British Bank Awards 2021 Winners

After 13 weeks of fiercely competitive voting with a record 90,000+ votes received, the winners of the British Bank Awards 2021 have been revealed.

Now in their seventh year, Smart Money People revealed the winners of the British Bank Awards 2021 in a digital announcement on twitter and LinkedIn on the 8^th July. Hosted by Lloyd Wahed of Mana Search, the online winner announcements were a true celebration of the success of providers in the banking world and how they’ve responded to their customer needs in the last 12 months.

The full list of winners and those awarded highly commended are:

2021 Winners:

Highly Commended:

Jacqueline Dewey, Chief Executive of Smart Money People said:

“The British Bank Awards 2021 has been fantastic. We’ve had a great mix of winners this year from companies retaining their title for another year to new entrants winning for the first time. Starling Bank have held their title of Best British Bank for a fourth consecutive year which is a fantastic accolade for a company launched in 2014.

We’re very proud of the success of companies nominated in our new categories in 2021: Best Children’s Financial Provider and Best Ethical Financial Provider. The passion their customers showed in their comments are a real testament to the positive different these companies are making to the world of banking.

Voting was incredibly close, and the competition between the companies was fierce. The British Bank Awards are a real signal to companies about how they are doing in the eyes of those who matter most, their customers. And a big thank you should go to all the customers who took the time to have their say and cast their vote.”

Challenger bank Starling Bank took home four trophies in the awards, and were crowned ‘Best British Bank’ for a fourth consecutive year. Commenting on the win Anne Boden, CEO and founder of Starling Bank, said:

“It has been an extraordinary year for our customers and we have spent a lot of time listening to what they have to say via our 24/7 customer service channels. From responding to their needs by quickly introducing product innovations, such as cheque imaging and our Connected card - a second debit card for those self isolating to lending to SMEs via the government loan schemes, I believe the key to our success is listening to our customers. And long may it continue.”

gohenry were awarded ‘Best Children’s Financial Provider’ in a new category for the British Bank Awards 2021. Louise Hill, co-founder and COO, gohenry said: 

"We're really honoured to receive the Best Children's Financial Provider award at this year's British Bank Awards. The fact these awards are chosen by the public makes this extra special. Since pioneering the category when we launched gohenry in 2012, we've developed a fantastic community of over 1.5 million members who believe, like us, that being good with money is a vital life skill. We're looking forward to collaborating with our members more to ensure our service continues to meet the needs of parents and children everywhere."

Snoop were awarded ‘Innovation of the Year’ for 2021. Scott Mowbray, cofounder at Snoop commented: 

“We have a brilliantly dedicated, hardworking and talented team and winning Innovation of The Year at the British Banking Awards is fantastic recognition for everything we’re trying to achieve. Our ambition is to help make everyone better off and we hope winning this award helps to play a part in raising awareness and popularising the benefits of smart banking using open banking technology.”

Black Girl Finance were awarded the inaugural 'Online Financial Influencer of the Year' for 2021. Selina Flavius, founder of Black Girl Finance said: 

“I'm really blown away, I wasn't expecting to win at all, especially with all of the other amazing financial influencers included in the category. Thank you to everyone who voted. It was a huge honour to be nominated in the first place and now to have won the award, it makes me want to continue making money conversation interesting, inclusive and accessible to people from marginalised backgrounds.”

Triodos Bank were awarded ‘Best Savings Provider’ and received highly commended for 'Ethical Financial Provider of the Year'. Bevis Watts, chief executive of Triodos Bank UK said:

“This is a real testament to the work that our team have put in over the past year, despite the challenges of the pandemic. Similarly, the support of our customers is vital – they’re our biggest advocates, so having their voices heard in these awards makes it really meaningful recognition. Thank you to everyone that left a review and voted for us.”

Ecology Building Society were awarded the first 'Ethical Financial Provider of the Year' award and also won the 'Treating Customers Fairly Champion' for 2021. Paul Ellis, Chief Executive of Ecology Building Society commented:

“We were thrilled to be a finalist in six categories of the British Bank Awards 2021, thanks to the amazing support and loyalty of our members. In our 40^th year of building a greener society it is great to win two awards by being recognised in the ‘Best Ethical Finance Provider’ and ‘Treating Customers Fairly Champion’ categories, which is a testament to the trust our members place in our commitment to the Society’s ecological mission and to transparency in all we do. Balancing the needs of savers and borrowers is at the heart of our vision to bring a fairer, more sustainable future closer to becoming a reality.” 

SurePay were 'Technology Partner of the Year' for 2021. David Jan Janse, CEO and co-founder of SurePay told us:

"Big thanks to NatWest Group, Atom, HMRC, and over 20 other banks and more than 150 corporates who rely on our Confirmation of Payee service. SurePay invented Confirmation of Payee in 2017 in the Netherlands, and this British Bank Award shows we are still leading the evolution of CoP, as market leader in the UK and Europe. We are on our mission to protect both our clients and their customers against the growing threat of fraud worldwide, giving them the reassurance that their payments are going to the intended recipient. It is very satisfying to be able to contribute to the prevention of fraud and misdirection and, for example, to make it possible for COVID 19 payments are delivered safely, at scale and to the right people. Of course a big thanks to the SurePay team, consisting of 80 colleagues, of 22 nationalities, based in 3 different countries."

About the British Bank Awards

Launched in 2014, the British Bank Awards aim to find the best products, hottest innovation and most trusted financial brands and are voted for by customers. The awards are run by Smart Money People, the UK’s financial services review and research website.

The British Bank Awards will be back for 2022, and you can find out more here.