Deblock sets-up at the

UK Business Centre Lille

1 year after its launch, the UK Business Centre Lille officially welcomes its 1st company. Deblock - a fintech startup offering the first current account that accepts euros and cryptos - has chosen Lille to develop its growth in Europe. The company was won over by the tailor-made support offered by UKBC Lille.

Published on 23.04.2024

Who is
Deblock?

The company was founded in October 2022, in London, by four finance savvy who used to work for renowned financial groups:

Jean Meyer, former Crypto Managing Director at Revolut ;
Adriana Restrepo, former Operations Managing Director at Revolut ;
Aaron Beck, former Payment Managing Director et Revolut
Mario Eguiluz, engineering Director at Ledger.

Their common vision? Revolutionizing access to financial technologies via an app.

It offers a 360° service. It allows you to centralise:

An IBAN,
Credit cards for day-to-day transactions,
Bank transfers to pay your rent or get your salary.

It also offers the freedom to convert cryptocurrencies into euros and vice versa without constraints or limits.

Why was Deblock
looking to develop?

Even before the company launched its product, they had already raised €12M. Only a year after its creation, the company now has 26 employees. Due to this success, Deblock needed to develop itself on the European market and identified France as primary market. The first step was to be approved by the ACPR (Banque de France) which supervises the bank sector as well as the insurance sector to ensure a stable financial market. The 2^nd step was to find the ideal location for its offices.

Why was the Hauts-de-France
chosen by Deblock?

Most importantly, the startup was looking for a flexible solution and an easily accessible location. After investigating the possibility of setting up in Paris, Lille emerged as the ideal solution for several reasons.

#1 Immediate proximity to the United Kingdom

Deblock needed to easily be in contact with their offices in London and be as close as possible to the Eurostar. Northern France appeared to be the smartest choice by being the closest continental neighbour to the United Kingdom. On top of that, it also has immediate proximity to Paris.

#2 Attractive costs

Northern France is cheaper than Paris and other European cities. both for:

Offices space: which is 52% less expensive than the average of our European competitors (EY study, 2020)
Real estate: this implies better living conditions for employees and improved quality of life

#3 A vibrant ecosystem for Tech companies and startups to grow

By settling in Lille, Deblock has access to different institutions specialized in helping Tech companies as well as startups.

Access the real estate cost comparator

Focus on:
Euratechnologies

It is the largest startup incubator in Europe and offers major growing opportunities.

To give you a bit of perspective, here are a key figures regarding Euratechnologies:

They support 300 companies, including 200 startups
€200 million raised by start-ups in seed capital and Series A funding
82% of startups are still on operation 5 years on

Focus on:
La French Tech

It is an ecosystem of startups in charge of supporting the structuring and growth of the French start-up ecosystem. This association is supported by the French government and offer an ecosystem that brings together startups, innovative companies, investors, decision-makers, public players, associations, schools etc.

They have dedicated programmes for startups:

French Tech central: a hub dedicated to connecting all players in the regional ecosystem
French Tech Tremplin: to incubate future startups and bring to life their projects
French Tech 2030
French Tech Rise
French Tech next40/120
Scale-up excellence etc.
French Tech Visa: to easily recruit foreign talent & skills

Why was the UK Business Centre Lille
tailored for Deblock?

«The UK Business Centre Lille made our installation much easier, thanks to dedicated contacts for UK-based companies who understood our needs. Their support was decisive. The geographical location of Lille at the heart of our markets and of UKBC Lille, right in the city center, in the immediate vicinity of Lille Europe station, with its numerous Eurostar links, reinforced our decision. It was therefore the most appropriate choice for us to set up in France with ease.»

Jean Meyer, co-founder of Deblock

“It is like a holding-hand to set-up shop, versus going online and google translating from French to English which can be quite daunting.”

Adrianna Restrepo, co-founder of Deblock

The UK Business Centre Lille provided Deblock with a flexible solution to relocate part of its team in France and access the French market.

The UK Business Centre provided Deblock with:

Dedicated interlocutors for companies based in the UK and who understood their needs
A strategic location – a stone’s throw away from the Eurostar station – and at the centre of Lille which makes everything accessible easily for them
A tailored offer for British companies which offices in a coworking space