Name:World First UK Industry/sector: Financial and professional services Date founded: 2004 The boss: Jonathan Quin Location: London Latest turnover: £6.2bn Three-year compound growth rate (%): 49.27 Latest EBITDA: £7.9m World First is the payments service provider that enables global money transfers. It started business back in April 2004, having been created in the basement of a house in Stockwell by Jonathan Quin and Nick Robinson. Together they had a view that the way money was changed would be transformerd into a new direction. A year after launching and £43m worth of trades had been made and by October 2005 the £100m milestone had been reached. The firm started with eight team members in January 2006 and the basement was left behind in favour of a Battersea location and former deputy head of the Bank of England David Clementi joined World First as a senior advisor. The next year and the company had reached 22 members of staff and closed with 40, while transactions continued to surge to reach the £1bn mark. A new location overlooking the Thames was found in 2008 as business continued to grow and an office was opened in Sydney. World First marked its tenth anniversary with 300 employees globally, while the new office can be found in the Millbank Tower. As of 2015, the company boasts 76,000 employees while Clementi is now the chairman. Determined to continue making milestones, World First introduced what it called the “world’s first wearable international payment app” in March by launching for the Google-powered Android Wear smartwartch. “This morning I made the world’s first international transfer from a wearable device in just a matter of seconds. Five taps and three swipes was all it took to book a fantastic rate to buy euros in real-time – though optional voice commands can be used by anyone fearing finger-fatigue,” Quin revealed. “Some of our customers spend their lives thinking about exchange rates but others just want to get their transfer done as quickly, easily, and securely as possible, and without compromising on rates.” The firm also gives back to charity and has donated £76,000 to the likes of Anthony Nolan, Help for Heroes and the RSPCA.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
