Own Art

What Own Art does

Own Art is the UK's pioneering interest-free financing scheme for purchasing original contemporary art and craft, launched in 2004 and operated by Creative United (a Community Interest Company registered as Creative Sector Services CIC). The scheme enables customers to spread the cost of artworks over 10 or 20 months at zero interest, with loans ranging from £250 to £25,000 depending on the tier. Credit is underwritten and provided by Novuna Consumer Finance (a trading style of Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC, FCA-authorised), while the Own Art trademark and scheme operations are managed by Creative United.

The scheme distributes through a network of more than 300 member galleries across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, complemented by presence at art fairs such as London Art Fair and Fresh Art Fair, and online galleries. Customers complete credit applications in approximately 10 minutes online, by phone, or in-person at participating venues, often taking the artwork home immediately upon approval. Member galleries receive point-of-sale marketing materials and digital assets to promote the financing option.

Own Art generates revenue through two primary streams: a service charge of 3–6% of the loan amount on each completed credit agreement (with higher rates on certain unsubsidised or longer-term agreements), and tiered annual membership fees of £150–£285+VAT depending on gallery type, plus a £150+VAT application fee. Annual sales facilitated through the scheme are approximately £5.5 million, supporting roughly 5,000 buyers each year at an average ticket of around £1,000. The scheme is publicly funded by Arts Council England, Arts Council of Wales, Creative Scotland, and Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

Name

Own Art

Legal name

Creative Sector Services CIC

Website

https://ownart.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Own Art is a UK interest-free financing scheme, launched in 2004 and operated by Creative United, enabling customers to buy contemporary art and craft through loans of £250 to £25,000 distributed via 300+ member galleries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Art Financing

NAICS

Sales Financing (52222), Art Dealers (459920)

akta.pro primary industry

Art, Collectibles & Specialized Asset Advisory (Valuation, Storage, Lending) (FSAAADAO)

Keywords

• Interest-free art loans
• Consumer art financing
• Gallery credit scheme
• Contemporary art purchase
• Instalment credit for art

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Gallery service charge fees: Own Art member galleries pay a service charge of between 3% and 6% of the loan amount on each credit agreement successfully completed and submitted to the credit provider. The remaining cost is subsidised by funding partners, helping keep the scheme affordable for member galleries. For certain unsubsidised agreements, higher-value or longer-term agreements, the service charge may be higher.
2. Annual membership fees: Galleries pay annual membership fees to access the scheme: Standard annual membership costs £285 + VAT, Charity membership costs £228 + VAT, and National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) membership costs £150 + VAT. There is also a non-refundable application fee of £150 + VAT.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Own Art is an interest-free financing scheme that enables customers to purchase original contemporary art and craft through a UK network of over 300 member galleries, with credit provided by Novuna Consumer Finance. The standard product offers loans of £250 to £5,000 repayable over 10 months, while Own Art Plus offers loans of £5,000.01 to £25,000 repayable over 20 months, enabling customers to take purchases home immediately after approval via an online or in-gallery application.

Product overview

Own Art is a UK-wide arts financing initiative operated by Creative United that enables customers to purchase contemporary art and craft through interest-free loans. The scheme operates through two main products: the standard Own Art offering (loans up to £5,000 over 10 months) and Own Art Plus (loans up to £25,000 over 20 months). Customers apply for financing at participating member galleries, with credit provided by Novuna Consumer Finance. The scheme supports a network of over 300 galleries, art fairs, and artist-led organisations across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Own Art (standard interest-free loan) Interest-free loan product for individual buyers purchasing contemporary art and craft through member galleries, covering purchases from £250 to £5,000 repayable over 10 monthly instalments with no interest charges. Customers complete a ~10-minute online or in-gallery application and can take their purchase home immediately on approval.
• Own Art Plus (higher-value interest-free loan) Enhanced interest-free credit offering for higher-value contemporary art purchases, providing loans from £5,000.01 up to £25,000 repayable over 20 months through participating galleries (some galleries may offer a 10-month option). 20-month finance is only available through galleries authorised by the FCA for credit broking activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% of users plan to purchase more art as a result of their experience
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• London Art FairmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Own Art partnered with London Art Fair in 2025 to champion inclusive collecting. The fair, directed by Sarah Monk, represents 130 galleries from 18 countries and offers subsidised rates for emerging galleries through its Encounters section.
• Creative UnitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004Creative United is the operator of the Own Art scheme, taking over from Arts Council England in 2014. Creative United develops and manages the scheme across all UK nations, supported by public funding from arts councils.
• Novuna Consumer FinancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNovuna Consumer Finance, a trading name of Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC, is the credit provider for Own Art interest-free loans. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Firm Reference Number 704348). Provides the financing infrastructure for the scheme and conducts surveys of users.
• QEST (Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerQEST supports the training and education of talented and aspiring craftspeople across the UK through Scholarships, Emerging Maker Grants and Apprenticeships. Own Art member Craft NI partnered with QEST for the Northern Ireland Showcase Exhibition.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Art Money: Specialist art-financing platform founded in Australia offering interest-bearing instalment plans for gallery purchases. Closest pure-play comparator to Own Art — same target customer (art buyers), same gallery-channel model — but operates in a different geography and charges interest rather than offering a subsidy-funded zero-interest product.

Direct peers

• Klarna: Global BNPL provider that offers interest-free instalment plans at checkout. Comparable to Own Art because both finance consumer purchases — including at art galleries and craft merchants — though Klarna is commercial, not publicly funded.
• Affirm: US-listed point-of-sale lender offering pay-over-time options at merchants including art and collectibles retailers. Directly comparable business model to Own Art: merchant-facilitated consumer credit for higher-ticket purchases.
• Afterpay (Block): BNPL service within Block offering interest-free instalments at fashion, design and home/art retailers. Comparable to Own Art's interest-free instalment structure and gallery-merchant network, though broader in category scope.
• Laybuy: BNPL platform offering interest-free instalments through participating retailers including art and design merchants. Comparable delivery mechanism (interest-free instalments, merchant-network distribution) to Own Art's scheme.
• Bumper: UK BNPL provider focused on higher-ticket retail including automotive and home goods. Compares on the merchant-facilitated consumer credit model Own Art uses through its gallery network.
• Collectorplan: Welsh government's long-standing interest-free art loan scheme that Own Art directly replaced in 2024. Equivalent public-sector interest-free art-financing product serving Welsh galleries; now converged into Own Art.

Others

• Novuna Personal Finance: Trading style of Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC that actually provides the credit behind Own Art loans under FCA regulation. Critical supplier — Own Art's economic model depends on Novuna continuing to underwrite interest-free consumer credit for this scheme.
• Creative United: Own Art's operating parent, a Community Interest Company that runs the scheme. Relevant because it controls the operational strategy, public-funder relationships and any adjacent schemes Own Art could expand into.

Emerging players

• Splitit: Card-network based instalment payments platform. Comparable as an alternative consumer credit rail that galleries could in theory adopt as a substitute or complement to Own Art; weaker brand fit in the contemporary art channel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ownartscheme
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ownartscheme
• Facebookfacebook.com/ownart
• Instagraminstagram.com/own.art
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/own-art

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Own Art