# LHV Bank leadership and regulatory developments

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/lhv-bank-leadership-and-regulatory-developments
> Updated: 2026-10-28T04:10:17.000Z. Sources: 2. Developments: 2.

LHV Bank Limited, the UK subsidiary of AS LHV Group, announced the appointment of Damian Thompson as its new Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, effective January 4, 2027. Thompson, formerly of Starling Bank and NatWest Markets, is expected to lead the bank’s efforts to expand lending capabilities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

In a separate development, the digital bank joined the second cohort of the Scale-up Unit established by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This unit, part of the UK Government’s Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, provides high-growth banks with dedicated regulatory engagement to support sustainable scaling.

## Timeline

### 2026-10-28: LHV Bank joins PRA and FCA Scale-up Unit

Digital lender LHV Bank has joined the PRA and FCA’s Scale-up Unit to accelerate its UK growth and regulatory engagement.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/lhv-bank-joins-pra-and-fca-scale-up-unit

### 2026-10-12: LHV Bank appoints Damian Thompson as CEO

LHV Bank has named former Starling Bank executive Damian Thompson as its new CEO, effective January 2027, pending regulatory approval.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/lhv-bank-appoints-damian-thompson-as-ceo

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Cite as: LHV Bank leadership and regulatory developments. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/lhv-bank-leadership-and-regulatory-developments