What Fastcredit does

Fastcredit operates as a UK-based pawnbroking and alternative financial services provider, trading under the legal entity FC Capital Limited (company number 10004632, incorporated in England and Wales on 15 January 2016). The firm traces its brand heritage to 1994, when the Fast Credit name first operated internationally, and received Financial Conduct Authority accreditation on 13 July 2016 (FRN:740633) — the foundational licence enabling its UK consumer credit activity. The core product is secured cash loans against gold, jewellery, watches, and diamonds, with maximum loan sizes up to £50,000 over six-month terms at a 2.99% monthly interest rate (approximately 35.88% annual; representative 39.1% APR), dispensed as cash or bank transfer upon in-branch collateral evaluation. No credit checks are performed, and customers benefit from daily interest calculation, early repayment without penalty, and a 14-day cooling-off period.

The company operates 15 physical branches across England and Wales — nine in Greater London boroughs (Holborn, Shepherd's Bush, East Ham, Fulham, Hounslow, Lewisham, Southall, Tooting, Wembley) and six in Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool, Leicester, Luton, and Harrow — with the Holborn branch also serving as registered headquarters. Beyond pawnbroking, Fastcredit runs complementary product lines: a "We Buy Gold" outright purchase service, pre-owned jewellery retail, jewellery repair, and a currency exchange service offering 50+ currencies with 0% commission (spread-based revenue). Technology infrastructure is modest: an online customer portal (fc-online-portal.fastcredit.co.uk) for existing-borrower account management, a web-based currency reservation system, and a rule-based indicative gold calculator. No proprietary algorithms, AI/ML platforms, or fintech infrastructure are disclosed.

Fastcredit's revenue is generated through three primary transaction-based mechanisms: interest income on pawn loans (2.99% monthly on outstanding balance), margin between purchase and resale prices on gold and jewellery, and the bid-offer spread on currency exchange. The go-to-market model is direct-to-consumer through physical branches, supplemented by a centralised phone line (0800 093 0043), call-back requests, and online reservation for FX. The target customer is individuals needing immediate liquidity who may not qualify for traditional bank lending due to credit history or documentation gaps — an underbanked demographic concentrated in urban UK catchments. FC Capital Limited is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, no funding history, no M&A activity, and 11–50 employees, operating as an independent bootstrapped mid-market pawnbroker.

Name

Fastcredit

Legal name

FC Capital Limited

Website

https://fastcredit.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fastcredit is a UK-based pawnbroking and alternative financial services firm (trading as FC Capital Limited) offering secured cash loans up to £50,000 against gold and jewellery, currency exchange across 50+ currencies, and pre-owned jewellery retail through 15 FCA-regulated branches across England and Wales, serving underbanked individual consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pawnbroking Services

NAICS

Sales Financing (52222), Jewelry Retailers (45831)

SIC

Retail-Jewelry Stores (5944)

akta.pro primary industry

Precious Metals & Jewelry Collateral Loans (FSAKALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Traditional Pawn Loans (Pawnbrokers) (FSAKALAA), Pawn & Collateral-based Jewelry Retail (CRAKAGAL), Collateral-Based Lines of Credit (Secured Revolving) (FSAKALAH)

Keywords

• Pawnbroking loans
• Secured lending
• Gold buying
• Currency exchange
• Jewellery retail

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices16 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pawnbroking Loans: Fastcredit provides secured cash loans against gold, jewellery, watches, and diamonds. Customers pledge their valuables as security for loans up to £50,000 with a 6-month term. Revenue is generated through monthly interest charges at 2.99% (approximately 35.88% annual interest rate). The loan can be repaid at any time with daily interest calculation.
2. Gold and Jewellery Purchasing: Fastcredit buys gold, silver, and platinum jewellery in any condition (new, used, or broken) from customers for cash. Revenue generated from the margin between purchase price and resale value of precious metals and jewellery.
3. Currency Exchange: Fastcredit offers currency exchange services with 50+ currencies available. They provide buy and sell rates with 0% commission. Revenue is generated from the spread between buy and sell exchange rates.
4. Jewellery Retail: Fastcredit sells jewellery purchased from customers through their retail branches. No specific fee is charged to customers selling jewellery - revenue comes from resale of purchased items.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Fastcredit operates as a UK pawnbroker and consumer financial services provider, offering secured cash loans (up to £50,000 over 6 months at 2.99% monthly interest) against gold, jewellery, watches, and diamonds without credit checks. In addition to pawnbroking, the company purchases gold and pre-owned jewellery for cash, sells jewellery at retail, and provides foreign currency exchange across 50+ currencies with 0% commission, all delivered through 15 physical branches across the UK.

Product overview

Fastcredit operates as a multi-service financial services company offering pawnbroking as its core product alongside complementary services. The main offering is Pawnbroking Loans secured against gold jewellery and valuables, with loans up to £50,000 over 6-month terms at 2.99% monthly interest. This core product is supported by We Buy Gold (direct gold purchasing), Jewellery Retail (buying pre-owned jewellery), Currency Exchange (50+ currencies with 0% commission), and Repair Services. The company also provides a digital Online Customer Portal for account management and a Gold Calculator tool for indicative valuations. All services are available across the company's 15 UK branches with an online reservation system for currency exchange.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pawnbroking Loans Secured cash loans against gold, jewellery, watches, and diamonds, offered to individual consumers without credit checks. Loans of up to £50,000 are available on a single pawn contract over a 6-month term at 2.99% monthly interest (approximately 35.88% annual, 39.1% representative APR), with daily interest calculation, early repayment option, and the ability to renew the contract by paying outstanding interest. Customers receive cash immediately or via bank transfer upon accepting the in-branch valuation.
• Currency Exchange Foreign currency exchange service for individual consumers and travellers, offering buy and sell rates across 50+ currencies with 0% commission. Customers can view live exchange rates online, reserve currency online, and collect it in-branch at one of the UK locations.
• We Buy Gold Direct purchase by Fastcredit of gold in any carat, condition, or quantity from customers. Customers receive cash payment with no obligations attached to free, no-obligation indicative quotations made in-branch.
• Jewellery Retail Sale of pre-owned gold, silver, and platinum jewellery purchased from customers, regardless of whether items are new, used, or broken. Available through the company's UK branch network with no charges to customers selling their jewellery.
• Jewellery Repair Services Repair service for damaged or broken jewellery items, offered to customers at the company's UK branches as an ancillary service.

Quantifiable outcome

• Maximum loan amount of £50,000 available on single pawn contract
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Pawnbrokers AssociationcoreOthersFastcredit is a member of the National Pawnbrokers Association. This membership indicates compliance with industry standards and provides access to industry resources and best practices. The association also provides a framework for regulatory compliance and customer dispute resolution.
• Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)coreOthersFastcredit is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for consumer credit activities (FRN:740633). The FCA authorization is required for pawnbroking operations and provides regulatory oversight and consumer protection.
• TravelexminorOthersTravelex is mentioned as Fastcredit's foreign exchange wholesaler. Data is shared with Travelex as part of audits into compliance with Anti Money Laundering Act and for VAT purposes.
• HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)coreOthersFastcredit is registered with HMRC for currency exchange services. HMRC oversight ensures compliance with tax regulations and anti-money laundering requirements.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Peers

• ICE (International Currency Exchange):

Direct peers

• Travelex: Foreign exchange provider (and Fastcredit's disclosed wholesaler) offering multi-currency exchange to retail customers. Comparable service line for Fastcredit's currency exchange stream, with much larger scale and brand recognition.
• Cash Generator: UK high-street pawnbroker and second-hand goods retailer with ~80+ stores offering pawn loans against jewellery and gold, plus buy-back and retail. Comparable multi-service branch model targeting similar FCA-regulated short-term credit customers.
• Albemarle & Bond: Long-established UK pawnbroking chain (now operating under restructured ownership) offering secured loans against gold and jewellery. Comparable pawnbroking economics, customer profile, and FCA-regulated credit activity.
• H&T Group plc: UK's largest high-street pawnbroker, operating ~150+ stores offering secured pawn loans against jewellery and watches plus gold buying. Direct comparison for Fastcredit's pawnbroking model, branch economics, and FCA-regulated consumer credit business, though H&T is materially larger.
• Cash Converters UK: UK franchise network combining pawnbroking, short-term lending, and second-hand goods retail. Closely comparable multi-product, branch-based model serving similar underbanked consumer segments as Fastcredit.

Emerging players

• Borro (formerly Borro Private Finance): Online luxury asset lender offering secured loans against high-value watches, jewellery, and fine art. Comparable collateral-based lending model against the same asset classes Fastcredit accepts, but with an online-first origination flow that contrasts Fastcredit's branch-led approach.

Broad incumbents

• Moneybarn: UK FCA-regulated specialist consumer credit provider focused on non-prime lending, part of the Provident Financial group. Comparable FCA-regulated high-cost credit activity and underbanked customer targeting, though secured against vehicles rather than jewellery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fastcredituk
• Facebookfacebook.com/FastCreditPawnbrokers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fast-credit-pawnbrokers

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Fastcredit