American musician will.i.am has become a strategic board advisor at Atom, calling the new UK app-based bank's bid to change the industry through technology "awesome".
The former Black Eyed Peas rapper will offer Atom an "external perspective on culture, philanthropy and technology," says a statement.
Reports of the unlikely tie-up first surfaced in February, with Sky News claiming that will.i.am is getting an option to acquire up to 3.55 million shares in Atom at £1.15-per-share during a three-year period.
In return, Atom gets a high-profile backer, known by millions of Brits as a judge on TV talent show The Voice, and, according to the bank's chairman Anthony Thomson, a "unique view on the world and knowledge of future trends".
Adds will.i.am: "Our lives are faster than ever before, but the banking industry hasn’t kept up. The scale of Atom’s ambition to help people understand and manage their money better, and it’s clever use of technology to give people an entire bank on their phones is awesome."