Upbound Group

What Upbound Group does

Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: UPBD), formerly Rent-A-Center, Inc., is a Plano, Texas-based financial technology and consumer finance platform serving approximately 3.5 million credit-constrained consumers across the United States, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. The company operates a multi-brand portfolio anchored by three core product lines: Rent-A-Center, an omni-channel lease-to-own retailer with 1,700+ corporate stores offering furniture, appliances, electronics, and computers on flexible payment terms; Acima Leasing, a virtual B2B2C lease-to-own platform acquired in 2021 that delivers point-of-sale financing through thousands of retail partners; and Brigit, a financial health mobile application acquired in January 2025 for up to $460 million, providing budgeting, earned wage access, credit building, and identity protection to approximately 1.6 million paying subscribers. Supporting brands include Get It Now! and Home Choice (retail installment sales in Wisconsin and Minnesota), RAC Mexico (120+ stores), and the RACFI franchise system (440+ franchised stores including RimTyme). The company's underlying technology stack includes AI-powered automated decisioning for identity verification, fraud detection, and credit/leasing underwriting, an AI chatbot for customer support, and predictive analytics for customer needs and risk. Total retail footprint spans approximately 2,300 company-branded units across three countries.

The business model combines transaction-fee revenue from lease-to-own and retail installment contracts (RAC, Acima, Get It Now!, Home Choice, RAC Mexico) with subscription-based recurring revenue from Brigit's financial wellness app. Distribution operates through direct-to-consumer channels (RAC storefronts, Brigit mobile app), franchisees (RACFI/RimTyme), and B2B channel partners (Acima's thousands of retail integrations, plus new strategic partnerships with Amazon for pickup/returns and Wayfair for furniture/home goods). Upbound reported record FY2025 revenue of $4.695 billion (+8.7% YoY), Q1 2026 revenue of $1.2 billion (+3.7% YoY), and guides FY2026 revenue of $4.70–$4.95 billion with Adjusted EBITDA of $500–$535 million. The company employs 10,000+ people, pays a $0.39 quarterly dividend (~$1.56 annualized, ~7.8% yield), and was upgraded by Moody's to a stable Ba2 outlook with an SGL-2 speculative grade liquidity rating in early 2026.

Name

Upbound Group

Legal name

Upbound Group, Inc.

Website

https://upbound.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Upbound Group (NASDAQ: UPBD) is a Plano, Texas-based financial technology and consumer finance platform serving 3.5 million credit-constrained consumers via three core brands: Rent-A-Center lease-to-own retail, Acima virtual lease-to-own, and Brigit financial wellness app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Financial Services

NAICS

Consumer Goods Rental (5322)

SIC

Finance Lessors (6172)

akta.pro primary industry

Rent-to-Own (RTO) Consumer Leasing (FSAKANAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Furniture & Home Furnishings Leasing (FSAKANAD), Rent-to-Own / Lease-to-Own Short-Term Credit (FSAKAMAK), Subscription & Product-as-a-Service Consumer Leasing (FSAKANAK), Furniture Rental (Living, Dining, Bedroom) (CRAIAOAA)

Keywords

• Lease-to-own financing
• Consumer financial services
• Rent-to-own retail
• Financial wellness apps
• Retail installment sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Plano

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Rent-A-Center Lease-to-Own: Core rent-to-own business offering furniture, appliances, electronics, and computers through physical store locations with flexible payment options and the option to purchase or return items at any time.
2. Acima Lease-to-Own: Virtual lease-to-own technology platform providing flexible financing alternatives at point of sale through thousands of retail partners. Acima revenue approximately $649 million in recent quarter with improving charge-offs.
3. Brigit Financial Wellness: Subscription-based financial health app offering budgeting, earned wage access, credit building through savings, identity theft protection, and money earning/saving tools. Generated $65 million revenue with approximately 1.6 million paying subscribers and nearly 10% ARPU growth.
4. Get It Now! and Home Choice: Retail installment sale options at 50+ stores in Wisconsin and Minnesota offering customers furniture, appliances, electronics and computers purchase options.
5. Amazon Partnership: New partnership enabling Amazon customers to pick up orders and return items at over 1,700 Rent-A-Center stores, positioning for increased brand awareness and customer acquisition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Upbound Group operates a multi-brand financial technology platform providing lease-to-own and installment sale solutions for furniture, appliances, electronics, and computers, alongside digital financial wellness products. Through Rent-A-Center's 1,700+ corporate stores, Acima's virtual lease-to-own platform at thousands of retail partners, and the Brigit mobile financial health app, the company serves approximately 3.5 million credit-constrained consumers across the United States, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

Product overview

Upbound Group is a financial technology solutions provider operating a multi-brand platform across lease-to-own, retail installment sales, and digital financial wellness services. The company serves underserved, non-prime consumers through three core product lines: Acima Leasing (technology-driven virtual lease-to-own marketplace), Brigit (financial health mobile application with earned wage access and budgeting), and Rent-A-Center (physical and omni-channel lease-to-own retail). Supporting brands include Get It Now! and Home Choice (retail installment sales in the Midwest), RAC Mexico (120+ stores), and RACFI/RimTyme (franchise operations). The platform encompasses approximately 2,300 company-branded retail units across the United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Acima: Best-in-class lease-to-own technology platform providing consumers with an alternative to traditional financing and the ability to select durable goods from a wide range of retailers
• Brigit
• Rent-A-Center

Products and services

• Acima Leasing Acima is a technology-driven virtual lease-to-own platform providing consumers with an alternative to traditional financing and the ability to select durable goods from a wide range of retailers. It operates on a B2B2C model connecting merchants and customers, enabling retailers to offer flexible lease-to-own options at point of sale.
• Brigit Brigit is a holistic financial health mobile application that helps customers budget better, access earned wages early, build credit through savings, protect against identity theft, and find ways to earn and save money. It serves approximately 1.6 million paying subscribers on a subscription basis.
• Rent-A-Center Rent-A-Center is a flexible omni-channel lease-to-own solution offering furniture, appliances, electronics, and computers through 1,700+ corporate-owned stores across the continental United States and Puerto Rico. Customers can rent with the option to purchase or return items at any time without long-term obligations or credit requirements.
• Get It Now! Get It Now! is a retail installment sale option offered at more than 50 stores in Wisconsin and Minnesota, providing customers a convenient way to own name-brand furniture, appliances, electronics, and computers through installment arrangements.
• Home Choice Home Choice is a retail installment sale option offered alongside Get It Now! at stores in Wisconsin and Minnesota, enabling customers to purchase furniture, appliances, electronics, and computers through installment arrangements.
• RAC Mexico RAC Mexico operates more than 120 stores across Mexico offering customers with little or no credit history the ability to rent with option to buy goods including furniture, appliances, computers, electronics, cell phones, mattresses, and motorcycles.
• RACFI (Rent-A-Center Franchise International) RACFI is the franchise arm providing rent-to-own home furniture, appliances, electronics, and durable items through more than 440 franchised stores in the United States, including Rent-A-Center and RimTyme locations.
• RimTyme RimTyme is a franchised rent-to-own store concept under RACFI offering furniture, appliances, electronics, and durable goods through franchise locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3.5 million credit-constrained consumers served
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• WayfaircoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Strategic partnership with Wayfair announced as part of key initiatives to increase customer traffic and GMV. The partnership is designed to expand the company's reach in the furniture and home goods market through the Acima lease-to-own platform.
• AmazoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 April 2026Rent-A-Center business announced partnership with Amazon enabling Amazon customers to pick up orders and return items at over 1,700 corporate-owned Rent-A-Center stores across the continental United States. The agreement, expected to launch by June 2026, includes a label-free, box-free returns process designed to simplify the customer experience. Both companies characterized the collaboration as a significant retail convenience expansion, with Rent-A-Center seeking to leverage its store footprint for increased brand awareness and customer acquisition.
• BrigitcoreTechnology or Integration · 12 December 2024Upbound Group acquired Brigit, a financial health technology company, for up to $460 million using a combination of cash and stock. The acquisition aims to expand Upbound's product offerings and customer base, with Brigit serving nearly 2 million monthly active users and generating projected revenues of $215 million to $230 million in 2025. Transaction completed in January 2025.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• PROG Holdings (PROG): Operates Progressive Leasing, the largest US virtual lease-to-own platform at point of sale, directly comparable to Upbound's Acima segment in product, customer, and B2B2C model.
• The Aaron's Company (AAN): Operates Aaron's lease-to-own retail stores and a virtual lease-to-own platform, directly comparable to Upbound's Rent-A-Center and Acima businesses serving non-prime consumers.
• goeasy Ltd. Canadian consumer-finance specialist offering lease-to-own and unsecured lending to non-prime consumers; Upbound's new CFO Hal Khouri was formerly goeasy's CFO, signaling close operational overlap.
• Curo Group: Non-prime consumer lender providing installment and lease-purchase credit products, comparable in customer profile and underwriting approach to Upbound's RAC and Acima segments.
• Dave Inc. Subscription-based banking and earned-wage-access app for underbanked consumers, the closest direct peer to Upbound's Brigit segment.
• MoneyLion: Digital financial-services platform offering earned-wage access, credit-building, and lending products to non-prime consumers, comparable to Brigit.
• World Acceptance (WRLD): Consumer installment lender serving underbanked customers via branch network, comparable in customer profile and product to Upbound's rent-to-own and retail installment offerings.
• EZCORP: Operator of pawn stores and pawn-related lending to non-prime consumers, sharing customer demographics with Upbound's underserved-consumer base.

Broad incumbents

• Affirm Holdings: Large-scale BNPL provider offering point-of-sale financing for retailers, overlapping with Acima's merchant channel but targeting a broader, more prime-leaning customer base.

Emerging players

• Regional Management (RM): Branch-based consumer installment lender targeting non-prime borrowers, an emerging comparable in Upbound's retail installment sales (Get It Now!/Home Choice) business.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upboundgroup

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Upbound Group