Ruwani Hewa has been appointed as the new director of payments at UK digital challenger Starling Bank. Her initial focus will be on the relaunch of Starling Banking Services, aiming to facilitate access to Faster Payments and Bacs for regulated firms, and to support the issuance of safeguarded and client money accounts under CASS.

Starling Banking Services, originally launched as Starling Payment Services in 2017, provides a Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) platform. This platform offers Starling’s banking infrastructure and payment services to other financial institutions, fintechs, and businesses. The mention of a “relaunch” indicates an update, expansion, or repositioning of the unit, although specific strategy details have not been publicly disclosed by Starling, which is now led by group CEO Raman Bhatia.

In addition to Starling Banking Services, the challenger also operates Engine by Starling, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform. The company is preparing for a $50 million expansion of Engine by Starling into the US market, having appointed Jaideep Bhagat as president of North America in September.

Hewa joins Starling from Nuapay, where she served as product and propositions director since January 2022, overseeing all account-to-account and embedded payment products. Her career history also includes various technology-focused roles at companies such as American Express, Barclaycard, Collinson, and Amadeus, where she was head of product management and merchant services for Amadeus Payments.

A statement from Starling Bank noted that Hewa “will also oversee the growth of Starling Banking Services, the group’s BaaS proposition, which complements our SaaS business, Engine by Starling.”