THE UK's first fully digital bank has made further appointments to its new team.

Atom, which is being set up in the North-East, has welcomed David McCarthy as chief financial officer.

Craig Iley has been appointed managing director of business banking, with Stewart Bromley as HR director.

The moves come after Atom revealed Edward Twiddy will leave his role as chief executive of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (Nelep) to become its director of innovation, with Nelep's deputy director Sophie Haagensen also joining Atom.

The bank, which is billing itself as the UK's first truly digital bank, will open for business next year.

It will have no branches, but plans to employ an initial 120 staff at its head offices at an as yet undisclosed North-East location.

The venture is the brainchild of industry pioneers Anthony Thomson, co-founder and former chairman of Metro Bank, and Mark Mullen, who recently left First Direct.

Mr Thomson, from Corbridge, in Northumberland, said: “Negative publicity for banking is bad news for the industry.

“But if people have lost patience with the way their bank operates, then we are here to offer something new.”