Jason Bates is a fintech entrepreneur and the co-founder of several influential digital banks in the UK, including Monzo and Starling. Over the past decade, he has been at the forefront of retail banking transformation, building platforms that prioritise user experience, transparency, and simplicity.
Under Bates’ leadership, Monzo grew to millions of customers and became one of the UK’s most recognised challenger banks, setting a new standard for mobile-first banking. At Monzo, Bates led product and proposition development, researching customer needs, guiding design, recruiting top talent, and navigating regulatory approvals. Prior to that, he co-founded Starling Bank, another pioneering digital bank that redefined how UK consumers engage with financial services. His work consistently demonstrates that successful fintech innovation starts by asking what customers truly want and working backward to deliver it.
Today, Jason Bates drives initiatives through 11:FS, a fintech consultancy and digital transformation firm, helping banks, insurers, and financial institutions adapt to a rapidly evolving financial landscape. He frequently shares his insights through podcasts, industry panels, and conferences, influencing the next generation of digital banking.
Most recently, Bates co-founded “Project Arnaud,” a digital bank for high net worth clients, alongside industry leaders David Brear and Max Koretskiy. The project aims to bring the speed, clarity, and automation of modern retail banking to the complex world of wealth management, where clients often juggle multiple accounts across jurisdictions with outdated systems. With global wealth transfers accelerating and digitally native clients demanding smarter solutions, the initiative positions Bates at the cutting edge of the next fintech wave.
Jason Bates is widely recognised for his expertise in building next-generation banking stacks, designing digital propositions from scratch, and rethinking how technology can serve people’s financial lives. His vision continues to shape the fintech landscape, moving it from legacy-dominated systems toward customer-focused, mobile-first, and digitally seamless services.
