logo
Zopa opens Manchester office

Zopa opens Manchester office

Finextra20 hours ago
London-headquartered digital bank Zopa is opening an office in Manchester as it bids to create a 500-strong workforce in the city.
0
Opening in central Manchester next month, the office will initially provide space for a team of 50+ employees, with roles focused on product, engineering, and specialist operations. It "could" grow tenfold to over 500 staff over time, says Zopa.
The bank is planning to tap into the city's thriving tech ecosystem, strong financial services presence, and deep talent pool. With over 10,000 digital and tech businesses, a flourishing startup scene, and five major universities enrolling over 100,000 students, Manchester has become one of Europe's fastest-growing tech hubs.
Iain Kendrick, chief people officer, Zopa, says: "With more than 85% of our customers based outside the capital, expanding into Manchester allows us to be closer to our diverse, nationwide customer base, access new talent, and accelerate our ambitious growth journey. Manchester has the energy, connectivity, and capability we need to support our next stage of expansion as we make Zopa a top-choice employer across regions."
A P2P lending pioneer, Zopa pivoted to become a bank in 2020 and has since amassed 1.5 million customers, lending more than £13 billion and securing two straight years of profitability. In June it marked a major milestone, finally launching its first current account, Biscuit.
As it grows the business, the firm is also expecting to move to its landmark new headquarters in London later this year, doubling its office footprint for around 900 employees.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Labour should ignore Lord Kinnock and steer well clear of a wealth tax
Labour should ignore Lord Kinnock and steer well clear of a wealth tax

Telegraph

time26 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

Labour should ignore Lord Kinnock and steer well clear of a wealth tax

SIR – You report (July 7) that Lord Kinnock is nudging Labour to implement a wealth tax. As Labour has already hammered the wealthy in so many areas – from VAT on private school fees to the abolition of non-dom status – such a tax would be the final nail in the coffin. It's often suggested that this Government is relatively centrist. With the introduction of a wealth tax, however, it would start to be perceived as a hard-Left administration. Labour would be wise to ignore a former leader who never knew what success was at a general election. Henry Bateson Whittingham, Northumberland SIR – Lord Kinnock, who previously supported Labour's mansion tax proposals, now wants to see a wealth tax. He has enjoyed a taxpayer-funded salary and pension for decades. He knows nothing of wealth creation. David Miller Chigwell, Essex SIR – The Labour Left's desire to clobber those it deems wealthy will bring negative consequences for growth, businesses and jobs. Wealth taxes haven't worked elsewhere, serving simply to scare away entrepreneurs and investors. Moreover, imagine the level of bureaucracy and intrusion involved in calculating the value of an individual's assets. Presumably Labour will have HMRC assessing every piece of jewellery, family silver, art and furniture. Mike Hughes London SW10 SIR – The wealthy might be more willing to pay such taxes if they felt confident that their contributions were not being used unwisely. Pamela Wheeler Shrewsbury SIR – Wealth taxes are politically easy: 'the rich' have always been a convenient enemy. However, what those who wish to squeeze this group don't realise is that its definition will change quickly. Wealth tax advocates say they 'only' want a tax of 2 per cent on assets over £10 million, but this 'modest' levy is just the thin end of the wedge. When it doesn't raise enough money (and it never will, because government spending is unlimited and statist politicians always want to spend more) it will become 20 per cent on assets over £5 million – and so on. People tend to assume that wealth is only something that happens to others. You might not consider yourself rich, but no one ever does. The decision will not be yours to make. Robert Frazer Salford, Lancashire SIR – If the Government chases all the 'givers' away, we shall be left only with 'takers' – who will have nobody to take from. Barbara Jackson Epping, Essex

Best Amazon Prime Day deals, handpicked by The Independent's consumer editor
Best Amazon Prime Day deals, handpicked by The Independent's consumer editor

The Independent

time28 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Best Amazon Prime Day deals, handpicked by The Independent's consumer editor

Amazon Prime Day is finally here – and it's the online giant's longest one, running from today until 11 July. As one of the biggest shopping events of the year, second only to Black Friday, the summer sale sees some of the best deals on everything from air fryers, vacuum cleaners and mattresses to Apple products, electric toothbrushes, laptops, TVs and more. Highlights so far include mega savings on Ninja appliances and popular beauty products. That's not all, there are also offers on Amazon's own devices – think Kindles, Echo Dot smart speakers and Fire tablets. I've even spotted hero products fall to their lowest prices. The AirPods Pro 2 earbuds, for example, have been reduced to just £179. Throughout the week, I'll bring you the best deals on our tried-and-tested products in the Prime Day sale. Whether your kitchen appliances need an upgrade, you're after some new tech, or your beauty stash needs a top-up, you can use this page to find the must-have offers. IndyBest's shopping experts track the price of popular products year-round and have covered Amazon Prime Day and other major sales events for years, so we know how to spot a good deal from a bad one. On top of knowing our way around a sale, we are experts in our respective fields. We've spent countless hours testing and reviewing everything from TVs, laptops and power tools to vacuums, air fryers and mattresses. Within our Amazon Prime Day guides, we only recommend deals on products we've tried and tested from brands we trust. That means we bring you genuine savings on products we think you'll love as much as we do. The best Amazon Prime Day deals for 2025 are: When it comes to wireless earbuds, it's hard to beat the AirPods Pro 2 for noise cancellation. In his review, The Independent' s technology critic David Phelan found the headphones were 'good enough to reduce continuous sounds such as engine noise on a train'. Plus, he highlighted clever features, such as personalised spatial audio, which uses the camera on your iPhone to adjust the audio according to how your ear looks. Right now, there's £50 off at Amazon, which is the lowest price they've ever been. The last time they were this cheap was during Black Friday. If you're yet to try Maybelline's viral sky high mascara, now's a good chance with this deal that sees it reduced by 45 per cent. When IndyBest editor, Sarah Jones, put the mascara to the test, she found that her 'eyelashes instantly looked lengthened and lifted, and most impressively, stayed that way all day'. It isn't the lowest price this mascara has been, but it's still a decent saving on an already budget-friendly product. The best electric toothbrush has been reduced, and, unusually for a toothbrush deal, this is the cheapest it has ever been on Amazon. The iO2 strips back all the bells and whistles of pricier models in the iO range, 'while keeping the all-important, premium, oscillating brush head technology', writes tech critic Steve Hogarty. There are also plenty of features to help with brushing, including a pressure sensor and a 30-second timer. Now's a good time to save on the latest Apple Watch, with a 26 per cent discount that puts it at its cheapest ever price on Amazon. The series 10 smartwatch took the top spot in tech critic David Phelan's Apple Watch guide. In his review, he described it as 'the best (and latest) Apple Watch'. It has 'the fastest processor yet and the largest display' and, according to Phelan, it is the 'classiest, sleekest manifestation' of the tech brand's watches. Tired of missing parcels? I've spotted the Ring video doorbell reduced by half price in the Prime Day sale. This is the biggest discount on Amazon that I've seen for this model, so now's a good time to add it to your basket. When our reviewer tested the video doorbell pro, which has slightly more advanced features like low-light sight, they found it easy to install, explaining that it took "just a few minutes to set up'. However, they did stress that if you want your video footage kept on cloud storage, you'll have to pay a monthly subscription cost. You can save almost 45 per cent on the latest Echo dot smart speaker with this Prime Day deal. In his review, senior tech critic Alex Lee described music on the Echo Ddt as 'rich and detailed' and explained how he was able to set up personalised voice recognition for each of his family members. While it's not the cheapest it's ever been, I think it's still worth a look if you've been thinking about integrating Alexa into your home. Loved by the likes of Hailey Bieber and Victoria Beckham, this accessibly priced nourishing moisturiser is quite the skincare celebrity itself. It's thick and perfect for dry or rough patches and, our tester found in her pregnancy-safe skincare buys review, that Weleda skin food had 'helped heal angry areas of dry, itchy and red skin,' as well as being, 'an intensive redeemer that's nourished and restored a healthy barrier at an affordable price.' And now, it's been made even more affordable thanks to Prime Day. Rarely discounted, Amazon's Kindle paperwhite has been slashed by 20 per cent. The ereader impressed tech critic Steve Hogarty when he reviewed it for his guide to which Kindle to buy. 'For most readers, the mid-range Kindle strikes the best balance between cost and features. The inclusion of a softer reading light that can be made warmer for more comfortable reading at night is worth the small step up in price. On top of that, you get a slightly larger display, slimmer bezels, sharper text and a noticeably faster processor,' he noted. It's worth noting that it was £10 cheaper in December, but this is the cheapest price it's been this year. If your countertops are full of appliances but you're missing an air fryer, the Ninja double stack could be just the solution. Instead of two side-by-side air fryer drawers, Ninja has stacked them to make the most of vertical space. Home appliance tester Katie Gregory found that the cooking process was more involved than usual, but overall, the results impressed. 'Once I'd resigned myself to the fact I'd need to stay on standby for regular shaking duties', they wrote. 'I was able to cook chips evenly and quickly'. With 31 per cent off for Amazon Prime Day, you can save £85 on Ninja's latest air fryer release. If you're looking for a more budget-friendly version, check out the deal below. Alternatively, I've also rounded up the other best air fryer deals in the Prime Day sale. Tower's double-stacked air fryer is available for less than £110 in the Prime Day sale, thanks to a 27 per cent discount. There's more than enough space to cook family-sized meals inside the appliance, with two 5.5l drawers, as well as pre-set cooking functions that include fries, wings, steak, veg, bake and DIY. We haven't tested this model, but Tower's standard dual-basket air fryer earned a spot in our round-up, so it's a brand you can trust. Tech critic David Phelan describes the LG C4 as 'best-in-class', and now it's been reduced to its cheapest ever price for Amazon Prime Day. In his review of the 65in version, Phelan praised the 'pin-sharp' picture and 'excellent brightness levels', as well as its lightweight build that makes it easy to set up. If you want to upgrade the smart features on your TV, check out this deal on the Amazon Fire TV stick. Reduced to £27.99, which is only a few pounds off its cheapest ever price, this dongle and remote control give you access to entertainment from Amazon's own Prime Video streaming service as well as Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, as well as live TV and music. Another budget-friendly toothbrush from Oral-B, the pro 3 'delivers a reliable, thorough clean', according to our tech critic, Steve Hogarty. He found that his teeth 'felt fresh and thoroughly scrubbed' after using it – he couldn't ask for much more, which is why it earned a spot in our round-up of the best toothbrushes. Amazon has slashed the price by more than 50 per cent, which puts it at around £20 cheaper than its average price for the rest of the year. IndyBest writer Ella Duggan praised this cleanser as part of her guide to the best – and it's currently reduced to its lowest-ever price on Amazon. She found that it was a hassle-free way to remove foundation and mascara, noting that her skin was left 'smooth…with a velvety texture'. I'll certainly be adding this to my basket this Prime Day. The Color Wow dream coat is a staple in my summer haircare routine. Whether I'm curling my hair or using my Dyson airwrap, it tames frizz and keeps the style in place. Beauty reviewer, Ellis Cochrane, agrees: 'If you struggle with frizz or find that your hair immediately reacts at the slightest bit of humidity, this is the one Color Wow product you need to try'. I've never seen the hairspray drop to this price on Amazon, so now's a good time to save on it. This Garnier vitamin C SPF50 is one of our senior shopping writer's favourite budget SPF formulas. Now you can get the over make-up spray version for almost 40 per cent off in the Prime Day sale, arriving just in time to stock up for the summer months. Daisy writes that the cream version 'gives premium formulas a serious run for their money' and gives skin a 'glowy, lightweight' coverage. Amazon's Fire tablets regularly make our round-ups of the best tablets, and now you can save 43 per cent on the 2023 model from the range, which takes it down to its cheapest ever price. Whether you want to access streaming platforms, like Prime Video and Netflix, read from your Kindle library or listen to audiobooks on Audible, the Fire tablet has it all and it's a fraction of the price of an iPad. Amazon reduced the price of the latest MacBook Air last month, and now, with a further reduction, it's at one of its lowest prices ever at the online retailer. Tech critic, David Phelan, praised the 'preposterously slim, sharply designed and appealingly light' laptop after putting it to the test. It might seem like a modest discount, but it's rare to see big reductions on the latest Apple tech – and it has actually been reduced to its lowest price. If you need a stain remover that lifts tough dirt, you can't go wrong with Vanish oxi action. We put its oxi action whitener to the test and found it 'effective on collar grime and food stains'. With more than 60 per cent off, you won't be able to get this 1.5kg pack cheaper elsewhere, even on your weekly supermarket shop. If you're after an SPF for sensitive skin, our beauty writer, Lucy Smith, recommends this CeraVe lotion 'for those prone to dryness and flaking'. She found that it didn't pill and, thanks to the addition of niacinamide, is also able to control shine. It's not at its lowest ever price, but it's still a bargain beauty buy at less than £10. In our review of Olaplex's famous no3 hair perfector, our tester said that the formula is a 'modern-day cult classic hair care product' that is 'hard to live up to, let alone beat'. Strands started to 'feel softer and look healthier the more we used it'. Well worth a spot in my own bathroom cabinet, you can save nearly 40 per cent right now. How to get the best deal on Amazon Prime Day Before you shop the Amazon Prime Day sale, make a wish list to avoid buying products that you don't need. Once the sale starts, use price history tools, such as CamelCamelCamel, to see if you're truly getting a good deal or if you should hold off buying until the price goes down even further. It's also worth doing a quick Google search to see if you can get a better price at other retailers. Competing retailers often reduce the prices of popular products to match, or even provide a better offer, than Amazon. They may also throw in a longer warranty or free delivery. What is Amazon Prime Day? Amazon Prime Day is a four-day sale event for Prime members. It's usually held twice a year – once in the summer and again in October to kick-start Christmas shopping. The event features deals across top brands, from Apple to Dyson, as well as offers on its bestselling own tech, including Kindle and Echo dot smart speakers. Do you need to be a Prime member? If you want to take advantage of Prime Day discounts, you must be a Prime member. A Prime membership costs £8.99 a month, or £95 if you pay annually. If you're between 18 to 22-years-old, this is half the standard price, and you get a 6-month trial to see if it's for you. Perks include unlimited one-day delivery, access to Prime Video and the chance to shop Prime-exclusive deals. However, if you're unsure about adding another monthly cost to your bills, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial. This will give you full access to all the Prime member benefits, and you can cancel at any time during your trial to avoid being charged when it expires. Just bear in mind that this only works if you haven't signed for the free trial before.

Drones ‘could soon be used to fly prisoners out of jail'
Drones ‘could soon be used to fly prisoners out of jail'

Times

time34 minutes ago

  • Times

Drones ‘could soon be used to fly prisoners out of jail'

Drone technology is developing at such a speed that they could soon be used to facilitate a prison escape, the prisons watchdog has warned. Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons, said that the level of risk posed by drones is 'different from what we've seen in the past'. Drone are now so sophisticated that packages of up to 10kg are being flown over prison gates, routinely offering inmates a 'menu of drugs,' as well as mobile phones, weapons and other contraband. Delivering his annual report on prisons, Taylor warned there was a 'theoretical possibility' that a prisoner could be lifted out of jail by a drone in the near future. He said: 'What's scary — and we haven't reached this stage yet — but if you look on Google you'll be able to see someone being lifted up by a drone. So you know this isn't ultimately just a risk of what might come in, there is also a danger of what might go out of prisons as well.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store