VibePay
VibePay was a UK-based consumer fintech that operated a mobile peer-to-peer payments app using open banking for instant account-to-account transfers, targeting younger UK consumers. The company raised £12 million+ before entering voluntary liquidation in February 2026.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What VibePay does
VibePay was a UK-based consumer fintech that operated a mobile peer-to-peer payments application built on open banking infrastructure, enabling account-to-account payments and real-time messaging for younger consumers. Founded by Luke Massie in 2019 and headquartered in London, the company offered a single unified consumer app rather than a modular platform, with its core technological differentiator being real-time open-banking connectivity for instant account-to-account transfers. The company attempted a late-stage pivot in 2024 with the launch of an Insights division and an AI assistant designed to monetize transaction data and consumer behavior trends, hiring Klarna executive Conor Tiernan to lead the effort.
VibePay was backed primarily by Candy Ventures (Nick Candy's investment vehicle), with additional investment from YouTube creator Vikkstar and Vela Technologies, raising over £12 million cumulatively across rounds in 2019, 2020, 2021, and late 2024. In April 2025, US-based fintech Banked (backed by Bank of America) agreed to acquire the company at an implied valuation of approximately $180 million, with founder Luke Massie joining the Banked board; the deal ultimately collapsed during due diligence, and Candy Ventures subsequently withdrew future investment. Founder Luke Massie stepped down as CEO in December 2025, and on 24 February 2026 VibePay entered voluntary liquidation, resulting in approximately 40 staff redundancies. The company generated no disclosed revenue, operated exclusively in the UK market, and never reached commercial scale before its closure.
VibePay firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- VibePay
- Legal name
- VibePay
- Website
- https://vibepay.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- VibePay was a UK-based consumer fintech that operated a mobile peer-to-peer payments app using open banking for instant account-to-account transfers, targeting younger UK consumers. The company raised £12 million+ before entering voluntary liquidation in February 2026.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
VibePay industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Peer-to-peer payments
- akta.pro primary industry
- Youth / Family Wallets & Allowance Payments (FSAMAEAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Embedded Payments (Pay-ins, Pay-outs, Wallets) (FSAGALAB)
Keywords
Where VibePay is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
VibePay business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Payment transaction fees: Revenue generated from facilitating account-to-account payment transactions between consumers
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
VibePay product offering
Product offeringCore offering
VibePay was a UK-based consumer payments mobile app that enabled real-time peer-to-peer payments and account-to-account transfers using open banking technology, with in-app messaging and an AI assistant for transaction insights. It targeted younger UK consumers with fee-free instant transfers and operated as a single unified product rather than a modular platform.
Product overview
VibePay operated as a single consumer payments product—a mobile app enabling real-time peer-to-peer payments and account-to-account transactions through open banking. The product targeted younger consumers and offered instant payment capabilities with messaging features. The company had no modular platform architecture; it was a unified payments application that was later acquired by Banked in 2025, though the acquisition fell through and the company subsequently entered liquidation in early 2026.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- VibePay A UK consumer payments mobile app that enables real-time, fee-free peer-to-peer money transfers and account-to-account transactions using open banking technology, with integrated in-app messaging and an AI assistant providing transaction data and behavioural insights for individual users.
Companies that use VibePay
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
VibePay technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
VibePay partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
VibePay competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Revolut: UK-headquartered consumer fintech offering P2P payments, multi-currency accounts, and a broad feature set targeted at younger, mobile-first consumers; directly comparable to VibePay on account-to-account transfers and Gen Z go-to-market.
- Monzo: UK digital challenger bank with strong Gen Z adoption and in-app P2P payments; competes for the same consumer wallet share as VibePay and offers a similar mobile-first, low-fee proposition.
- Starling Bank: UK digital bank providing account-to-account payments and personal current accounts; a like-for-like UK competitor in the consumer payments space VibePay targeted.
- Wise: Account-to-account cross-border payments specialist using open-banking-like connectivity; comparable to VibePay on the underlying A2A payment rails and fee transparency, though Wise operates at far greater scale and across borders.
- Zilch: UK consumer fintech targeting younger demographics with a payments-plus-credit product, overlapping VibePay on UK Gen Z acquisition channels and consumer-payments distribution.
- Cash App: Block's P2P payments app widely adopted by younger consumers in the US; highly comparable on demographic targeting and the fee-free instant P2P use case.
- Venmo: PayPal-owned P2P payments app with strong adoption among US younger consumers; analogous product mechanics and customer-base profile to VibePay.
Broad incumbents
- PayPal: Global digital-payments incumbent offering P2P transfers alongside a much broader checkout and merchant portfolio; comparable on consumer payments but operates at vastly greater scale and scope.
Regional players
- Zelle: US bank-backed A2A P2P payments network; comparable on account-to-account transfer mechanics but US-only, providing a regional analog to VibePay's open-banking A2A model.
Others
- Banked: US-based open-banking pay platform (backed by Bank of America) that announced the acquisition of VibePay in April 2025; comparable as a peer in the open-banking payments category and the most direct acquirer-side counterpart.
Market position
Strengths2 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
VibePay social profiles
Digital presenceVibePay financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
VibePay leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
VibePay funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
VibePay M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about VibePay
What does VibePay do?
VibePay was a UK-based consumer payments mobile app that enabled real-time peer-to-peer payments and account-to-account transfers using open banking technology, with in-app messaging and an AI assistant for transaction insights. It targeted younger UK consumers with fee-free instant transfers and operated as a single unified product rather than a modular platform.
Is VibePay a public or private company?
VibePay is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently closed.
When was VibePay founded?
VibePay was founded in 2019. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is VibePay based?
VibePay is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does VibePay make money?
One revenue line is on record: payment transaction fees.
Who are VibePay's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Revolut, Monzo, Starling Bank, Wise, Zilch, Cash App and Venmo. PayPal is listed as a broad incumbent. Zelle is listed as a regional player. Banked is listed as an others.
Does VibePay have an API?
No public API is recorded for VibePay.
What industry is VibePay in?
VibePay's product category is Peer-to-peer payments. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMAEAK, Youth / Family Wallets & Allowance Payments, with a secondary code of FSAGALAB, Embedded Payments (Pay-ins, Pay-outs, Wallets).