UK’s Starling Strikes 10-Year Software Deal with Canada’s Tangerine, Plans 100 New Hires

British digital lender Starling Group announced on Tuesday a 10-year agreement with Canada’s Tangerine Bank, owned by the Bank of Nova Scotia, to upgrade the bank’s core software systems using its Engine by Starling technology platform. The deal marks Engine’s largest contract to date and represents a major step in Starling’s global expansion.

Under the agreement, Tangerine will migrate its digital banking operations to Engine’s cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform. The partnership follows Engine’s recent expansion into North America, with new offices in Toronto and New York, and makes Tangerine its first North American client.

As part of the expansion, Engine plans to hire more than 100 new employees, according to a company spokesperson. Engine by Starling, spun off from Starling Bank in 2022, already serves clients such as Salt Bank in Romania and AMP Bank GO in Australia.

Starling’s customer base has grown from 43,000 in 2017 to 4.6 million in 2025, driven by its innovative digital banking model. However, the bank — like other UK challengers — has faced challenges maintaining revenue growth amid fierce competition. To diversify, Starling has focused on providing its software solutions to other financial institutions worldwide.

The company’s growth has come with regulatory scrutiny. Britain’s financial watchdog fined Starling £29 million last year for weaknesses in financial crime controls, though the bank says it has since addressed the issues and strengthened its governance.