Banks and the economy
Larkspur
Challenger bank
A new app-only bank. The best easy-access savings rate, money in and out whenever you like, and small, quick loans.
- Best easy-access savings rate
- Instant access, no minimum
- Small loans paid straight away
Savings
Rates are the Bank Rate (4%) plus or minus this bank's margin, and never below 0%.
| Account | Type | Rate a year | Bank Rate plus | Smallest deposit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instant Saver | Easy access | 4.50% | +0.5 | £1 |
Log in to save or borrow.
Loans
| Loan | Amount | Longest term | Rate a year | Bank Rate plus | Credit score needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flex Loan | £100 to £2,000 | 8 weeks | 10.00% | +6 | 580 |
The bank's money
| Cash in reserve | £85,000 |
| Savers' deposits (what it owes savers) | £0 |
| Cash it must keep (25% of deposits) | £0 |
| Loans still owed to it | £0 |
| Shares it owns, at today's prices | £14,925 |
| Capital (its own money) | £100,000 |
| All money ever lent / paid back | £4,000 / £4,000 |
| Interest earned on loans / paid to savers | £0 / £0 |
| Dividends from shares | £0 |
| Lost to defaults (0 loans) | £0 |
Investments
Once a day Larkspur looks at the UKOGB Stock Exchange and follows these rules:
- It keeps 25% of savers' money as cash, and aims to have 50% of the rest of its money in shares.
- It buys companies whose price is at or below their recent average (the last 30 trades), the best bargains first.
- It sells half of a holding once its price is 10% or more above the recent average, and sells shares if its cash falls below what it must keep.
- No one company may be more than 15% of its money, and it places at most 3 orders a day, at the last traded price. Orders not filled by the next day are cancelled. It pays stamp duty like anyone else.
| Company | Shares | Last price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hopkins PLC | 14,925 | £1 | £14,925 |
Recent activity
| When | What | Cash |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Oct 2026, 00:20 | Bought 14925 of 14925 Hopkins PLC shares at £1 (the price is at its recent average) | -£14,925 |
| 22 Oct 2026, 00:15 | Loan paid off early | £1,000 |
| 22 Oct 2026, 00:15 | New Flex Loan | -£1,000 |
| 22 Oct 2026, 00:15 | Loan paid off early | £1,000 |
| 22 Oct 2026, 00:15 | New Flex Loan | -£1,000 |
| 22 Oct 2026, 00:13 | Loan paid off early | £1,000 |
| 22 Oct 2026, 00:13 | New Flex Loan | -£1,000 |
| 22 Oct 2026, 00:13 | Loan paid off early | £1,000 |
| 22 Oct 2026, 00:12 | New Flex Loan | -£1,000 |