One of the co-founders of the UK's newest challenger bank, Dr Emma Black, talks to Northern Insight about the journey to launch a financial institution which is focussed on one thing: Getting Britain Building again
Dr Emma Black, alongside her co-founders Stephen Black and Stephen Lancaster, was instrumental in bringing the new exciting concept of a new bank focussed on supporting property developers in the region to the market. In October 2021, GB Bank received its banking license and is now building towards a 2022 launch. Emma, who is also Co-Founder and CEO of Cascade Cash Management, said: “This is really an exciting time for the team behind GB Bank who have worked tirelessly over the past four years to bring a regional bank to market. We are so proud that the bank has grown from the North East with a clear purpose to improve our customers lives when they bank with us. It’s a moment in history, for the region and for the financial sector, that we are delighted to celebrate and announce!
“Our journey towards GB Bank started over a decade ago. During that time, we gained insight and experience into the pains and frustrations for so many incredible property development teams with the existing banking landscape. We identified the need for a bank focussed on regional credit, with a greater aim to do good, helping a whole host of people and SME businesses across the country.
“GB Bank aims to lend £3 billion responsibly over five years, building a £1 billion plus balance sheet. This will enable the creation of almost 20,000 new homes and several million square feet of office space too that will support the creation of over 100,000 jobs.
“We’ll make this happen through operating with a powerful combination of entrepreneurs and experienced banking professionals who bring with them experience from Barclays Bank, HBOS, Santander, Lloyds Banking group, and Aldermore. We are also thrilled that Paul Rippon resides as our Chairman, a role in which he shares his superb skillset of banking and entrepreneurial experience having co-founded two banks, most notably Monzo.
“The team are committed to capitalising on the opportunity as a specialist lender and all are committed to making a real positive impact in Britain’s communities. Of course, none of this could have happened without the support of our investors, large and small, and we are all so grateful and thankful for their support in making GB Bank a reality.
“Their funding has allowed GB Bank to build a technology ecosystem that is intuitive to the bank’s needs leveraging today’s best in class cloud technology, allowing for the team to customize workflow and drive efficiency – simply the best combination of Fintech with customer-obsessed people. That’s what makes GB Bank and of course, my own company Cascade Cash Management, so different.
“When we founded GBB we were fuelled by a desire to make a difference. We wanted for our customers lives to be improved when they banked with us; we pictured a bank working at the heart of the community, together with its savers and borrowers to bring towns, cities and regions across Britain back to life. We must thank all those past and present who have helped and supported the bank in reaching this incredible milestone. We can’t wait to see our vision come to life, truly making a difference in the decades and centuries ahead serving as a catalyst for creating new jobs, homes, offices and so much more.”
