Starling Bank strengthens its business banking app by integrating Ember’s HMRC-recognised tax and accounting software ahead of Making Tax Digital regulations, enhancing financial management for sole traders and SMEs.
Highlights
Strategic Acquisition for SMEs: Starling Bank has acquired Ember, a UK fintech known for intuitive accounting and tax software, to embed bookkeeping and tax submission tools directly into Starling’s business banking platform. This enhances its service offering for sole traders, landlords, and SMEs.
Ahead of Regulatory Changes: With HMRC’s “Making Tax Digital” becoming mandatory from April 2026, Starling’s integration of Ember ensures business customers can easily comply with quarterly tax filings via the mobile app by year-end 2025.
Exclusive Access & Expanded Productivity: Ember’s software, currently used by other major banks and fintechs (e.g., HSBC, Revolut), will become exclusive to Starling customers starting 2026, consolidating accounting, invoicing, and tax management within one platform.
Summary
Starling Bank is expanding its business banking ecosystem by acquiring Ember—a leading UK provider of tax and bookkeeping software tailored for SMEs. The deal enables Starling to integrate Ember’s HMRC-recognized tools directly into its mobile and online banking app, offering a seamless, all-in-one financial management experience for its nearly 500,000 small business users.
This move comes as HMRC prepares to enforce its “Making Tax Digital” mandate from April 2026, requiring sole traders and landlords to complete quarterly digital tax reports. Starling aims to implement Ember’s software before the deadline to simplify compliance for its customers.
Following the acquisition, the Ember software—widely used across the financial services sector—will transition exclusively to Starling’s ecosystem, enhancing productivity through integrated invoicing, accounting, tax filing, and banking tools.
