Last night we held the awards ceremony for the tenth annual British bank awards. This year’s awards have been highly competitive, with over 150,000 reviews left by consumers during the voting period, and a total of 120 companies taking part. The British bank awards continues to evolve with new products and companies to keep consumers informed about the financial services market.

The ceremony was held in London, hosted by comedian Hal Cruttenden. Over 375 guests attended on the night, creating an incredible atmosphere in the venue. It was fantastic to see so many new faces, with a strong contingent of new companies getting involved in 2024. 

Chase saw off the competition to retain their title of ‘Best British bank’, also winning ‘Best current account provider’ for the second year running. Elsewhere, Starling Bank also scooped two awards – winning ‘Best banking app’ and ‘Best children’s financial provider’. Several other companies managed to take home multiple awards – Capco, Darlington Building Society, and Zopa.

Cheddar was this year’s ‘Best newcomer’, with a near impressive perfect score in their customer reviews, having launched in 2022 and branding themselves as the provider who will allow customers to “maximise their savings with effortless cashback”. Meanwhile, Sibstar won the prestigious 'Innovation of the year' award.

Commenting on the awards, CEO of Smart Money People Jacqueline Dewey said: “The role of financial services companies has never been more important as so many consumers continue to struggle with stretched household budgets. The industry is also facing its own pressures, including frequent base rate changes and navigating the FCA’s Consumer Duty guidance. The British bank awards takes a moment to celebrate those who have risen to these challenges and demonstrate exceptional dedication and service to making a real difference in the lives of their customers.”

“The awards are completely down to the voice of the customer and the reviews we receive on Smart Money People. This makes the achievements all the more special. The winners of the awards should be extremely proud of their achievements.”

Kiruba Shankar Eswaran, CEO of Eleos, this year’s headline sponsor added: “Huge congratulations to all the winners and finalists at the British bank awards. Your unwavering dedication to the highest standards both from a product perspective and also in your customer service is something you should all be proud of.”

“At Eleos, we share the same priorities as all the nominees - a commitment to excellence, innovation and ethical business practices. That’s why we partner with banks to provide them with simple solutions that offer more benefits to their customers, increasing retention and also providing businesses with an easy source of additional revenue. Many banks have told us of their difficulties in entering insurtech, but with Eleos, we have democratised insurance for all.”

A huge thank you to everybody who has left a review and voted in this year's awards, and to all of our new entrants and returning regulars who’ve participated. And a special thanks to our headline sponsor Eleos, and category sponsors CSI LTD, 71a, Revolut, and The FinTech Times.

Here is the full list of our British bank awards 2024 winner and highly commended companies:

Headline awards

Best British bank – Chase

Best banking app – Starling Bank

Best building society – Darlington Building Society

Best ethical financial provider – Triodos Bank

Best money content creator – Sammie Ellard-King (Up the Gains)

Best newcomer – Cheddar

Customer service champion – Marsden Building Society

Innovation of the year – Sibstar

Personal finance journalist of the year – Felicity Hannah

Treating customers fairly champion – Newbury Building Society

Banking-specific awards

Best alternative finance provider – CapitalRise

Best building society savings provider – Darlington Building Society

Best business banking provider – Monzo

Best business finance provider – Allica Bank

Best children’s financial provider – Starling Bank

Best credit card provider – Zopa (highly commended – Monzo)

Best current account provider – Chase

Best investments provider – Moneybox

Best mortgage broker – Tembo (highly commended – Better.co.uk)

Best online trading platform – Freetrade

Best personal finance app – Chip (highly commended – Updraft)

Best personal loan provider – Zopa

Best savings provider – Shawbrook Bank (highly commended – Zopa)

Best specialist mortgage provider – Leek Building Society

Money content creator awards

Money influencer of the year – Chloe Carmichael (chloesdealclub)

Money blogger of the year – Emma Jackson (Bee Money Savvy)

Partner awards

Marketing and PR partner of the year – Square 1 Media

The pioneer award – Capco

RegTech partner of the year – ComplyCube

Technology partner of the year – ClearBank

Consultancy of the year – Capco

The British bank awards will be back in 2025!

Voting will open for the eleventh British bank awards on 13 January 2025, so save the date.