Digital bank and billion-dollar ‘unicorn’ Zopa Bank has launched its Manchester base that could one day employ hundreds – and its boss says it was Manchester’s thriving tech scene that attracted it to invest in the city.

Zopa began 20 years ago as a peer-to-peer lending company and launched Zopa Bank in 2020. That bank today has 1.5m customers and has lent out more than £13bn.

The fintech announced this year that it had chosen Manchester as its second UK base. It’s hiring tens of people for its base in Dalton Place, and hopes to grow that to 500 over time.

Copa launched its Manchester presence today with an event at the People’s History Museum, where metro mayor Andy Burnham hailed its arrival as a “massive vote of confidence in our city region’s digital and tech sector”.

Zopa Bank C

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