Remember back in February when I dived into the CMA banking survey results? We saw Chase UK storming ahead, with Starling and Monzo hot on their heels. The big takeaway was clear - digital banks were absolutely crushing it despite only holding 6% of UK primary banking relationships.

Well, guess what? The August results are in, and honestly, they're fascinating! The rankings have shifted again, proving just how dynamic this space is right now.‍

What's Fresh in the August 2025 CMA Results?

The latest CMA business banking survey has dropped some serious insights, and I'm excited to share what's happening in the commercial banking world.

Here's who's winning the commercial banking game right now:

1. Monzo - Absolutely crushing it! Top spot for both personal AND business banking
2. Mettle - NatWest's new digital business platform landing straight into second place (impressive debut!)
3. Starling Bank - Still holding strong in the top three

The reality check for traditional banks:

• The gap between digital-first and traditional approaches is getting wider, not narrower
• Customer expectations have clearly shifted - and they're not going back

Why This Matters

Back in February, at FullCircl we predicted commercial banks would need to seriously up their digital game. The August results prove this was right!

The digital divide is real - Monzo and Mettle are winning on experience, not just features.

Traditional banks are struggling - Despite large resources, the main high street banks can't reverse the current customer satisfaction trends.

New players make immediate impact - Mettle's second-place debut shows that getting the formula right from day one pays off.

So, what should commercial banks actually do

Let's get practical with some ideas:

1. Make digital actually work for business customers

I'm not talking about just having an app, it's about creating an experience:

• Lighting-fast account opening - why should it take weeks when it could take minutes?
• Real-time everything - cash flow, transactions, approvals. Business moves fast, tech should too
• Mobile-first lending - your SME customers are making decisions on their phones, not in the boardroom

2. Relationship management gets a tech makeover

Your relationship managers are gold, and they need the right tools:

• AI-powered insights - help them spot opportunities before customers even know they need them
• Integrated customer views - no more "let me check another system conversations
• Proactive communication - use data to reach out with solutions, not just problems

3. Streamline, streamline, streamline

Business customers have zero patience for clunky processes:

• One click-everything - applications, approvals, account management
• Automated compliance - make regulatory requirements invisible to customers
• Instant decisions - for standard lending and credit, speed beats everything

CMA results aren't just numbers on a page.

What are successful commercial banks doing:

• Customer obsession - every decision starts with "What does our customer actually want?"
• Tech as a differentiator - not just digitising old processes, but reimagining what banking could be
• Speed and simplicity - making complex business banking feel effortless

Business customers don't want banking to be complicated. They want it to work seamlessly in the background while they focus on growing their companies.

The bottom line

The message from both our February analysis and these August results couldn't be clearer: commercial banks that don't prioritise customer-centric digital transformation aren't just falling behind - they're becoming irrelevant.

But here's the good news - it's not too late! The banks that act decisively now, that genuinely commit to transformation rather than just talking about it, still have time to turn things around.

The question is: will you be proactive, or will you wait for next February's results to tell the same story?

Reach out to us to see how FullCircl an support your customer experience.