118 118 Money

What 118 118 Money does

118 118 Money (legal entity Madison CF UK Limited) is a UK-based, FCA-regulated (FRN 741774) consumer finance provider operating with 51-100 employees from a London-registered address. The company serves UK residents aged 18 and over who have limited access to mainstream credit, with explicit focus on near-prime, subprime, and credit-building consumers through direct-to-consumer digital channels.

Its core products are unsecured personal loans of £1,000-£8,000 at a representative 49.9% APR (41.2% fixed interest rate, 24 scheduled monthly repayments) and credit cards with limits of £250-£5,000 at a representative 49.0% APR (variable). The product suite is expanded with sub-products targeting specific use cases — bad credit loans, debt consolidation loans, no-guarantor loans, payday loan alternatives, balance transfer credit cards, credit building credit cards, and near-prime credit cards. Lending is supported by an eligibility-check-driven acquisition funnel that does not impact applicants' credit scores, mobile applications on iOS and Android, and the 118M8 financial fitness companion app that reframes spending in time rather than currency.

Revenue is generated predominantly through interest from credit card balances and personal loan repayment schedules, with publicly disclosed representative APRs and fixed 24-month amortisation profiles. The customer base is highly distributed across individual UK consumers, with go-to-market executed via the company's website, mobile applications, organic social channels, and a Trustpilot-driven trust signal. Operational compliance is anchored by FCA dual authorisation (consumer credit and Payment Services Regulations 2017) and FLA membership. In January 2025, the company integrated Inicio AI's Budgie conversational agent into its lending journey to conduct auditable income and expenditure assessments, signalling infrastructure investment in scalable, compliant underwriting support.

Name

118 118 Money

Legal name

Madison CF UK Limited

Website

https://118118money.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

UK consumer finance provider offering personal loans of £1,000-£8,000 and credit cards with limits up to £5,000 to near-prime and credit-challenged UK residents, distributed through digital channels and supplemented by the 118M8 financial fitness mobile app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Lending

NAICS

Depository Credit Intermediation (5221)

SIC

Personal Credit Institutions (6141)

akta.pro primary industry

Large Purchase & Lifestyle Personal Loans (Unsecured Installment) (FSAKAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Credit Cards & Revolving Credit (FSABAAAC)

Keywords

• Consumer lending
• Personal loans
• Credit cards
• Debt consolidation
• Subprime lending

Headquarters

HQ city

Cardiff

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Credit Card Interest: Revenue generated from credit card lending, with credit limits ranging from £250 to £5,000 and a representative APR of 49.0% variable.
2. Personal Loan Interest: Revenue from personal loans ranging from £1,000 to £8,000 with representative APR of 49.9%, featuring fixed repayment schedules over 24 months.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

118 118 Money is a UK-based consumer lender (trading as Madison CF UK Limited) that provides unsecured personal loans (£1,000–£8,000, 49.9% representative APR) and credit cards (£250–£5,000 limits, 49.0% representative APR) to UK residents aged 18 and over. The company focuses on near-prime and credit-challenged consumers underserved by mainstream banks, and supports customers with the 118M8 financial fitness mobile app for spending tracking.

Product overview

118 118 Money is a UK-based lending company offering a unified financial products portfolio centered on personal loans and credit cards. The core offerings include Personal Loans (£1,000-£8,000, 49.9% APR) and Credit Cards (£250-£5,000 limit, 49.0% APR), supplemented by the 118M8 mobile app for financial fitness tracking. The product suite includes specialized variants targeting underserved segments: Bad Credit Loans and Near Prime Credit Cards for credit-challenged applicants, Debt Consolidation Loans for debt management, and Credit Building Credit Cards for credit history development. All products are distributed through the company's website and mobile applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 118M8: Financial fitness mobile app that helps users see spending patterns, track expenses in hours rather than pounds, and make everyday money choices easier to understand.

Products and services

• Personal Loans

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Inicio AIcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Inicio AI deployed its Budgie conversational AI agent with 118 118 Money in January 2025. Budgie conducts income and expenditure assessments for lenders through guided, auditable digital conversations embedded within lending journeys. The platform is positioned as compliance-ready infrastructure for regulated processes such as loan origination and affordability checks.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Aqua (NewDay): Aqua, part of NewDay Group, is one of the UK's largest providers of credit cards targeted at near-prime and credit-building consumers. Directly comparable to 118 118 Money's credit card business given overlapping customer profiles, APR band, and product positioning.
• Vanquis Bank: Vanquis is a UK specialist bank focused on credit cards and personal loans for non-standard, near-prime, and credit-building consumers. Directly comparable to 118 118 Money on customer segment, product set, and regulatory standing.
• Oakam: Oakam is a UK digital subprime and near-prime personal loan provider. Directly comparable to 118 118 Money's personal loan business given overlapping customer profile, similar APR band, and digital-first distribution model.
• Provident Financial: Provident Financial is a long-established UK subprime home credit and consumer lending provider serving credit-challenged households. Closely comparable to 118 118 Money's near-prime and bad-credit customer focus, though it operates a more traditional field-agent model.
• Amigo Holdings: Amigo was a UK guarantor and subprime personal loan lender serving borrowers unable to access mainstream credit. Historically directly comparable to 118 118 Money's personal loan book, though it entered FCA-mandated run-off in 2023; remains a relevant structural peer.

Broad incumbents

• Capital One UK: Capital One UK is a major established credit card issuer with a long-standing focus on near-prime and credit-rebuilding customers. Overlaps with 118 118 Money's credit card proposition but operates at substantially greater scale as part of a global banking group.
• NewDay Group: NewDay is a major UK credit card issuer owning brands including Aqua and Marbles, with a near-prime / credit-building positioning. Comparable to 118 118 Money's credit card portfolio but at materially greater scale and brand breadth.

Emerging players

• Zopa: Zopa is a UK digital bank and peer-to-peer lending pioneer that has expanded into personal loans, credit cards, and savings. Comparable to 118 118 Money on digital personal loans and credit cards, but Zopa serves a broader prime-adjacent credit mix rather than subprime specialists.
• ClearScore: ClearScore is a UK credit health and comparison platform offering free credit scores alongside credit card and loan matching, with a near-prime focus. Comparable to 118 118 Money's customer segment and its financial-wellness branding ethos (akin to the 118M8 app).
• Tandem Bank: Tandem is a UK digital challenger bank offering personal loans, credit cards, and savings with a near-prime and credit-rebuilding positioning. Comparable to 118 118 Money on digital personal loans and credit cards, though operating from a banking licence rather than FCA consumer-credit authorisation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/118118Money
• Facebookfacebook.com/118118Money
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/118118-money

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 118 118 Money