thisbank, a rebranding of the UK arm of JN Bank, has officially launched in Britain.

The bank, which is under new ownership, said that it is now backed by UK and US investment and a new leadership team from some of the "biggest names" in banking.

The company as formerly part of the Jamaica National Group (JN Group), a member-owned financial services organisation in Jamaica with almost 150 years of history.

The announcement comes after the bank, which focuses on investor growth and competitive savings rates, grew assets under management by 12x in under a year.

thisbank’s investment approach focuses on specialist assets and portfolios, areas that require "dedicated expertise and careful attention", which it says sets the bank apart in "today’s competitive mainstream market."

The bank will come under the leadership of chief executive Chris Waring, who has previously worked at banking giants Lloyds Banking Group and Barclays, and chief transformation officer (CTO) Declan Halton-Woodward, a former private banker and senior public servant.

Next steps for the firm involve moving "significantly north" of its billion-pound balance sheet, it said.

The bank added that the launch under the new company name has a clear focus on sustainable growth, a strong investment strategy, and human-centric customer service.

“We’ve built a profitable, fast-growing bank in under a year," said Chris Waring, chief executive, thisbank. "Our strategy is clear, deliver customer-focused savings rates, invest in specialist assets where others can’t compete, and never lose sight of the fact that banking is about people, not just numbers.”

thisbank says that "humans are the priority" at the bank, with customers always able to speak directly to a person.

The bank says offers a range of easy access and fixed-term savings products, with competitive rates across 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year deposits, raising hundreds of millions of pounds in new deposits, with a minimum deposit starting at £1 and a maximum of £500,000.

“thisbank is built around people," said Declan Halton-Woodward, CTO. "Humans are complex, so we make sure our customers can always speak to one of ours.

"While we are technology forward, our approach will always be customer-first.”

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