About OakNorth Bank

Managing multiple businesses shouldn’t mean managing multiple logins. Learn how OakNorth rebuilt the onboarding experience to make it easier to open and control multiple company accounts, all from one login, with full visibility and zero duplication.

Managing multiple businesses shouldn’t mean managing multiple logins. Learn how OakNorth rebuilt the onboarding experience to make it easier to open and control multiple company accounts, all from one login, with full visibility and zero duplication.

Whether you’re paying salaries or suppliers, doing it one by one can be a waste of time. Bulk Payments lets you send up to 250 payments in minutes – with built-in checks, mobile approvals, and no hidden limits.

When a hotel owner told us, “My bank has decided they’re not lending to hotels right now. Can you help?” – we didn’t just listen. We acted.

In his latest piece for The Independent, Ben Barbanel, Head of Debt Finance at OakNorth, explores what that moment revealed about the disconnect between banks and growing businesses, and why blending advanced tech with human judgment is essential for delivering truly personalised banking.

Since launching in 2015, we’ve navigated our fair share of volatility – from Brexit, global pandemic, inflation and interest rate spikes, and shifting political landscapes. Each of these events brought fresh challenges for businesses across the UK.

But through every cycle, one thing has remained constant: OakNorth’s commitment to supporting lower mid-market businesses (with £1m-£100m in turnover) with the funding they need to seize opportunity, even in uncertain times.

Since joining OakNorth in 2019, Stewart Haworth has played a key role in expanding the bank’s corporate and private equity offering outside of London. As a Director of Debt Finance in Manchester, he’s been instrumental in strengthening our regional presence and working with some of the UK’s most well-known businesses and entrepreneurs.

We caught up with Stewart to hear about his journey, what makes OakNorth different, and what he enjoys most about his role.