Health insurance, energy switching services and communications platform Slack bolster Starling’s Business Marketplace

London, 15th June 2020: Starling, the leading digital bank, has added three new integrations to its Marketplace: Slack the workplace messaging platform, Bionic, the energy switching service, and Equipsme, a health insurance provider.

The Starling Marketplace, which is already used by one in three business customers, offers 26 complementary services that customers can link to their banking app. These integrations let customers synchronise their banking with the rest of their business operations more easily, reducing company admin time.

The three new additions will be available to Starling’s 175,000 SME customers from today.

Anne Boden, founder and CEO of Starling Bank, said: “These new Marketplace integrations allow our customers to save money on utilities, incentivise their staff with health insurance and sync their Starling app with Slack enabling remote real-time communications.”

Slack: Connecting teams

Slack, the channel-based messaging platform, will give Starling’s business customers the chance to get better visibility of their finances by providing owners and employees with real-time transaction alerts every time they are paid by a customer or pay a bill. The integration will also allow finance or account management teams without direct access to the Starling business account to see transactions details.

Used by more than 100,000 businesses around the world, Slack has seen a surge in users during the coronavirus lockdown and the move to remote working.

Stuart Templeton, head of Slack UK said: “In March alone, Slack users nearly tripled the rate at which they integrate their tools in Slack, signalling that more people were getting work done with apps. Slack provides a central location where users can streamline all their tools in a place where they’re already engaged throughout the day. We’re thrilled to see Starling Bank bring this offering to their business customers.”

Bionic: Saving customers money

Powering comparison sites such as MoneySuperMarket and USwitch, Bionic helps customers save on average £725 a year and switch their bills within two hours thanks to a team of tech-enabled experts who facilitate safe, affordable and speedy switching.

This is the first time that Starling has provided business customers with access to the business utility market to give SMEs a platform to arrange their next energy contract from their banking app.

Paul Galligan, CEO of Bionic said: “Given our respective focus on ensuring customers’ needs are placed first, I have no doubt that the Starling Bank and Bionic integration will be beneficial.”

Equipsme: Health insurance for business

Equipsme will offer affordable, flexible health insurance for businesses of all sizes with employees being able to pay to upgrade and add family members.

All Equipsme plans include phone and video GP appointments at any time of day or night and physiotherapy treatment. Private diagnosis, hospital treatment and confidential stress and anxiety support can be added.

Matthew Reed, Founder and Managing Director of Equipsme said: “Our integration with Starling makes it easier for more small businesses to offer practical and affordable health and wellbeing support for their teams. Businesses with 2-20 employees can also get free cover until August. It’s our way of doing what we can to support small businesses at a time when the way we live and work has changed beyond recognition."

The Slack, Bionic and Equipsme integrations are a first for the Starling Marketplace in the areas of communications, energy and health, and extends the available options for business customers looking to get the most out of their business banking.