Zilch, the London-based consumer payments platform, has secured a payment services licence from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), a regulatory milestone that will allow the fintech to bring payment operations in-house and accelerate product innovation.
The new licence removes Zilch’s reliance on third-party payment processors, granting the company greater control over its technology stack. This move is expected to streamline operations and enable faster deployment of new products, including future integrations with emerging technologies such as stablecoins.
Philip Belamant, co-founder and CEO of Zilch, described the authorisation as a pivotal moment for the company’s strategic independence.
“This is a major step change for Zilch, bringing us firmly into the payments tent and giving us a true seat at the table to shape the ecosystem,” Belamant said. “It opens the door to new opportunities, setting us up to move even faster, more efficiently and cost-effectively. In just five years, we’ve amassed over 5.3 million users and thousands of retail partners based on the strength of our proposition and product. Now with our licence, we are even better positioned to develop this further and take advantage of new innovations as they mature to support the next phase of our rapid expansion.”
Strengthening Visa ties
Alongside the regulatory approval, Zilch has announced it has become a Principal Member of Visa. This elevates its existing relationship with the payments giant, allowing for direct collaboration on roadmap discussions and early testing of new payment solutions.
The two companies intend to explore new opportunities in areas such as agentic commerce. Mark Berry, head of UK clients at Visa, commented on the deepened partnership: “We’re excited to continue supporting Zilch’s growth to bring new, cutting-edge solutions to the UK market. Working together, we can deliver smarter ways to pay and be paid for people and businesses across the UK at scale.”
Expanding the product suite
The licensing comes shortly after Zilch unveiled two major additions to its platform. Zilch Pay, scheduled to go live in the first half of 2026, aims to capture a larger share of consumer wallets through a one-click checkout experience. The company also introduced Intelligent Commerce, an AI-powered platform designed to convert engagement data into real-time insights for retailers.
The FCA licence is expected to support the rollout of these products by providing Zilch with direct access to payment infrastructure and deeper commercial autonomy.
This regulatory win follows a period of significant capital activity for the fintech unicorn. In recent months, Zilch has raised over $175million in debt and equity, including an expanded securitisation facility led by Deutsche Bank.