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<\/p>\nSource: PressBox PR \/ Yaspa<\/p>\n
Yaspa, a hyper-growth UK fintech specialising in payments and identity, has announced the opening of a new tech hub in Leeds.<\/p>\n
The award-winning company plans to build an initial squad of 10 senior software engineers in the next few weeks to fuel its global growth into new markets, in particular the US.<\/p>\n
Yaspa already has an office in Shoreditch, London, and is now recruiting staff for its team based in Platform by Bruntwood in Leeds city centre. The ambition is to grow the team of backend Java developers to 20 before the end of 2025.<\/p>\n
Teams at the Leeds office will be led by David Turner, who has joined Yaspa as head of engineering. Turner spent more than seven years at William Hill and played an instrumental role in introducing automated sports trading, eventually becoming head of retail development. Turner was also previously chief technical officer at Glean, where he built a cross-functional delivery team based in Leeds, growing the headcount from five to 40.<\/p>\n
Yaspa leverages Open Banking technology and AI to help regulated businesses elevate customer intelligence \u2013 and cash flow \u2013 via its proprietary real-time payments solution, Intelligent Payments. Its products are particularly suited to online gambling companies, which are able to use the technology to meet compliance requirements, facilitate responsible gambling and optimise their customers\u2019 payments experience.<\/p>\n
Yaspa, which last month announced an investment of $12 million led by Discerning Capital, currently serves partners in the UK and Europe and has now incorporated a US entity in Atlanta, Georgia, with plans to open an office there.<\/p>\n
Yaspa is led by chief executive officer James Neville, who co-founded the company in 2017 after having previously served as a chief technology officer at Worldpay. The company has grown from 15 to 70 people in the past 18 months.<\/p>\n
Leeds is home to several major gambling companies, including Flutter Entertainment\u2019s Sky Betting & Gaming, Paddy Power and Betfair, and Evoke\u2019s William Hill brands \u2013 a factor in Yaspa\u2019s decision to open an office in the city.<\/p>\n
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Chris Watkins, chief people officer at Yaspa<\/p>\n
Yaspa\u2019s chief people officer Chris Watkins<\/strong> said: \u201cWe see Leeds as the ideal location to open our second UK office, with access to a strong pool of software engineering talent. It also has a strong reputation for talent with experience in iGaming, thanks to the companies that are also located there.<\/p>\n \u201cOur office is at a premium address, just a few metres from Leeds train station. It\u2019s a serviced office, with stunning views across Leeds centre from our sixth-floor office, coupled with amazing services to ensure Yaspa employees have the best experience possible when working onsite.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re growing quickly but we\u2019ll walk before we can run. The immediate goal is to get a squad of mid to senior level engineers on board. They will focus on building the US product for us. As soon as that squad is at full capacity, we\u2019ll hire for a second squad, taking us up to 20 within the year.<\/p>\n David Turner, head of engineering at Yaspa<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough we\u2019re open to remote working, we\u2019ve noticed a hybrid working model offers the best collaboration for success and employee growth. At Yaspa, we\u2019re really big on culture, collaboration and transparency, so we want people regularly working together in-person.\u201d<\/p>\n Yaspa\u2019s head of engineering David Turner<\/strong> said: \u201cWhen I heard about the opportunity to join Yaspa, it felt like the perfect role for me. I am passionate about creating a safe, supportive environment where engineers can do their best work and this role allows me to do exactly that \u2013 building a talented team in Leeds while delivering the technology to support Yaspa\u2019s next stage of growth.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat excites me most is that Yaspa has already done the hard part. It has found its value proposition, proved it works and is now scaling. My focus will be on growing the engineering team rapidly, with the aim of having two strong squads in place by the end of the year, initially dedicated to the US proposition, while making the most of the chance to apply best practice from the start.<\/p>\n \u201cYaspa has the momentum, the vision and the team culture to make a real impact, and I am looking forward to helping take that even further.\u201d<\/p>\n Further reading: Yaspa receives $12m investment led by Discerning Capital to fuel US expansion<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/David-Turner-scaled-e1755089303859-300x300.jpg\")
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