What SoMo does

SoMo (trading style of SM1 Capital & Security Limited) is a UK specialist short-term bridging and business lender founded in 2014 and headquartered in Altrincham, Manchester. The company originates property-secured loans from £27,500 to £3,000,000 across six core products: Standard Bridging Loans, Below Market Value (BMV) Loans, Valuation Only™ (no-income-documentation lending up to 70% LTV), Second Charge Loans, Secured Business Loans, and Equitable Charge Loans. As of 2026, Somo has cumulatively underwritten over £500 million across 2,000+ loans since inception, holds £24 million in net assets, and trades profitably.

Underwriting combines a proprietary AI-driven platform with human decision-making, including an Automated Valuation Model (AVM), 30-minute lending decisions, an 18-point paperless application checklist, and a 2016 first-in-UK deployment of open banking for identity verification. Distribution is primarily through a national broker and introducer network — supported by regional Relationship Directors across the UK — supplemented by direct-to-borrower and institutional investor channels. Capital is sourced predominantly from a £300 million Deutsche Bank debt facility (obtained late 2020) alongside retail investor funds via the portal.somo.co.uk platform.

Somo earns interest income on originated loans (First Charge rates from 0.71% per month up to 75% LTV; Second Charge up to 70% LTV; BMV up to 100% of purchase price against Open Market Value). It serves three customer cohorts: borrowers (property investors, landlords, business owners), brokers and introducers, and investors (both individual HNW/sophisticated investors and, more recently, institutional capital via whole loans, securitisations, syndications, or certificates). All loans are unregulated and secured over UK property, and Somo has recorded zero capital losses to investors across 1,600+ redeemed loans from inception to March 2025.

Name

SoMo

Legal name

SM1 Capital & Security Limited

Website

https://somo.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SoMo is a UK specialist short-term bridging lender, founded 2014 in Manchester, providing property-secured loans (£27.5K–£3M) to property investors, business owners, and brokers across the UK, and serving individual and institutional investors through its own lending platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialist Property Lending

NAICS

Real Estate Credit (522292), Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (522310)

SIC

Mortgage Bankers & Loan Correspondents (6162), Asset-Backed Securities (6189)

akta.pro primary industry

Home Equity Loan/HELOC Secondary Market & Securitization (ABS/Whole Loan Sales) (FSALAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Construction & Development (C&D) Lending — Commercial/Multifamily (FSALADAH), Mortgage Loan Sales & Aggregation (Correspondent/Conduit Aggregators) (FSALAFAD)

Keywords

• Bridging loans
• Property-secured lending
• Second charge loans
• Specialist property finance
• Investor lending platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Altrincham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Interest Income on Bridging Loans: Somo earns interest income on the bridging and business loans it originates. Borrowers pay monthly interest or rolled-up interest at the end of the loan term. Standard bridging loan rates start from 0.71% per month. First charge loans up to 75% LTV; second charge loans up to 70% LTV.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SoMo originates short-term, property-secured bridging loans (£27,500 to £3,000,000) against UK residential and commercial property for borrowers including property investors, landlords, and business owners, distributing through brokers, introducers, and direct applications. The loan book is funded by retail investors via the SoMo investor portal and by institutional capital through whole loans, securitisations, syndications and certificates.

Product overview

SoMo is an award-winning specialist UK bridging and business lender offering a portfolio of short-term property-secured loan products. The core offering includes Standard Bridging Loans (from £27.5k to £3m, up to 75% LTV), Below Market Value Loans (assessed on Open Market Value, up to 100% of purchase price), Valuation Only™ loans (no income documentation required, up to 70% LTV), Second Charge Loans (with dedicated in-house consent team), Secured Business Loans (for any business purpose), and Equitable Charge Loans (for complex situations with first charge refusals or arrears). The Second Charge Limited Capital Loss Guarantee provides an add-on layer of investor protection. SoMo operates two platforms: an Investor Platform (crowdfunding for private investors) and an Institutional Investment Access platform (for banks, institutions, hedge funds, and family offices). All loans are secured over UK property and are unregulated.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Standard Bridging Loan Fast, flexible short-term bridging finance for property purchases, auctions, refinances, and time-sensitive transactions, £27,500 to £3,000,000, up to 75% LTV (First Charge) or 70% LTV (Second Charge), from 0.71% per month, terms from 1 month to 3 years, AVM-backed decisions in 30 minutes.
• Below Market Value (BMV) Loan Bridging loan for below market value property purchases, assessed against Open Market Value rather than discounted purchase price, up to 100% of purchase price, from 0.70% per month.
• Valuation Only™ Short-term property-secured loan up to 70% LTV requiring no proof of income or credit documentation, enabling lending for borrowers who do not fit traditional criteria.
• Second Charge Loans Secondary legal charge bridging loans up to 70% LTV allowing borrowers to access additional funds without disturbing existing first charge mortgages, backed by an in-house consent team to manage first charge lender discussions.
• Secured Business Loan Short-term business loans secured against property for any business purpose including working capital, stock purchases, machinery, tax bills, wage bills and debt consolidation.
• Equitable Charge Loans Specialist bridging loans that lend even when first charge consent has been refused or when arrears exist on the first charge.
• Second Charge Limited Capital Loss Guarantee Investor protection product covering up to the first 10% of capital loss on Second Charge loans originated after 1 November 2025, capped at £1,200,000 in aggregate.
• Institutional Investment Access Investment offering giving banks, institutions, hedge funds, family offices and financial advisors access to bridging loans secured over UK property through whole loans, securitisations, syndications or certificates.
• Investor Platform Online portal at portal.somo.co.uk where private investors (High Net Worth, Certified Sophisticated, Self-Certified Sophisticated) register, verify eligibility, and invest in SoMo's portfolio of secured bridging loans.

Quantifiable outcome

• Half a billion pounds (£500,000,000+) lent from 2014 to 2026 across 2,000+ loans
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• LendInvest: LendInvest is the largest UK specialist property finance platform, offering bridging, development, and buy-to-let mortgages. It is the most direct comparable to Somo given overlapping product set, UK-only focus, broker distribution, and retail/institutional investor channels. Victoria Barnard's prior role at LendInvest underscores direct talent flow between the two.
• Market Financial Solutions (MFS): MFS is a UK specialist bridging lender offering first and second charge bridging, regulated and unregulated loans, and complex case underwriting. It competes head-to-head with Somo in the broker channel for time-sensitive property deals.
• West One Loans: West One Loans is a major UK bridging and development finance provider, part of the Enra Group. It serves professional property developers and investors through broker channels, directly comparable to Somo's bridging and second charge loan products.
• Octane Capital: Octane Capital is a UK specialist bridging lender focused on complex and adverse-credit cases, with broker-led distribution and fast decisioning. Its product set and 'yes' culture directly overlap with Somo's Valuation Only™ and adverse-credit positioning.
• Kuflink Bridging: Kuflink is a UK P2P/crowdfunded bridging platform offering individual investors returns from property-secured loans. It is one of the closest peers to Somo's investor-funded model and bridging product mix.
• Positive Lending: Positive Lending is a UK specialist finance broker and lender providing bridging, second charge, and development finance. Its second charge focus and broker-led model align closely with Somo's core distribution and product positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Funding Circle: Funding Circle is a UK-listed P2P/SME lending platform. While focused on unsecured SME loans rather than property bridging, it is a broad marketplace lending incumbent comparable to Somo's crowdfunding/P2P structure and UK retail investor base.
• Zopa: Zopa is the UK's largest P2P lending platform, now operating as a digital bank. As an early UK P2P pioneer, it provides a benchmark for the broader UK marketplace lending model that Somo's crowdfunding model sits within.
• Aldermore Bank: Aldermore is a UK challenger bank offering bridging, development, and specialist property finance through broker channels. As a deposit-funded incumbent in the same UK bridging market, it competes for broker-sourced deal flow that Somo targets.

Emerging players

• Proportunity: Proportunity is a UK fintech focused on residential property finance (specifically first-time buyer and home purchase assistance). It is an emerging player that intersects with Somo's UK property lending focus via a different use case.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100075695422045
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/somobridging
• Instagraminstagram.com/somobridging

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 SoMo