Cashfloat
Cashfloat is a UK-based, FCA-authorised direct lender offering short-term credit products — payday loans (£300–£1,500), short-term loans, and bad credit loans — to UK consumers facing urgent or unexpected financial needs, operating under the FCA HCSTC framework.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Cashfloat does
Cashfloat is a UK-based direct lender, trading as a brand of Western Circle Limited (Companies House registration 7581337), that originates short-term, high-cost credit to UK consumers under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Full Permission licence 714479. The company operates entirely on a direct-to-consumer basis via cashfloat.co.uk, offering three core products — Payday Loans (£300–£1,500 over 3–9 months), Short-Term Loans (structured over slightly longer periods), and Bad Credit Loans (for borrowers with impaired credit histories) — each governed by the FCA's High-Cost Short-Term Credit (HCSTC) framework, including a 0.8% daily interest cap and a 100%-of-principal total cost cap. Underwriting combines soft credit searches with affordability assessments using TransUnion, Equifax, Open Banking providers (including Mistho for payroll verification), and the Vulnerability Registration Service (VRS), and the firm is ICO-registered for GDPR compliance.
The platform runs on shared technology and risk systems within the Western Circle group, using SSL/TLS encryption, data pseudonymisation, firewalls, and anti-malware controls, with payment processing via AccessPay and Acquired.com. Operational metrics cited include 95% same-day funding for approved loans (35% within 30 minutes), a 4.82/5 customer rating across 904 reviews on reviews.co.uk, and continuous FCA-regulated operation since founding in 2014, with FCA Full Permission obtained in May 2016. Distribution is exclusively digital through the company's own website, blog content, and comparison-site listings (e.g., choosewisely.co.uk), supported by a downstream broker referral network (T.UK, Quint, LeadAffinity, Flux, Stop Go Networks) for declined applicants and an upstream referral to Iwoca for business lending enquiries.
The revenue model is interest income on originated short-term loans, with a representative APR of 611.74% and a stated range of 295.58%–1,294% APR. Customer segments are horizontal use-case based (payday borrowers, short-term borrowers, bad-credit borrowers) with no enterprise or B2B channel. The company is privately held with no external institutional investors disclosed in the source data, operates only in the United Kingdom, and does not disclose revenue, loan-book size, or headcount trends.
Cashfloat firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cashfloat
- Legal name
- Western Circle Limited
- Website
- https://cashfloat.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Cashfloat is a UK-based, FCA-authorised direct lender offering short-term credit products — payday loans (£300–£1,500), short-term loans, and bad credit loans — to UK consumers facing urgent or unexpected financial needs, operating under the FCA HCSTC framework.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cashfloat industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Consumer Lending (Short-Term / High-Cost Short-Term Credit)
- NAICS
- Nondepository Credit Intermediation (5222)
- SIC
- Personal Credit Institutions (6141)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Small-Dollar Short-Term Installment Loans (Non-payday) (FSAKAMAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Single-Payment Payday Loans (FSAKAMAA), Cash Advance (Online & Storefront) (FSAKAMAC)
Keywords
Where Cashfloat is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cashfloat business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Short-term Loan Interest: Cashfloat earns interest on short-term loans provided to consumers. Interest rates are capped by FCA regulations (daily cap of 0.8% per day) and total cost cap (never more than 100% of amount borrowed in interest). Representative APR is 611.74%, with rates ranging from 295.58% to maximum 1294%.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Payday Loans: £300–£1,500 over 3–9 months |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Cashfloat product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cashfloat is a UK-based direct online lender providing FCA-regulated short-term consumer credit products, including Payday Loans (£300–£1,500 over 3–9 months), Short-Term Loans with structured repayment plans, and Bad Credit Loans for borrowers with imperfect credit histories. All products are delivered through the company's online platform with soft credit check eligibility, same-day funding, early repayment without penalties, and integrated grace periods under the FCA's High-Cost Short-Term Credit (HCSTC) framework.
Product overview
Cashfloat is a UK-based direct lender offering short-term credit products, operating as a single unified lending platform. The core product portfolio consists of three lending products: Payday Loans (£300–£1,500 with 3–9 month repayments), Short-Term Loans (structured borrowing over longer periods with predictable repayments), and Bad Credit Loans (for borrowers with imperfect credit histories). All products operate under the same FCA-regulated responsible lending framework, incorporating soft credit checks, affordability assessments, early repayment options, and integrated grace periods. The company is part of the Western Circle group and benefits from shared technology and risk systems developed for regulated UK lending.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Payday Loans
Quantifiable outcome
- 95% of approved loans funded the same day, 35% within 30 minutes
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Cashfloat
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Cashfloat technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration12 records
Feature5 records
Cashfloat partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- TransUnioncoreCredit reference agency providing financial background and verification checks as part of Cashfloat's underwriting process. TransUnion is one of the two main credit reference agencies used by Cashfloat.
- EquifaxcoreCredit reference agency providing financial background and verification checks as part of Cashfloat's affordability and creditworthiness assessments.
- Vulnerability Registration Service (VRS)corePlatform providing vulnerable consumers with a single reference point for recording personal circumstances when protecting against further debt. Cashfloat participates in and shares information with the VRS.
- Western Circle LimitedcoreParent company of Cashfloat. Cashfloat is a trading style of Western Circle Limited. Benefits from shared technology and risk systems developed specifically for regulated UK lending.
- AccessPaysupportingPayment service company used by Cashfloat for processing loan repayments and fund transfers.
- Acquired.comsupportingPayment service company providing payment processing infrastructure for Cashfloat's loan transactions.
- QuintsupportingAuthorized credit broker that may receive customer details when Cashfloat applications don't meet underwriting criteria, with explicit customer consent.
- T.UKsupportingAuthorized credit broker partner for referrals when Cashfloat cannot offer a loan.
- LeadAffinitysupportingCredit broker partner for lead generation and customer referrals.
- Flux FundingsupportingAuthorized credit broker that may receive referrals when Cashfloat applications are declined.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Cashfloat competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- LoanPig: LoanPig is a UK-based direct lender focused on small and short-term loans to consumers, including those with poor credit history. Comparable to Cashfloat in loan size, customer segment, FCA-regulated framework, and digital-only distribution.
- Lending Stream: Lending Stream is a UK-based online short-term and installment lender operating under FCA regulation, providing small-sum loans to UK consumers. Directly comparable to Cashfloat in product structure, regulatory regime, and digital direct-to-consumer distribution.
- Satsuma Loans: Satsuma Loans is a UK direct lender offering short-term and installment loans to consumers, including borrowers with imperfect credit. Highly comparable to Cashfloat in product type, customer segment (subprime/short-term UK borrowers), and FCA-regulated distribution model.
- Likely Loans: Likely Loans is a UK FCA-authorised direct lender offering short-term loans to consumers with imperfect credit. Comparable to Cashfloat in product type, target customer, and digital direct-to-consumer distribution within the UK HCSTC/short-term credit regulatory regime.
- Dot Dot Loans: Dot Dot Loans is a UK online lender providing short-term installment loans to consumers, often marketed to near-prime and subprime borrowers. Directly comparable to Cashfloat in product (multi-month installment loans up to ~£1,500), FCA-regulated model, and online acquisition strategy.
- Mr Lender: Mr Lender is a UK-based short-term installment lender offering small-sum loans to consumers, including subprime borrowers. Highly comparable to Cashfloat in loan size, repayment structure (3–12 month installments), and FCA-regulated online distribution.
- SafetyNet Credit: SafetyNet Credit is a UK short-term lender that has historically offered small cash advances and short-term loans to consumers, including those with poor credit. Comparable to Cashfloat in product positioning, subprime focus, and FCA HCSTC regulatory framework.
- Peachy: Peachy is a UK short-term and installment lender offering payday-style and longer-term loans to consumers via an online application. Overlaps with Cashfloat on FCA-authorised HCSTC-equivalent products, subprime-friendly underwriting, and online direct-to-consumer funnel.
Broad incumbents
- Amigo Loans: Amigo Loans is a UK FCA-authorised lender providing guarantor and consumer loans to borrowers who often struggle to obtain mainstream credit. Comparable to Cashfloat as a UK-regulated lender serving subprime and near-prime borrowers, though with a guarantor-loan emphasis rather than unsecured HCSTC.
- Provident Financial: Provident Financial is a long-established UK consumer credit provider operating across multiple regulated lending brands (including Satsuma Loans) and home credit. Comparable to Cashfloat as a broader UK subprime and short-term credit incumbent with overlapping FCA-regulated product lines.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks1 record
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cashfloat social profiles
Digital presenceCashfloat compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Cashfloat financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cashfloat leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Cashfloat funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cashfloat M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cashfloat
What does Cashfloat do?
Cashfloat is a UK-based direct online lender providing FCA-regulated short-term consumer credit products, including Payday Loans (£300–£1,500 over 3–9 months), Short-Term Loans with structured repayment plans, and Bad Credit Loans for borrowers with imperfect credit histories. All products are delivered through the company's online platform with soft credit check eligibility, same-day funding, early repayment without penalties, and integrated grace periods under the FCA's High-Cost Short-Term Credit (HCSTC) framework.
Is Cashfloat a public or private company?
Cashfloat is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Cashfloat founded?
Cashfloat was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Cashfloat based?
Cashfloat is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Cashfloat make money?
One revenue line is on record: short-term Loan Interest.
Who are Cashfloat's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are LoanPig, Lending Stream, Satsuma Loans, Likely Loans, Dot Dot Loans, Mr Lender, SafetyNet Credit and Peachy. Broad incumbents are Amigo Loans and Provident Financial.
Does Cashfloat have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cashfloat.
What industry is Cashfloat in?
Cashfloat's product category is Consumer Lending (Short-Term / High-Cost Short-Term Credit). Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAKAMAI, Small-Dollar Short-Term Installment Loans (Non-payday), with a secondary code of FSAKAMAA, Single-Payment Payday Loans. Its NAICS code is 5222 and its SIC code is 6141.