Second letting announced at Hodge House in central Cardiff

Expanding fintech company Currencycloud is the second company in a month to announce it is moving to the newly-refurbished Hodge House office building in Cardiff city centre.

The company, which provides a global payments platform servicing banks, financial institutions and fintechs across the world, has taken a 10 year lease on a 6,586 sq ft office suite on the 5th Floor of the building. It is moving from a number of serviced offices in Cardiff.

Hodge House owner Legal & General was advised in the transaction by joint letting agents Knight Frank and Fletcher Morgan, and the new tenant was represented by Crossland Otter Hunt.

This follows an announcement made last month that AI imaging specialist, Intelligent Ultrasound, has leased 7,188 sq ft on the building’s 6th Floor. Legal & General has undertaken a comprehensive refurbishment and re-branding to bring the 110,000 sq ft, eight-storey Grade II listed Hodge House office building in Cardiff city centre into the 21st century.

The impressive and ornately detailed Portland stone façade with sash windows, originally inspired by the architecture of London’s Regent Street, has been cleaned, sympathetically repaired and redecorated. Internally, the 1990s refurbishment has been stripped back to reveal original cast iron decorative columns from the 1915 construction, riveted steel structure from the 1930s and a variety of exposed brick and plasterwork.

Anouska Streets, Head of Platform Engineering at Currencycloud, said: “We’re excited to be moving into Hodge House and building our presence as part of the local Cardiff fintech community. Cardiff, and Wales, are cementing their place as a hub for nurturing great tech talent and enabling the fintech ecosystem. We look forward to expanding our team locally as we grow in the future.”

Andrew Mercer, Office Sector Lead at LGIM Real Assets said: “I am delighted to welcome our new occupiers Currencycloud to Hodge House, representing our second letting at the newly refurbished office space in a month. Despite the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, these lettings are not only testament to the building, but the continued need for high-quality office spaces in excellent locations.”

Nick Sinclair from agent Crossland Otter Hunt added: “Currencycloud wanted a long-term home in which it could attract the very best possible talent and continue to grow in the coming years. On their behalf we looked at every relevant office in Cardiff and it was clear Hodge House was the right choice with an excellent working environment in a characterful building in the centre of Cardiff.”

John James, director at Fletcher Morgan, said: ““Hodge House is incredibly exciting redevelopment and there is no other building of this quality in Cardiff which combines so much character with efficient space.”

Matt Phillips, head of the Cardiff office of Knight Frank said: “This second deal at Hodge House in such a short time clearly demonstrates that, despite the current environment, Grade A quality office space maintains its attraction to forward-looking companies.”

Currencycloud’s global, multi-currency account infrastructure provides banks and fintechs with virtual named accounts for their customers, with the ability to collect, convert, pay and manage multiple currencies simultaneously, anywhere in the world.

Launched in 2012, Currencycloud is based in London with additional offices in Cardiff, New York, and Amsterdam. It has processed more than $65bn to over 180 countries.