What Swishfund does

Swishfund is a fintech lender providing short-term business loans of £10,000 to £400,000 over 3 to 24 months to UK small and medium-sized enterprises (limited companies, public limited companies and limited liability partnerships) that are often underserved by high-street banks. The platform is delivered through a 3-minute self-service online application (application.swishfund.co.uk), supported by a UK inside-sales customer solutions team and a network of commercial finance brokers; the underlying decisioning combines a proprietary risk-based pricing model with Open Banking connectivity, Companies House filings, and Credit Reference Agency / Fraud Prevention Agency checks, including a video-call and WhatsApp-video KYC step before payout. The Group is led by Dutch parent Swishfund B.V. (founded 2016) with UK operating subsidiary Swishfund Ltd (registered 2018, company number 11180668, registered office in Peterborough); the Group has financed over £350m across 13,000+ loans to 7,000+ businesses and holds UK Customer Service Excellence accreditation with three Compliance Plus certificates, the first carbon-neutral fintech lender claim (2020), and a 4.3/5 UK Trustpilot score.

Swishfund monetises loans via monthly interest charged on the original principal at a risk-based rate of 1.1%–3.0%, plus a one-off non-refundable arrangement fee that is added to the loan principal and can be commercially split with introducing brokers. Repayments are collected via GoCardless direct debits, with interest and the arrangement fee spread straight-line across the term rather than front-loaded. Distribution combines direct-to-consumer online acquisition, inside sales, and a broker/introducer channel, with the firm also operating a secure Client Portal (clientportal.sfconnect.nl) and an emerging ESG-tilted product line (the Green Credit Score, co-developed with Innovate UK and 4Most Risk Consultancy from 2022) intended to extend underwriting to women-led and environmentally responsible SMEs.

The company is privately held by Dutch parent Swishfund B.V.; disclosed Group funding includes a 2020 round of approximately $16.7M led by Shoe Investments and Slingshot Ventures, an earlier 2018 round from Slingshot Ventures, and an undisclosed 2024 growth funding round. Leadership includes co-founder Pieter Schoen (also known from the Dutch Dragons' Den), Jeroen Sonsma as CEO and co-founder, Berend Berger as CFO, Niels Jansen as CTO, and Andrew Jackson as UK Managing Director. The company maintains a small team (firmographic band 11–50 employees) and operates exclusively in the United Kingdom (England, Wales and Scotland) with the Dutch parent providing shared back-office and platform support.

Name

Swishfund

Website

https://swishfund.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Swishfund is a UK fintech lender (subsidiary of Dutch parent Swishfund B.V.) providing short-term business loans of £10,000–£400,000 over 3–24 months to limited companies and LLPs, using Open Banking-powered risk-based pricing and a multi-channel broker-and-direct distribution model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Alternative SME Lending

NAICS

Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522), Sales Financing (52222)

SIC

Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) & Revenue-Based Financing (FSAKAGAD)

Keywords

• SME business lending
• Alternative business finance
• Short-term working capital
• Fintech lending platform
• Open Banking credit scoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Monthly interest income on loans: Recurring interest charged on the original loan amount throughout the term at a risk-based rate of 1.1% to 3% per month, collected via weekly or monthly direct debit through GoCardless.
2. One-off Arrangement Fee: Non-refundable arrangement fee added to the principal to cover marketing, onboarding, credit assessment, processing and operational costs; can be commercially split with a broker/introducer or reallocated to direct marketing.
3. Broker / introducer fee share: Portion of the arrangement fee paid to the commercial finance broker or introducer that sourced the loan, on a commercially negotiated ratio.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Swishfund provides short-term business loans to UK SMEs (limited companies, LLPs and public limited companies) ranging from £10,000 to £400,000 over 3 to 24 months. Loan decisions and pricing are driven by a proprietary risk-based pricing model that uses Open Banking transaction data, filed Annual Accounts, and director/shareholder financial information. The product is delivered through a 3-minute online application with funds typically disbursed within 24 hours for loans up to £75,000, and supported by an inside sales team and a commercial finance broker channel.

Product overview

Swishfund operates a single unified fintech lending platform for UK SMEs (with a Dutch parent, Swishfund B.V.) anchored by its core Business Loans product (£10,000-£400,000, up to 24-month terms, 1.1%-3% monthly interest). The platform is delivered through a connected stack of named offerings: an Online Loan Application (application.swishfund.co.uk) for fast 3-5 minute self-service applications, a secure Client Portal (clientportal.sfconnect.nl) for ongoing loan management, an Open Banking Bank Connection feature for retrieving 12 months of transaction data, and a proprietary Risk-Based Pricing Model that underpins credit decisions, pricing, and automated decline applications. The offering is complemented by community-facing programmes such as the Numeric Sponsorship Programme, and is delivered with the efficiency of fintech combined with personalized service under Customer Service Excellence accreditation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Loans Short-term unsecured and secured business loans for UK limited companies, LLPs and Plcs, ranging from £10,000 to £400,000 with repayment terms up to 24 months. Used for working capital, asset purchase, expansion, refinancing, stock purchase, marketing and other legitimate business purposes. Pricing combines a monthly interest rate of 1.1%-3% (risk-based) with a one-off arrangement fee added to the principal, and there are no early settlement fees.

Quantifiable outcome

• £350m+ financed by the Swishfund Group
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability8 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• ootiboominorOthers · 1 January 2026Swishfund's 2026 sponsorship is a donation to ootiboo, supporting their mission to foster critical thinking, resilience and problem-solving skills in UK children aged 5 to 11. ootiboo has been operating since 2022.
• GoCardlesscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Swishfund sets up a weekly or monthly direct debit in GoCardless for all loan repayments; customers are routed to the GoCardless direct-debit flow as the standard repayment rail for the lending product.
• NumericminorOthers · 1 January 2024Swishfund has provided funding to Numeric since 2024 to cover the face-cost of Platinum Club Arsenal tickets used to take brokers to games. Numeric is a South African charity that helps children in low-income areas improve their maths literacy through after-school classes; Swishfund has funded 30+ learners for a year of classes.
• Innovate UKmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Co-funded the Green Credit Scoring Project launched in 2022 with Swishfund and 4Most Risk Consultancy, exploring whether environmentally responsible businesses should receive cheaper funding.
• 4Most Risk ConsultancymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Co-developed the Green Credit Scoring Project with Swishfund and Innovate UK, researching whether environmentally responsible businesses have better credit risk and should receive cheaper funding.
• Centre For AssessmentcoreOthers · 1 January 2018Independent UK accreditation body that awarded Swishfund its Customer Service Excellence mark and three Compliance Plus certificates covering leadership and work culture, quality of information (neurodiverse loan documentation), and co-operative working with brokers.
• Swishfund B.V. (Dutch parent)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Swishfund Ltd is a UK subsidiary of Dutch parent Swishfund B.V., a regulated business in the Netherlands founded in 2016; the parent provides customer service, business administration and website support to the UK entity and is part of the Swishfund Group.
• AzetsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2018Hosts Swishfund Ltd's UK registered office at C/O Azets, West Point, Lynch Wood, Peterborough, England, PE2 6FZ.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Funding Circle: Publicly listed UK SME lending platform (formerly LSE) offering term loans and lines of credit to small businesses. Overlaps with Swishfund on the UK SME target market and short-term working capital loan category, but operates at materially larger scale, broader product set, and via institutional/wholesale funding rather than balance-sheet lending.
• MarketFinance (since rebrand): UK fintech offering invoice finance, business loans, and lines of credit to SMEs. Overlaps on the UK SME short-term working capital product set, though with a stronger emphasis on receivables-based products.
• OnDeck: Established US/global online SMB lender providing short-term loans and lines of credit, now part of Enova. Overlaps on product (short-term SME working capital loans) and tech approach (automated decisioning), but US-focused with limited UK presence.

Direct peers

• iwoca: UK-based SME lender providing short-term loans and credit lines to small businesses using Open Banking-driven underwriting. Direct overlap with Swishfund on target customer (UK SMEs), product (working capital loans), and core technology approach (cashflow-based, automated decisioning).
• Capify: UK-based alternative lender offering short-term working capital loans to SMEs, with a strong broker/introducer channel. Direct overlap with Swishfund on customer segment, loan size, term range, and reliance on commercial finance brokers for origination.
• Liberis: Global embedded finance platform providing revenue-based financing and small business loans, with a strong UK presence and broker/integrator channel. Direct overlap with Swishfund on UK SME short-term lending and broker-driven distribution.
• Fleximize: UK-based alternative finance provider offering flexible term loans and revolving credit to SMEs, with a strong broker/introducer model. Direct overlap on UK SME loan product, customer segment, and distribution strategy.
• ThinCats: UK peer-to-peer and direct lending platform providing secured and unsecured business loans to SMEs, with an institutional and broker-sourced funding base. Comparable in customer (UK SMEs), product (term loans), and capital-stack structure.

Regional players

• Spotcap: Online SME lender operating in multiple European markets (Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Australia) using cashflow-based underwriting. Comparable in product and tech approach (Open Banking-style data-driven underwriting) but does not focus on the UK market.

Others

• Capitalise: UK commercial finance platform connecting SMEs with lenders and brokers. Listed as a Swishfund customer/partner; comparable as a UK SME broker/intermediary in the same ecosystem rather than as a direct credit competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swishfund

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Swishfund