, France, Germany and the Netherlands.