Starling Bank
digital bank
Starling Bank is a fully licensed UK digital bank founded in 2014 and widely regarded as the best business bank account in the UK, having won multiple industry awards. Personal accounts offer fee-free spending abroad, real-time notifications, and integrated Spaces for savings goals. Business accounts are particularly strong — offering multi-user access, accounting integrations (Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent), invoicing tools, and a euro business account option. FSCS-protected up to GBP 85,000. Requires UK residency; non-residents cannot open accounts. Unlike many challenger banks, Starling is consistently profitable and holds a full UK banking licence.
Details
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
- Currencies
- 1
- Monthly Fee
- Free
- Non-Residents
- Not accepted
- US Persons
- Not accepted
- Debit Card
- Available
- Business Account
- Available
Opening Requirements
- •UK residential address
- •UK phone number
- •Government-issued photo ID
- •Age 18+
Nationality Acceptance Matrix
Who this provider will and will not onboard. Refusals are listed first. Sourced from the provider's own published terms and recent public onboarding reports — confirm with the provider before applying.
| Nationality | Accepted | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| us | NO | US persons not accepted; Starling declines US nationals to avoid FATCA compliance burden. |
| iran | NO | Blocked — UK/OFAC Iran sanctions. |
| cuba | NO | Blocked — UK/OFAC Cuba sanctions. |
| north korea | NO | Blocked — UN/UK/OFAC DPRK sanctions. |
| syria | NO | Blocked — UK/OFAC Syria sanctions. |
| uk | YES | UK residents are the sole customer base; full product access. |
| eu | YES | EU nationals accepted if UK-resident. |
| russia | YES | Russian nationals accepted if UK-resident; UK sanctions individuals screened; some accounts closed for compliance reasons. |
| china | YES | Chinese nationals accepted if UK-resident. |
| myanmar | YES | Accepted if UK-resident; UK targeted Myanmar sanctions screen specific individuals, not the full nationality. |
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