Starling Bank reports low operational emissions but excludes financed emissions entirely—the material impact for any lender. Absolute emissions rose in 2023–2024 despite intensity improvements. SBTi commitment was removed; net-zero target lacks credibility. A £29M FCA fine for financial crime controls in October 2024 compounds governance concerns.
Same formula for every company. No curve. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleStrongest on Carbon Footprint — Operations and Controversies & Red Flags (6/10, 6/10). Weakest on Targets & Commitments and Water Impact (2/10, 3/10).
7 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which rubric questions it informed.
Limited data coverage. This assessment is based on 7 sources, 29% of which are self-reported by the company. Scores may change as independent evidence becomes available.
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
Among the 29 major financial services / banking brands we've scored, Starling Bank sits 11th of 29.
Score history begins 6 April 2026.
As Starling Bank's score updates, the trajectory will appear here.
We're backfilling historical scores for FTSE 100 and S&P 100 companies over the coming weeks.
Every challenge is published. We'd rather be corrected than wrong — that's the whole point.
No challenges submitted yet. If you have evidence that contradicts this score, you can challenge any question above — cite a public source and we'll review it.
Starling Bank is a UK-based digital retail and SME bank founded in 2014, headquartered in London. Branchless and app-first, it holds £12.1B in customer deposits and a £2.3B+ mortgage portfolio. With 4,158 employees, it operates as a software-driven fintech bank competing against traditional lenders and other digital challengers.
Digital-first challenger bank; similar scale, fintech governance model, comparable sustainability disclosure gaps
View breakdown →Fintech payments firm; no branches, high growth, minimal published climate/financed emissions reporting
View breakdown →Global systemically important bank; large financed emissions footprint; subject to major regulatory enforcement on compliance and climate commitments
View breakdown →Major UK lender; committed to net-zero but faces scrutiny on financed emissions scope and fossil fuel exposure
View breakdown →Email alerts when a rubric question is verified, a challenge is resolved, or the overall score changes.
One email, every Sunday. Score changes, new research, the stories behind the numbers. Free.
No spam. Unsubscribe in one click.
Readers and institutions support our work. Companies can pay to submit evidence we couldn't find. Neither type of payment changes a score.