Thousands of bank customers braved the wind and rain of Storm Bert on Saturday night, forming queues that snaked through the streets surrounding London’s Tottenham Court Road station.
But this was no bank run. In fact, there was not a bank branch in sight.
This was Revolut, Europe’s most valuable fintech firm, hosting a free customer gig with one of world’s biggest pop stars, Charli xcx, days before her sold-out UK arena tour. The concert by the woman whose album redefined the word brat was a flashy stunt, exhibiting the digital bank’s determination to cleanse a controversy-dogged image and snare young customers, before what could be a blockbuster UK stock market float.
The performance capped off a two-day Coachella-inspired party at London’s subterranean Outernet venue, where 3,000 mostly fee-paying customers were treated to panels hosted by the sports pundit and prospective Match of the Day host Alex Scott; one-on-one challenges against video game streamer TenZ; and pitch sessions with Dragons Den’s Steven Bartlett and Revolut’s wealthy co-founder Nik Storonsky.
The occasion? Revolut’s celebration of reaching 50 million customers worldwide. It means the company, co-founded in 2015 by the former Lehman Brothers banker, has leapfrogged more established lenders such as HSBC, the 159-year-old bank, which has 41 million customers.
Originally launched as a pre-paid card focused on free currency exchange for customers, Revolut has grown to more than 10,000 staff, serving customers in more than 36 countries, with more than 50 products and services. As well as money transfers, it offers home rentals, buy-now pay-later credit, wage advance, e-sims, and crypto trading.
For those with longer memories, Revolut’s two-day bash – which is understood to have cost the company upwards of £1m – echoes the excesses of the banking industry in the lead-up to the 2008 financial crisis. Deutsche Bank hired singer Robbie Williams to perform for bankers at London’s Equinox nightclub in 2001, before the Take That star’s own European tour.
“It certainly appears to be at the extravagant end of the spectrum, in a banking sector context,” John Cronin, an independent banking analyst, said of the Revolut bash. However, it is also the kind of event geared at getting “maximum publicity”, he added.
Spending that cash on a blowout for customers, rather than its own bankers, shows how far Revolut bosses are willing to go to bolster a brand once tarnished by a string of controversies. Revolut has grappled with accounting issues and EU regulatory breaches, as well as reputational concerns, including an over-aggressive corporate culture, all of which are believed to have delayed the approval of its UK banking licence.
The fintech company says it has since resolved those accounting and regulatory problems, and has made efforts to improve its working culture.
After a three-year wait – and a few barbed comments aimed at regulators – Revolut finally secured the banking licence, with restrictions, in July. It will help to pave the way for the stock market listing for a company last valued at $45bn, and which politicians and the City hope will take place in London.
Revolut, which is chaired by the former Standard Life Aberdeen boss Martin Gilbert, is hoping to secure a full UK banking licence by the end of 2025, opening the door to new streams of income, as it will be able to fund its own-branded loans and mortgages.
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In the meantime, associating Revolut with Charli xcx will broaden the bank’s appeal, and shake off a stereotype as a fintech reserved for crypto bros.
But bosses are also hoping that offering exclusive gigs through fee-paying accounts will bring Revolut a step closer to a much larger ambition: becoming a lifestyle brand.
While that seems out of step for more traditional banks, Revolut is betting it will lure younger customers who are more interested in perks on a one-stop shop app, than previous generations who may have shopped around for marginally higher returns amid relatively low interest rates.
Revolut’s head of growth, Antoine Le Nel, said: “It’s a great way as well for us to show the value that our best plans are bringing, and how the experience ensures that Revolut is not only about managing your finances, it’s about lifestyle as well.
“I think with this incredible experience, we offer a complete unmatched lifestyle experience. So I think the whole the halo that you [Revolut] get from it is going to be quite spectacular.”
Charli xcx fans who descended en masse on Saturday’s event appeared to be buying the pitch. Alice and Fenya, both 18, said they were considering upgrading to a fee-paying Revolut account if it meant more gigs like these. Rob, 28 and a Monzo customer, got tickets through friends. He discovered that friends were Revolut customers. “Oh my God, I’m missing out,” he said.