Zilch secures €150 million to accelerate growth as the UK and EMEA’s fastest-growing FinTech unicorn

London-based Zilch, a consumer payments platform , today announced it has raised over €150 million ($175 million) in debt and equity to increase brand visibility through increased above-the-line (ATL) marketing spend, further product development and platform enhancement, and the exploration of strategic M&A opportunities.

The round was led by KKCG, including participation from BNF Capital, and several other strategic investors. The raise also includes the expansion of its securitisation led by Deutsche Bank.

“In just five years, we have rewired the relationship between brands and their customers, offering a different way to pay that brings mass benefits to both consumers and merchants,” said Philip Belamant, CEO and co-founder of Zilch. “This funding reflects strong confidence in our team, strategy and execution, enabling us to continue scaling at pace. Our newly launched products are already driving outsized growth, and with the support of a world-class group of debt and equity investors, we’re well positioned for the next phase of expansion.”

EU-Startups has noticed multiple rounds in similar verticals across the continent, including London-based Navro’s €36 million Series B for its payments-curation platform, Berlin-based Payrails’ €27.7 million Series A for enterprise payment software, and Cologne’s Aufinity Group, which secured €23 million to develop automotive-sector payment solutions.

Early-stage activity has also been present, such as Due’s €6.3 million Seed extension for borderless payments and Bulgaria-based Paypercut’s €2 million pre-Seed round focused on SME BNPL infrastructure.

Larger rounds, such as London-based Fnality’s €115 million Series C for wholesale payment systems and Amsterdam-based Factris’ €100 million facility for SME invoice financing, further illustrate the sector’s breadth.

Against this backdrop – totalling roughly €310 million in the comparable 2025 cohort – Zilch’s raise of over €150 million ranks among the year’s larger announcements.

As another London company, Zilch appears alongside several UK-based peers securing investment in 2025, underscoring continued investor appetite in the region’s payments infrastructure and consumer-facing financial technology.

“In a market where many have found raising capital difficult, the network and strategic leadership of my co-founder, Sean O’Connor, have been instrumental in helping us achieve this outcome and we are excited for the year ahead,” adds Belamant.

Launched in 2020 with a mission to eliminate high-cost credit, Zilch reportedly offers a new type of payments experience combining flexible ways to pay with meaningful rewards.

With over 5 million registered customers, Zilch uses its technology to connect user base with retailers and brands helping them acquire customers more efficiently whilst delivering consumers personalised rewards, benefits and discounts.

Hugh Courtney, Chief Financial Officer added: “Our ability to attract world-class investors at a time when many remain highly selective in their capital deployment is testament to the strength of the business we are building. Future-proof innovation, diversified revenue streams and a highly engaged customer base are all critical factors in our rapid growth and we look forward to working with our shareholders to build on these successes, eliminate high-cost credit and rewire the economics of commerce.”

The successful raise follows the recent launch of two of the biggest products since Zilch’s inception.

• Intelligent Commerce, an AI-powered platform that transforms live engagement data into real-time insights, comes in response to the fast-evolving Agentic Commerce landscape and has already become one of the business’ fastest-growing revenue streams.
• Zilch Pay, set to launch in H1 2026, will capture an increasing share of consumers’ wallets and enhance the customer experience with a one click checkout experience for Zilch customers.

The business has amassed over 5.3 million customers, many of whom pay with Zilch almost 60 times a year, with its most engaged users doing so daily. Zilch connects these users to thousands of retailers and brands, including the likes of Amazon, eBay, Tesco and Sports Direct, to help them acquire customers more efficiently and increase their sales.

As a result, Zilch has processed over €4.3 billion (£5 billion) of commerce.

Karel Komarek Jr., CEO of KKCG US Advisory commented: “KKCG is all about finding new solutions in established industries and creating sustainable value. Zilch’s impressive track record demonstrates that its approach to using technology to challenge the status quo and re-engineer the credit landscape delivers exceptional value for consumers and businesses. We’re looking forward to being part of this exciting next stage of their journey.”

EU-Startups has covered Zilch multiple times in earlier years, documenting its progression through successive funding rounds. In 2021, we reported Zilch’s €66.7 million raise to advance its Buy Now, Pay Later model, followed a few months later by news of a further €93.4 million secured for continued expansion. Later that year, EU-Startups also covered Zilch becoming what it termed Europe’s fastest “double unicorn” after its €95 million Series C. In 2022, we reported an additional €47.9 million raised to support the continued development of its BNPL infrastructure.

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