Fintech Companies in Manchester to Watch

Will it be a case of dreams never end? You can have a look and decide. Our latest feature comprises AccessPay, BankiFi, Bank North, Collctiv, Niftyz, Orka Pay, Payful and PollenPay.

It’s not a case of unknown pleasures as Manchester has been flourishing as a hub for fintech firms and startups for quite a while.

The tech market has seen increased demand for cloud-based software and financial technologies. As a result, new fintech firms have been emerging within the region to take advantage of their local talent to support their digital technology development and overall business success.

The region has also got interest in terms of jobs. In November of last year, tech company Accenture announced plans to boost its UK workforce by 3,000 new roles over the next three years – and Manchester was one of the cities getting a mention.

Also, last autumn, a new Digital Tech Cluster was announced by the Science and Technology Facilities Council. The plan aims to support the growth of digital businesses throughout the region and could potentially bring 1,000 jobs to North West England.

Read on for a fine time and some insight about eight fintech firms in the Manchester area.

Last updated on 2 August 2022.

AccessPay

AccessPay is the longest-existing firm on our list, founded in 2012. This company provides digital connections to banks and payment schemes through its corporate-to-bank integration platform.

The cloud-based platform uses payment process automation. Additionally, users can access live balances, receivables, and payables data to gain visibility into their banking activity.

AccessPay has got $18.4 million (£14.7 million) in funding over six rounds. The firm has plenty of notable clients – such as AA, Zeiss, ITV, Primark, boohoo and Iceland.

BankiFi

BankiFi is a technology platform with integrated banking services for businesses. It provides financial tools and features to help with processes such as invoicing, payments and accounting.

Since the firm was founded in 2018, it has raised $3.7 million M (£3 million) in funding, with its latest funding raised in November 2021. In that round, Bankifi raised £2.2 million, after which it announced a co-development deal with the Co-operative Bank.

In February, Bankifi partnered with TSB to launch the Revenu app, which enables small businesses to collect customer payments through email, SMS, WhatsApp or QR code requests. In March, the company announced that it joined Visa Fintech Partner Connect in Europe, expanding its services in additional European markets.

Bank North 

Bank North, founded in 2018, is a regional bank that provides a cloud-native banking platform for SME businesses in the UK.

The bank has raised a total funding amount of $40.7 million (£32.5 million), with its most recent funding taking place in January.

In August 2021, Bank North secured its banking licence from the Prudential Regulation Authority. More recently, Bank North has been showing signs of expanding its executive team to support its service in the SME marketplace. This year, it has gained a new Head of Valuations, Head of Financial Reporting and Financial Control, Head of Underwriting, acting Treasurer, Data & Business Intelligence Manager, and Lending Associate.

Collctiv

Collctiv is a payment software startup founded in 2019. It provides a group payment app that enables businesses to give customers the choice to buy as a group or let users collect money from their group of friends or close acquaintances.

In 2021 the firm raised £370,000 in seed funding. Since then, it has been putting its resources and efforts toward expanding its team and bringing on new members to its workforce.

The firm has some noteworthy customers listed on its website, such as the NHS, Google, John Lewis, Adidas and Apple.

Niftyz

Previously called Digital Oracles and offering a grow-to-earn deal flow monitoring and reward platform, the firm changed its name to Niftyz and altered its direction in July 2022.

The startup now has intellectual property (IP) plans with an NFT platform launch. The company intends to offer its NFT platform for UK businesses, so they can turn their ideas into new sources of income as part of the IP distribution process.

Niftyz creates new digital property NFTs from assets users already own – such as documents, deal flows, events, communities and even knowledge. The new platform will use Niftyz’s Web3 infrastructure. The fintech firm is targeting startups, legal and financial firms, emerging brands and agencies with its new plan.

Orka Pay 

Orka Pay is a newer tech startup founded in 2020. The workertech company provides a mobile app and staffing platform which enables workers to find jobs, and control and manage their pay. In addition, the software connects businesses with workers to help companies fill their open roles with suitable candidates.

For example, it offers Orka Works, which connects companies with its community of workers. This staffing platform is designed for facilities management companies. Orka’s pool of security and cleaning staff apply directly to firms to fill temporary shifts, and via AI and automation, companies are presented with the candidates that are most suitable.

The firm seems to be coping well as more than 60,000 people use its products, and Orka works with such names as G4S, ISS and Wilson James. In the spring of 2022, the company secured £3 million in fundraising from Praetura Ventures in its Series A fundraising round. It aims to use the funding for product development, expansion to new markets, and support its API integration program.

Payful 

Payful is a fintech startup founded in 2021. It aims to eliminate overdue invoices, late payments, and fraud for businesses by enabling users to track and score records of their payment performance.

As reported in April, the startup is still in its beta phase and is preparing to launch its business software services. The SaaS business is the creation of former Rugby League player Andy Taylor. Along with the sporting background, his experience includes working at fintech firms Indigo Cashflow and DueCourse; and founding HelloCredible.

Payful joined Enterprise City’s Exchange scaleup support scheme in Manchester in March 2022. The scheme helps tech firms access mentoring, opportunities and support from industry professionals.

PollenPay  

PollenPay, founded in 2019, is a fintech company that enables users to make purchases on a buy now pay later payment (BNPL) model rather than using credit.

Its option for retailers is “coming soon” and they will then be able to offer customers interest-free instalment plans to fund their purchases through multiple payments.

The startup unveiled its services in the UK in March 2022. PollenPay is not coming into an empty market. According to the BBC, over 17 million users have purchased something via BNPL. Providers like Klarna, Monzo and Clearpay are already providing their own versions of the service and have been capitalising off a pandemic-influenced market since 2020.

Check out the previous features on tech firms in Liverpool, North West England, Yorkshire, Leeds, North East England and Newcastle.

Madeline Clarke
Madeline Clarke
Madeline Clarke is a freelance writer specialising in copywriting and content creation. After studying Art and earning her BFA in Creative Writing at Salisbury University (Maryland) she applied her knowledge of writing and design to develop creative and influential copy. She has since formed her own business, Clarke Content, LLC.
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