Currensea, a UK-headquartered payments technology company specialising in co-branded debit cards and travel spending solutions, has strengthened its senior team with two high-profile hires from Open Banking specialist Ecospend.
The appointments of James Hickman as commercial director and George Head as head of business development are designed to support Currensea’s next phase of growth, as it accelerates global brand partnerships and deepens its use of Open Banking technology.
Founded in 2018, Currensea operates as a payments technology provider that enables consumers to spend directly from their existing bank accounts, both domestically and overseas. The company works with major consumer brands to deliver co-branded debit cards that reward customers for everyday spending, without the need to switch banks or manage additional accounts.
In his new role, Hickman will oversee Currensea’s commercial strategy, drawing on more than 20 years’ experience in sales and business development. At Ecospend, where he served as chief commercial officer, he was instrumental in securing major contracts across the public sector, financial services and digital commerce, including a landmark agreement with HM Revenue & Customs.
Head joins as head of business development following a successful tenure at Ecospend, where he led key commercial wins with organisations such as Hargreaves Lansdown and NS&I. His career also includes senior client development roles at Oracle, TripleLift and Criteo, giving him broad experience across enterprise technology and digital platforms.
Currensea co-founder and CEO James Lynn said, “We’re delighted to welcome James and George to the business. Their experience in scaling Ecospend – a true Open Banking pioneer – will be instrumental to the next phase of our growth.
“The application of Open Banking technology is critical to our unique multi-bank debit card model, allowing co-brand partners to put their brand top of wallet without requiring customers to go through the arduous process of switching bank accounts. As we continue to expand our co-brand portfolio, James and George’s experience of leveraging Open Banking technology to create a more rewarding experience for consumers will be a major asset for Currensea.”
Commenting on his appointment, James Hickman said, “I have long admired how Currensea had found the most commercially viable application of Open Banking in the market, and see it as an exemplary application of the technology, while the potential for the multi-bank debit co-brand market is vast.
“Allowing consumers to link a reward-earning payment product to an existing bank account, like a co-branded debit card that earns loyalty points with a blue-chip hotel brand on all your day-to-day spend, is a brilliant and innovative application. I’m excited to join a company using Open Banking to disrupt the European payments and loyalty landscape, and looking forward to working with James and the team on the next stage in its impressive growth trajectory.”
Read the daily FinTech news
Copyright © 2025 FinTech Global
