Zilch, a consumer payments platform, has secured a payments services licence from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK.

 The licence enables Zilch to develop payments methods in-house and bring new products to market more rapidly.

The FCA licence removes Zilch’s reliance on third-party providers, allowing the company to innovate quickly as new technologies emerge, including stablecoins.

This development follows the launch of two products: Zilch Pay, which is set to go live in the first half of 2026 and aims to enhance the customer experience with a one-click checkout; and Intelligent Commerce, an AI-powered platform that converts live engagement data into real-time insights.

With this FCA payments services licence, Zilch gains direct access to roadmap discussions, early testing of new products, and the ability to form deeper commercial partnerships.

This positions the business to continue advancing in the payments sector.

The company stated that the licence would “turbocharge” its product development capabilities and support its efforts to pioneer the future of payments.

Zilch co-founder and CEO Philip Belamant commented, “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. 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.”

Securing an FCA payments services licence has become increasingly challenging in recent years, with heightened scrutiny applied to applicants.

Zilch stated that its successful application, which underwent a level of examination similar to that of a new bank, is seen as evidence of its regulatory credibility and operational governance.

The company’s ability to meet these standards is expected to reinforce its reputation in the market.

In addition to obtaining the FCA licence, Zilch has also achieved Principal Membership of Visa for the first time.

This step strengthens the collaborative relationship between Zilch and Visa, with both companies intending to explore new opportunities in payments and leverage technologies such as agentic commerce.

Visa’s head of UK Clients Mark Berry stated, “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.”

The announcement comes after a period of significant activity for Zilch. The company recently raised over $175m in debt and equity, including the expansion of its securitisation led by Deutsche Bank.

Zilch has also become the Official Way to Pay for Arsenal Football Club, further extending its brand presence and consumer reach.