Allica Bank Success Story

In 2023, Allica Bank had almost no presence with UK accountants. It was an established challenger bank with a strong SME proposition, but no relationships with the advisers who guide those businesses’ financial decisions every day.

Three years later, it’s the most-heard bank in UK accounting media. Its partnerships team has become a key acquisition channel for new current accounts, and 60% of the accountants it meets at FAB go on to introduce clients.

Allica is a UK challenger bank built for established SMEs: businesses with 5 to 250 employees that have historically been underserved by the high street. Accountants guide those businesses’ financial decisions every day, so winning their trust mattered. But Allica was starting from scratch in a sceptical, insight-driven market where banks rarely engage.
 

“We didn’t have many accountants we worked closely with. We needed to see if we had a voice here.”

Allica didn’t treat FAB as a one-off moment in the calendar. It built a 365-day presence across Sift’s brands: a FAB exhibition stand for face-to-face conversations with tech-forward firms, Accounting Excellence Awards sponsorship, AccountingWEB editorial and original research, and targeted email to AccountingWEB’s verified subscribers between the big moments.
 

“It’s a 365-days-a-year engagement — not just the month before or after the event.”

#1 share of voice in UK accounting media
140 qualified leads at FAB, up year on year
60% of accountants met at FAB went on to introduce clients

In three years, Allica went from unknown entrant to category leader. Year one was about getting into the room. In year two, it built the platform, adding AccountingWEB editorial, email and Accounting Excellence, and its share of voice climbed from zero to the top of the category. By year three, it was leading the market: 140 highly qualified, unique leads at FAB, and a majority of those accountants actively referring clients.