Bank Founder Anthony Thomson appointed Chair of Zip UK Board
Anthony Thomson, founder of Metro Bank and Atom Bank, today joins Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) provider Zip Co Limited as Chair of the UK Board, bolstering the company’s leadership team as it grows in the UK.
With more than 20 years of executive level experience in financial services, Anthony joins Zip at a defining moment for the BNPL sector.
Anthony was previously Founder and Chairman of digital bank Atom, and before that, Co-Founder and Chairman of Metro Bank, the UK’s first new high-street bank in over 100 years. He also co-founded Australia’s first smart bank, 86 400, chairing it through a similar period of transformational change as well as advising on the launch of ila, a digital bank in the Middle East.
Founded in 2013 in Sydney, Australia, Zip is one of the fastest-growing Buy Now, Pay Later providers in the world with over 7.3 million customers. It currently has a presence in 13 markets globally – including Australia, USA, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and Canada – and is growing quickly through acquisitions, most recently a strategic investment in Indian BNPL platform ZestMoney.
Zip is eyeing significant growth in the UK and Anthony will oversee the strategic direction to establish Zip as an innovative and fair part of the personal finance toolkit, helping people to pay for life’s necessities without unreasonable interest charges.
Zip launched in the UK in March 2021 and has struck a wide array of partnerships with merchants across a number of sectors from fashion, travel, sportswear, pets, home improvements, electricals, gaming and large online retail marketplaces. Zip’s position in the market is unique: it aims to ensure customers feel informed and in control of their financial future by building financial capability and understanding.
Anthony Thomson, Zip Chair of the UK Board, said, “Zip was created to give consumers an easier and more flexible way of buying the things they both want and need. Consumer credit can be complex and opaque, things that Zip has been specifically built to avoid. The UK BNPL market is at a very early stage, so to join the board at this time, at an important moment for the industry, is very exciting.
“I look forward to helping grow the business and supporting the sector as it continues to provide a mature, transparent, and flexible alternative to credit cards.”
Larry Diamond, Zip Co-Founder and CEO said, “Anthony is an industry titan and a great guy. As the original fintech pioneer, we’re thrilled to bring his depth of experience and knowledge to the Zip team at this pivotal time for the industry. His experience founding and steering international banks through regulation makes him the perfect addition to our senior leadership team and signals our steadfast commitment to the UK. We are excited for this next step in Zip’s journey as we continue to develop our offer worldwide.”
Zip’s mission is to be the first payment choice everywhere, everyday. For merchants, Zip does this by helping them find their next customer, appeal to a different audience, and convert browsers to customers. Merchants that use Zip can reach new customers, and also offer them the flexibility they love.
