# Atom Bank

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/atom-bank
> research date 2026-05-30 · extracted at 2026-10-07
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [Atom Bank — official](https://www.atombank.co.uk/)

## Overview

**Atom Bank** is **UK mobile-only digital bank** + **UK's first mobile-only bank** + **founded Apr 2014 by Anthony Thomson Metro Bank co-founder + Mark Mullen first direct CEO** + **~230K+ customers + focused on savings + mortgages** <sup>[1][1], [United Kingdom report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/GB)</sup>.

## History

**Apr 2014 — Atom Bank founded by Anthony Thomson + Mark Mullen in Durham, UK** distinctive UK mobile-only banking heritage.

**Jun 2015 — Atom Bank granted full UK PRA + FCA banking license**.

**Apr 2016 — Atom Bank mobile-only app launch + UK's first mobile-only bank**.

**2022 — Atom Bank 4-day work week pilot + permanent adoption**.

## Ownership & operator

**Operating entity**: **Atom Bank plc** (UK mobile-only digital bank; private).

**Major shareholders**: **BBVA (Spanish banking group; ~22.5% minority) + Toscafund + Anthemis + Marathon Asset Management + Anthony Thomson + Mark Mullen co-founders + UK retail + institutional + foreign investors**.

**Regulators**: **PRA + FCA + Bank of England**.

## Technical integration

Atom Bank mobile app (iOS + Android; ~230K+ customers; UK's first mobile-only bank); Faster Payments + GB IBAN + Bacs.

## Implementations & partners

**Major UK challenger bank + neobank competitors**: [Monzo](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/monzo) (Monzo UK challenger bank; ~9M+ customers + Jul 2024 unicorn at ~$5.2B valuation) + [Starling Bank](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/starling) (Starling Bank UK challenger bank; ~4M+ customers + 2024 unicorn) + [Metro Bank](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/metro-bank) (Metro Bank UK retail bank; LSE: MTRO; founded Jul 29 2010 as first new UK high-street bank in over 150 years; ~2.7M+ customers + ~75+ stores) + [Chase UK](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/chase-uk) (Chase UK JPMorgan Chase UK digital bank; 2M+ customers post-Sep 2021 launch) + [Revolut](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/revolut) (Revolut UK global; ~50M+ customers globally + UK bank license Jul 2024) + [Wise (formerly TransferWise)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/wise) (Wise UK + global multi-currency account) + [Virgin Money UK](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/virgin-money-uk) (Virgin Money UK; Nationwide acquired Oct 2024 ~£2.9B) + [TSB Bank (UK)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/tsb-bank) (TSB Bank UK; Santander UK acquired 2025 ~£2.65B).

**Regulators**: PRA + FCA + Bank of England.

## Status

**Active, UK mobile-only digital bank + UK's first mobile-only bank + founded Apr 2014 by Anthony Thomson Metro Bank co-founder + Mark Mullen first direct CEO + ~230K+ customers + focused on savings + mortgages + 4-day work week pioneer 2022** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>.

## Sources

[1]: https://www.atombank.co.uk/ "Atom Bank — official"
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atom_Bank "Atom Bank — Wikipedia"
[gb-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/GB

- [1] [Atom Bank — official][1]
- [2] [Atom Bank — Wikipedia][2]
- <sup>[United Kingdom report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/GB)</sup> In-corpus: `reports/countries/GB-united-kingdom.md`

## Source

Biography extracted from [atom-bank.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/wallets/atom-bank). See `matrix.md` for standards-support matrix if present.