Starling Bank vs Worldpay: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Starling Bank had ~$1.2B of annual revenue in FY2026. Worldpay had $4.9B of annual revenue in FY2023.
Latest financial snapshot
Starling Bank
- Latest annual revenue
- ~$1.2B (FY2026)
- Net income
- Unavailable here
- Net margin
- —
- Revenue growth
- +25.1% a year, FY2023–FY2026
Worldpay
- Latest annual revenue
- $4.9B (FY2023)
- Net income
- Unavailable here
- Net margin
- —
- Revenue growth
- +4.4% a year, FY2021–FY2023
Financial summary
Starling Bank
Starling's profits come mainly from net interest income: it funds mortgages and SME loans with low-cost deposits. That made it a big winner from higher UK interest rates, with pre-tax profit peaking at ~$397M (£301.1M) in FY24. As rates eased, profit settled at ~$295M (£223.4M) in FY25 and ~$287M (£217.1M) in FY26, and reported revenue slipped from ~$1.24B (£940.0M) to ~$1.17B (£887.4M). Deposits still grew to ~$16.8B (£12.7B), and Engine by Starling's revenue rose 25% in FY26, adding a fee-based line that depends less on interest rates. Starling Bank is a highly disruptive, digital-only challenger bank in the UK, maintaining a massive private market valuation estimated over $3 billion.
Worldpay
Worldpay's ownership has changed repeatedly. Vantiv listed on the NYSE in 2012, bought the UK's Worldpay Group in 2018, and was acquired by FIS in 2019 in a deal valued at about $43 billion including debt. FIS later recorded a $17.6 billion goodwill impairment on its merchant business and, in early 2024, sold a 55% stake to GTCR at an enterprise value of about $18.5 billion. Worldpay's revenue was about $4.9 billion in 2023. In April 2025 Global Payments agreed to buy Worldpay for $24.25 billion in cash and stock while selling its Issuer Solutions business to FIS; both transactions closed in January 2026, leaving GTCR with about 15% of Global Payments' equity.
Revenue and profit by year
Starling Bank
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | ~$1.2B | — | — | +24.3% | Source |
| FY2025 | ~$942.5M | — | — | +4.7% | Source |
| FY2024 | ~$900.5M | — | — | +50.7% | Source |
| FY2023 | ~$597.7M | — | — | — | Source |
Worldpay
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | $4.9B | — | — | +2.7% | Source |
| FY2022 | $4.8B | — | — | +6.2% | Source |
| FY2021 | $4.5B | — | — | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
Starling Bank
- Business banking
Not formally reported
Accounts and lending for British small and medium-sized businesses. This is the main source of profit.
- Retail banking
Not formally reported
Free personal current accounts, which bring in customers and low-cost deposits that fund mortgages and SME loans.
- Engine by Starling
About $92.4 million committed ARR
Starling's cloud banking software licensed to other banks. GBP 70 million.
Worldpay
- Enterprise
Not formally reported
Payment processing and acquiring for large enterprise and e-commerce merchants.
- SMB
Not formally reported
Small and mid-sized business merchants.
- Integrated & Platforms
Not formally reported
Software platforms that embed payments in their own products. Worldpay earns a share of each transaction's value plus per-transaction and service fees.
Business model and strategy
Starling Bank
How it makes money
Starling earns money in three ways. Retail banking offers free personal current accounts, which bring in customers and deposits. Business banking serves British small and medium-sized businesses and is its main source of profit.
Growth strategy
Starling is growing through software sales and lending rather than by opening consumer banks in new countries, which is expensive and heavily regulated. It sells its Engine platform to existing banks, including in Asia and the Middle East, and it is expanding mortgage and commercial lending in the UK, funded by its deposit base of about $16.8 billion (GBP 12.7 billion).
Competitive advantage
Starling's advantage is its own core banking software. It built its banking infrastructure in the cloud from the start, while older banks run on decades-old mainframe systems that cost far more to maintain. That keeps Starling's cost per account low. Its founder, Anne Boden, came from traditional banking, which helped the company work through UK banking regulation and obtain a full licence.
Worldpay
How it makes money
Worldpay earns fees on payments it processes and acquires for merchants: a share of each transaction's value plus per-transaction and service fees, with interchange and card scheme fees passed through to issuers and networks. Its customers include large enterprise and e-commerce merchants, small and mid-sized businesses, and software platforms that embed payments into their own products.
Growth strategy
Under Global Payments, growth plans center on cross-selling: offering Global Payments' Genius POS to Worldpay's small business clients, and Worldpay's enterprise and e-commerce services to Global Payments' clients, while expanding payments embedded in software platforms.
Competitive advantage
Worldpay's main strengths are scale, a large base of enterprise and e-commerce merchants, acquiring capabilities in many countries and currencies, and distribution through software partners. Combined with Global Payments, it gains Global Payments' SMB products such as the Genius POS system and a wider geographic footprint.
Questions about Starling Bank vs Worldpay
Which company has higher revenue — Starling Bank or Worldpay, Inc.?
Starling Bank had ~$1.2B (FY2026), while Worldpay, Inc. had $4.9B (FY2023). By latest annual revenue, Worldpay, Inc. is the larger business, with Starling Bank showing a smaller revenue base. Note: these are from different fiscal years and are not a direct like-for-like comparison.
How does revenue per employee compare for Starling Bank and Worldpay, Inc.?
Starling Bank has $335k / employee in revenue per employee, while Worldpay, Inc. has $576k / employee. Headcounts may use different dates, so the ratio alone does not establish which business operates more efficiently.
How do Starling Bank and Worldpay, Inc. make money?
Starling Bank and Worldpay, Inc. generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. Starling Bank: Starling earns money in three ways. Worldpay, Inc.: Worldpay earns fees on payments it processes and acquires for merchants: a share of each transaction's value plus per-transaction and service fees, with interchange and card scheme fees passed through to issuers and networks.
Is Starling Bank bigger than Worldpay, Inc.?
By last reported revenue, Worldpay, Inc. ($4.9B (FY2023)) is the larger company compared to Starling Bank (~$1.2B (FY2026)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Starling Bank vs Worldpay overview