# Harald McPike had lobbied for the group to launch its initial public offering in London.

*fintech · news · 2026-02-04 · City A.M.*

## Key points

- Starling's main investor Harald McPike is now less supportive of a London IPO.
- McPike's frustration with UK regulatory reforms has shifted his preference towards a US listing for Starling.
- Starling is considering acquiring a US lender to secure a banking licence and is accelerating US expansion plans.
- McPike believes recent UK regulatory changes, like raising MREL thresholds, fail to sufficiently support scale-ups.
- Starling suffered a £29m regulatory fine and took a 25 percent profit hit due to Covid loan scheme losses.

**Companies:** Starling
**Countries:** Bahamas, United Kingdom, United States

[Read the full story on City A.M.](https://www.cityam.com/exclusive-starlings-top-investor-withdraws-support-for-london-ipo/)

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