Zilch commits $104M to new London HQ as it eyes European expansion
What's the deal? UK payments unicorn Zilch is committing £77 million ($104 million) to a larger London headquarters, more than doubling its office capacity as it scales operations. The 10-year lease covers 33,160sq ft at 40 Grosvenor Place in Victoria, with room for more than 400 employees.
What does Zilch do? Founded in 2018, it runs an intelligent payments platform combining debit, credit, instalments, earned wage access, credit building, deals, and rewards. It now serves 6 million customers.
Why now? The move follows a €150 million debt and equity raise in November 2025 and what chief executive Philip Belamant called a "transformational year," with customers passing £8 billion of spend across the UK. Zilch expects to move into the new space in spring 2027.
What's the endgame? The headquarters anchors a broader push beyond standalone buy-now-pay-later. Zilch has agreed to acquire Lithuania's Fjord BankDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → — expected to complete in the first half of 2027 — to secure a European banking licence, struck a multi-year partnership with Visa, and become Arsenal FCDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s official payment method.
The expansion: Zilch plans to drive its European growth from the new London base while creating more jobs in the UK. It has also been reported to be weighing a 2027 or 2028 IPO, with London the likely venue.
What could go wrong? The lease is a bet on scale, not proof of profit. Zilch's latest cited results showed revenue up 93% to £110.3 million and its net loss narrowing to £10.5 million, but credit-loss provisions rose sharply and it has yet to report a profitable full year.
The signal: Zilch's spending comes amid heavy financing across European consumer credit and payments. With UK buy-now-pay-later now under Financial Conduct Authority regulation and rivals expanding instalment payments through wallets and cards, the bet's payoff hinges on profitable growth and delivery of its European plans.
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Image credit: Generated with Gemini
