KAREN JOY BACUDO

Finance Editor

Moneyhub has supported the launch of Paragon Bank’s first Open Banking-powered Cash ISA through the Spring savings app. The new product expands Spring’s range after the app passed £1 billion in customer deposits.

Spring, a savings app launched by Paragon Bank about a year ago, uses Moneyhub’s technology to let customers move money directly from their current accounts into the new Cash ISA. The setup is designed to help users automate tax-free savings contributions from accounts held with other banks.

The move adds an ISA to a digital savings service that has so far focused on helping customers shift surplus cash from everyday accounts. Users can view external current account balances within the app and transfer funds based on what they can afford at the time, rather than relying on manual transfers or standing orders.

The launch reflects customer demand for an ISA within the Spring app and forms part of Paragon’s broader digital strategy as it builds out app-based savings services.

Research cited by the businesses points to a large pool of cash sitting in low- or no-interest current accounts across the UK. An estimated 6.4 million current account holders keep £10,000 or more in such accounts, representing a total of £227 billion.

That backdrop has helped shape Spring’s proposition, which centres on giving savers a clearer view of their day-to-day finances while making it easier to move money into savings. Most deposits into the app have been initiated through Moneyhub’s payment technology, with daily volumes doubling month on month, according to the companies.

Digital savings

The arrangement shows how Open Banking tools are being used beyond budgeting and account aggregation, particularly in deposits and savings. For banks, the model offers a way to reduce friction when moving money from a customer’s primary current account into a savings product without requiring card payments, manual bank transfers, or pre-set standing orders.

Moneyhub provides data and payment infrastructure to financial institutions, including banks, pension providers, wealth managers and insurers. In this case, its platform supports account connectivity and payment initiation for Spring customers to open and fund the new Cash ISA.

Guy Simmonds, Head of Digital Proposition at Paragon Bank, described the partnership as central to the app’s development.

“Our partnership with Moneyhub has been integral to the launch and development of Spring. Spring is a key part of our wider digitalisation strategy at Paragon, helping us reimagine the savings experience for customers. The newly launched Cash ISA is a product our customers have been asking for, and being able to offer it through Spring’s familiar, trusted digital experience is a significant moment for the app and for our broader digital journey,” Simmonds said.

Growth focus

The savings app has become an important digital channel for Paragon as it seeks to broaden its channels for gathering retail deposits. Passing £1 billion in deposits in roughly its first year gives the bank a larger base from which to add products such as ISAs and test how customers respond to more integrated savings tools.

For Moneyhub, the launch provides another example of a financial institution using its services in a customer-facing retail product. The company positions its offering around transaction data, analytics, decisioning, and payment initiation, with a focus on helping firms integrate account information with actions such as moving money.

Dan Scholey, CPO at Moneyhub, said the Spring launch shows how those services can be applied to savings.

“We provide the scalable data and intelligence infrastructure that allows financial institutions to easily drop in extra, high-value services as their customers’ needs evolve. Most traditional savings products still rely on manual intervention, but by embedding Moneyhub’s data and payments platform, Spring has made saving effortless and automated. Helping Spring surpass £1 billion in deposits shows how our data-driven platform turns compliance and integration into a powerful engine for commercial growth,” Scholey said.

UK fashion retailer, Holland Cooper, is asking Oxfordshire corgi owners if there pooch would be in an advert for the high-end brand.

Casting manager, Gill Raddings, said in an Oxfordshire Facebook group: “I am looking for up to 3 Corgi’s for a stills shoot for the clothing brand Holland Cooper.

“The shoot will be at Jade’s (very nice) home just outside Cheltenham next Tuesday July 21st.

“The dog/s will just be on leads standing with the models.

“This will obviously be paid and they are always nice fun days on their shoots with excellent catering!

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Jade Holland Cooper attending day two of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse (Image: Andrew Matthews)

“It’s usually an 9am start and the finish around 4 / 5 o’clock.

“Please let me know if you would be interested in joining us for a fun day!

In 2008, Jade Cooper founded the fashion label Holland Cooper.

Holland Cooper launched her label by personally selling tweed garments from a horse trailer at equestrian and country events, travelling to more than 30 shows per year.

She started by having an outworker employed by her mother make 30 tweed miniskirts, with leather and suede additions, which she found in her mother’s old design studio in a farm outbuilding, and sold them all from a stall at Badminton Horse Trials.

Holland Cooper has since grown into a fashion house with an annual turnover of around £60 million and year-on-year growth of 50 percent. The brand offers more than 2,000 products and operates a 70,000-square-foot headquarters in the Cotswolds.

The shopping centre was given a £440m revamp in 2017, with the addition of 100 new shops and restaurants, an anchor store John Lewis, and a rooftop terrace and cinema.

Westgate Oxford supported 1,527 jobs across Landsec, its retail partners and businesses operating at the destination retail centre.

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It also helped 110 people move closer to employment through initiatives such as employability partnerships, which provide valuable industry experience, and work placements.

The research also found the centre delivered £1.3m in ‘social value’ in 2025 through investment in local communities and employment initiatives, including bursaries, community grants, volunteering and partnerships.

Clare Martin, centre director at Westgate Oxford, said: “Retail destinations are part of the fabric of the communities they serve. They help local businesses grow, create employment opportunities and provide places where people can come together, connect and spend time.

“The findings published today demonstrate the important contribution Westgate Oxford continues to make to Oxford. By investing in the destination, supporting employment, working with community partners and operating more sustainably, we’re helping businesses and communities thrive. In turn, that attracts further investment, supports long-term growth and creates lasting value for the local area.”

Clare Martin, centre director of Westgate Oxford (Image: Westgate Oxford)

Alongside its economic and social contribution, the centre continues to invest in a more sustainable future.

In 2025, the destination reduced its energy intensity by 24%, reflecting Landsec’s commitment to creating places that deliver lasting value for local communities and the environment.

Sustainability goals also shaped the centre’s community initiatives during the year with the ‘Made in Oxford’ enterprise challenge inviting students from four local schools to explore creative placemaking and environmental sustainability to reimagine their local retail space.

A commitment to the environment was supported by on-site initiatives, keeping the centre ahead of UK environmental legislation by increasing recycling rates and empowering guests to reduce single-use plastic consumption through the ‘Refill Me’ scheme.

Alongside these local programmes, Westgate Oxford maintained strong commercial momentum through 2025, strengthening its retail offering and driving visitor numbers with the arrival of new brands including the region’s first store from beauty brand Sephora and much-loved burger restaurant The Beefy Boys, alongside larger stores and investment from Goldsmiths, Superdrug, and Oliver Bonas.

Retailer confidence in the centre and the city remains strong through 2026 with the recent arrivals of both Lego and David Clulow, and global fashion brand Bershka set to open its first Oxfordshire store at the shopping centre later this year, offering even more choice for guests.