Starling Group has signed a ten year agreement with New Zealand's SBS Bank to deploy its Engine core banking platform.
Following this announcement, the UK-based digital bank and software provider announced the deal on February 2026, marking its fourth overseas software client and its first in New Zealand. Under the agreement, SBS Bank will migrate its core banking systems to Engine, Starling's cloud-native SaaS platform.
In addition, the deal extends Starling's footprint in the Asia-Pacific region, following its earlier partnership with Australia-based AMP Bank GO.
Building an international software client base
According to Reuters, the agreement with SBS Bank follows a series of international Engine deployments that Starling has pursued since launching the platform as a standalone subsidiary in 2022. The company currently provides Engine to Salt Bank in Romania, AMP Bank GO in Australia, and Tangerine in Canada — the last of which was reported in November 2025 and represented Starling's largest client deal at the time. SBS Bank now becomes the fourth institution outside the UK to adopt the platform.
Starling's move into the Engine licensing model reflects a strategic repositioning away from direct consumer banking expansion internationally. The company withdrew from efforts to obtain a EU banking licence in 2022, while also opting instead to offer its technology to regulated institutions in other markets — a model that does not require Engine itself to hold a banking licence in each jurisdiction.
The New Zealand deal also reflects a broader geographic logic. Starling has signalled interest in markets characterised by high mobile adoption, real-time payments infrastructure, and significant card usage. At the same time, the company has separately established a US subsidiary and invested in a New York office, with stated ambitions to target mid-tier banks and credit unions in North America, though no US client has been announced to date.
The ten year term of the SBS Bank agreement mirrors the structure of previous Engine contracts, suggesting a long-cycle implementation and support model consistent with core banking replacement programmes, which typically involve multi-year migration timelines and deep integration with a bank's operational infrastructure. Both institutions are expected to continue to focus on meeting the needs, preferences, and demands of clients and users in an ever-evolving market, while prioritising the process of remaining compliant with the regulatory requirements and laws of the industry as well.
