Mambu’s infrastructure and API will enable OakNorth to offer business loans with flexible terms to small- and mid-sized enterprises to enable their future growth. The bank also obtained approval from the UK regulators to accept deposits and make savings products available to individual retail and small business customers. Building on the Mambu platform will help OakNorth challenge and outmatch traditional banks, peer to peer (P2P) lenders and other alternative lending options in regards to service and loan distribution.

“To properly meet the needs of entrepreneurial growth businesses in the UK, we knew we needed a radically different approach to customer service than what was available from traditional banks. This meant merging the best practices of commercial and retail banking with the technical flexibility and dexterity of an online digital disruptor,” said Rishi Khosla, CEO and Founder of OakNorth Bank.

“Mambu’s banking technology is the core of our digital architecture, enabling us to rapidly bring new products to market and focus our innovation around giving our customers great service with a level of agility we couldn’t get from a traditional core banking system. Changes to our systems can be made much more quickly than other banks, often in days rather than weeks, meaning we’re able to adapt to the needs of our customers, offering solutions where others can’t and moving away from the ‘computer says no’ mentality that plagues the industry.”

An early Paypal investor, Rishi Khosla draws upon his prior venture capital investment experience and that of fellow Copal Amba co-founder Joel Perlman to inform the bank’s ‘digital-first’ strategy. OakNorth has attracted a heavyweight leadership team, including Lord Turner of Ecchinswell, the former Chairman of the Financial Services Authority.

“The U.K. is one of the fastest growing areas for alternative lending in the EU, which can make it difficult for any challenger bank to compete in this environment. OakNorth recognized it needed a banking platform that would simplify and streamline the loan origination process for SME businesses to maintain a competitive edge,” said Eugene Danilkis, CEO of Mambu.