Starling CEO Bhatia reportedly plans to leave
The Financial Times reports Starling's chief executive has told the board he wants to go after two years. The bank has not confirmed it in the sources we found.
Starling Bank's chief executive Raman Bhatia has reportedly told the board he wants to leave after about two years, according to the Financial Times as relayed by Finextra. Starling has not confirmed this in the sources reviewed. The reported exit would coincide with a planned chair change, raising succession questions.
The Ledger Desk · 3 min read- The Financial Times, as relayed by Finextra, reports that Raman Bhatia privately told Starling's board he no longer wants to lead the bank.
- The report puts his tenure at about two years. His appointment was announced in 2024.
- We found no Starling statement confirming the departure, so it should be treated as reported, not confirmed.
- Starling Group has separately said its chair, David Sproul, will step down later in 2026, so the top of the company may change on two fronts.
- The signals to watch are an official Starling announcement, a named successor and any change to the bank's listing plans.
Starling Bank's chief executive, Raman Bhatia, has reportedly told the board that he no longer wants to run the bank and will leave after about two years in the job. The claim comes from the Financial Times, as relayed by Finextra. We found no statement from Starling confirming it, so the departure should be read as reported, not as an announced decision.
What is actually reported
The only account of the departure is the Financial Times report, summarized by Finextra. It says Bhatia privately told the board he no longer wants to lead the fintech and will leave after two years. It does not, in the summary we could read, give a departure date, a successor or a reason. Until Starling issues its own statement, each of those remains unknown.
Why the timing draws scrutiny
A second leadership change is already scheduled. Starling Group has said chair David Sproul will step down later in 2026, according to FF News. If the chief executive also leaves, the company would be replacing its two most senior figures in the same period. Bhatia was hired in 2024, and City AM's headline at the time linked the hire to a planned London listing.
What to watch next
The first signal is whether Starling confirms the report and names an interim or permanent successor. A second is who replaces Sproul as chair, since that person will help choose the next chief executive. A third is any change to the bank's listing plans. Starling's own disclosures are the primary evidence here; the Financial Times account alone is not enough to treat the exit as settled.
- Is Raman Bhatia leaving Starling Bank?
- The Financial Times reportedly says he told the board privately that he no longer wants to lead the bank. We found no confirmation from Starling, so the departure is reported, not confirmed.
- How long has Bhatia led Starling?
- The report describes about two years in the role. He was announced as permanent chief executive in 2024, joining from OVO Energy and succeeding interim chief John Mountain.
- Is another senior change expected at Starling?
- Yes. Starling Group has said chair David Sproul will step down later in 2026. A successor to Sproul was not named in the sources we reviewed.