- Co-founder of Monzo Bank
- Co-founder of Starling Bank
- Deputy CEO of fintech consultancy 11:FS
Tech entrepreneur Jason Bates co-founded Monzo and Starling Bank, two of the most successful financial services companies of recent times. He is now the co-founder and Deputy CEO of fintech consultancy 11:FS, leading delivery teams to help banks drive digital transformation and deliver digital banking. Jason also presents FinTech Insider's podcast, covering topics from digital banking and consumer behaviour to blockchain and cryptocurrencies.
At Starling, Jason led product development and directed brand and marketing. During his time there, he met the team with whom he would later pioneer a new digital bank, initially named Mondo. It raised one million in ninety-six seconds, becoming the quickest crowd-funding campaign in history. A later campaign reached twenty million within three hours. As Chief Customer Officer of Monzo, Jason built the design of the award-winning app and led the regulatory applications for the bank.
Monzo’s success was mainly due to its loyalty to its users, with referrals drawing in eighty per cent of the company’s business. Monzo disrupted traditional banking by establishing a new way of interacting with clients and engaging younger people with their finances.
As part of his fintech consultancy, Jason advises companies to develop mobile platforms and target different markets. He also guides financial services on driving digital transformation, analysing where innovation meets banking, and how to implement change successfully.
Jason considers how digital banking will evolve, AI's role, and its impact on consumers and businesses. He discusses leadership in an era of cultural change, overseeing the next digital shift, and creating products that embody the future of consumer behaviour.
Topics, Sessions and Talks
Creating Digital Banks From Scratch
Jason Bates shares his journey from co-founding Monzo and Starling Bank to building fintech ventures that reshaped modern banking. Drawing on first-hand experience in product design, regulation, and customer engagement, he explores how challenger banks can rise from concept to launch. With an engaging, accessible style, Jason demonstrates what it takes to turn vision into viable digital products that transform customer expectations and redefine financial services.
The Next Generation Banking Stack
With legacy systems still underpinning much of the financial world, Jason Bates examines how a new digital banking stack is emerging to meet the demands of a connected, data-driven economy. He outlines how modular architecture, APIs, and agile teams are enabling faster, smarter, and more customer-centric innovation. Blending technical insight with clarity and wit, Jason highlights what tomorrow’s financial institutions must build today to stay relevant.
Digital Banking Is The Tip of The Iceberg
Jason Bates argues that despite advances in fintech, most banks have merely digitised old systems rather than created truly digital ones. He explores the shift from static financial products to intelligent, real-time services that adapt to users’ lives. With thought-provoking analogies and humour, Jason challenges audiences to rethink what digital banking really means, inspiring leaders to embrace the next wave of technological and behavioural change.
Special Delivery: Why Digital Teams Are Different, and Better
Drawing from his experience leading high-performing teams at Monzo, Starling, and 11:FS, Jason Bates unpacks why small, empowered digital teams consistently outperform traditional corporate structures. He reveals how focus, autonomy, and cross-disciplinary collaboration create the agility needed to innovate at speed. Combining real-world lessons with sharp observations, Jason offers a compelling case for transforming how financial institutions organise, motivate, and deliver in the digital age.
Designing a World-Class Customer Experience
Jason Bates explores the principles behind creating seamless, human-centred experiences in digital finance. He explains how deep customer insight, behavioural understanding, and design thinking can turn complex financial interactions into intuitive and trusted journeys. Known for his clarity and authenticity, Jason shows how focusing on customer experience not only builds loyalty but also drives innovation and competitive advantage in an increasingly experience-led marketplace.
Why We Recommend Booking Jason
Book Jason Bates as a speaker to gain exclusive insights from the co-founder of Monzo and Starling Bank, which revolutionised digital banking. Learn how to drive digital transformation and cultivate customer loyalty from a fintech pioneer. Elevate your team's understanding of future trends in AI, consumer behaviour, and innovative financial services.
Fantastic – a real gem and great addition to our conference this year.
Jessica
Pensions Management Institute
Things went brilliantly with Jason this morning, he’s a fantastic speaker. Great start to the event, super relevant to our audience and he gave the audience (including me) some real lightbulb moments. He really gave a refreshing perspective on how to approach customer-first design. He really seemed to ‘get’ where our audience would have been approaching this from.
...Things went brilliantly with Jason this morning, he's a fantastic speaker. Great start to the event, super relevant to our audience and he gave the audience (including me) some real lightbulb moments. I don't claim to know everything customer contact related but I watch a lot of these talks, and he really gave a refreshing perspective on how to approach customer-first design. He really seemed to 'get' where our audience would have been approaching this from.
