Z
Ziglu
Provides a digital platform that enables customers to exchange fiat currency for cryptocurrency
About Ziglu
Ziglu is a financial services company founded in 2018 by Mark Hipperson, who also co-founded Starling Bank where he served as CTO. Drawing from his extensive background in banking and technology, including a tenure as Head of Technology at Barclays, Hipperson established Ziglu to bridge the gap between traditional fiat currencies and digital assets. The company launched its app in June 2020 after securing £5.25 million in seed funding.
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The firm operates as an electronic money institution (EMI) and a registered cryptoasset firm, authorized by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This dual registration allows Ziglu to offer both regulated payment services and non-regulated cryptoasset services. The platform is designed for retail clients in the UK and Europe, providing a single application to manage both traditional money (GBP, EUR, USD) and a curated selection of over 20 cryptocurrencies. Its business model generates revenue through a 1.25% exchange fee on cryptocurrency transactions, interchange fees from its debit card, and foreign exchange services.
Ziglu's core product is a mobile application that provides an integrated experience for banking and crypto. Users can hold funds in a safeguarded GBP account, perform instant peer-to-peer payments, and make exchanges between fiat and digital currencies. The platform also offers a debit card for spending, foreign exchange services with no commission, and yield-bearing investment accounts through its 'Boost' product. A significant milestone was the planned acquisition by US-based Robinhood in April 2022, which intended to use Ziglu as its entry into the UK and European markets. However, the deal, initially valued at $170 million, was later repriced to $72.5 million due to the downturn in the crypto market and eventually collapsed. Following the failed acquisition and challenging market conditions, Ziglu entered special administration in June 2025 after facing financial difficulties and regulatory intervention from the FCA.
At a glance
- Status
- Closed
- Founded
- 2018
- Headquarters
- London, United Kingdom
- Employees
- 13
- Open positions
- None listed
- Dealroom signal
- 0.0/100
- Industry
- Fintech
- Sub-industry
- Crypto and DeFi
- Sector
- Fintech, Cefi, Crypto Banking, Crypto and Web3, Hard Tech, uk is8 financial services
- Technology
- Blockchain, Mobile app
- Business model
- SaaS
- Client focus
- b2c
Latest news
Press, funding announcements and product moves mentioning Ziglu.
Funding history
Company financing events and reported valuations.
| Deal type | Date | Amount | Valuation | Investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GROWTH EQUITY NON VC✓Other financing | Feb 2025 | $726K | — | Undisclosed | ↗ |
| GRANT✓Other financing | Oct 2022 | — | — | Undisclosed | — |
Financials
Revenue, earnings and other financial measures where available. Years marked “E” are estimates.
Growth signals
Latest recorded traffic for Ziglu is 9.1K monthly website visits, down 35% over the last three months. Ziglu's team declined 65.8% over the past year.
Similar companies
Company identity and context are open; selected comparison metrics preview what is available on the platform.
Investors
From Dealroom's funding and investor records, grouped by the round each investor first entered.
Seed3 investors entered at this stage
Eterna Capital
Republic Europe
Angel Investment Network
Other known investors7 additional known investors
Tech Nation
Alexander Meijer
Andrew Jennings
Bigspace Investments- FOFope Oluleye
Sekayi Mutambirwa
Vala Capital
Source: Dealroom Talent Intelligence.
Global footprint
team presence
Market sentiment
An AI-synthesised read of the highest-engagement posts about Ziglu on X, ranked by likes and reposts, corporate channels excluded.
Reading the room on X — pulling top posts and synthesizing themes…
Source: X recent search ranked by engagement (likes + retweets) · Synthesis by Claude · Cached for 1 hour
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