Lending Stream
Lending Stream is a UK FCA-regulated direct-to-consumer online lender offering £50-£1,500 short-term instalment loans to subprime and bad-credit consumers. Operating as GAIN Credit LLC since 2008, it has served over 900,000 customers via its website, TV advertising, and SEO-led acquisition, alongside Drafty and Afforda sub-brands.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersEdgware, United Kingdom
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Lending Stream does
Lending Stream is a UK-based, FCA-regulated direct-to-consumer online lender operating as a trading name of GAIN Credit LLC (a Delaware-registered LLC). Founded in 2008, the company provides short-term unsecured loans of £50-£800 to new customers and £100-£1,500 to returning customers, repayable over 6 or 12 monthly instalments at a representative APR of 1,271% (292% p.a. fixed). It targets UK consumers with poor or limited credit history who need fast access to cash for emergency expenses, positioning itself as a more responsible alternative to traditional single-payday repayment payday loans via instalment structure, no early-repayment fees, and capped late-payment fees of £12 over loan lifetime.
The platform combines automated credit decisioning — built on founders' experience developing fraud-detection systems protecting over 2.5 billion credit cards — with Open Banking affordability assessments and integrations with TransUnion and Experian. Applications are completed online in approximately 15 minutes, decisions are issued in seconds, and approved funds are transferred to customer bank accounts in under 90 seconds. The business is supported by 251-500 employees and operates alongside two sub-brands, Drafty (a £3,000 revolving line of credit and installment loans at lower APRs) and Afforda, both under GAIN Credit LLC.
Revenue is generated entirely through interest charges on the loan book — 0.8% per day on 6-month loans and 0.42% per day on 12-month loans — with no application, management, or early-repayment fees. The company acquires customers through a multi-channel mix including TV advertising, content marketing, social media, and a notably aggressive SEO strategy using comparison pages targeting users displaced by collapsed UK subprime competitors (Wonga, QuickQuid, Sunny, Peachy, MyJar). Lending Stream is single-geography (United Kingdom only), single-channel (its own website), and reports an Excellent Trustpilot rating with 25,000+ customer reviews alongside published FCA complaint statistics.
Lending Stream firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lending Stream
- Legal name
- GAIN Credit LLC
- Website
- https://lendingstream.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Lending Stream is a UK FCA-regulated direct-to-consumer online lender offering £50-£1,500 short-term instalment loans to subprime and bad-credit consumers. Operating as GAIN Credit LLC since 2008, it has served over 900,000 customers via its website, TV advertising, and SEO-led acquisition, alongside Drafty and Afforda sub-brands.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lending Stream industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Consumer Lending
- NAICS
- Nondepository Credit Intermediation (5222), Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522)
- SIC
- Personal Credit Institutions (6141)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Small-Dollar Short-Term Installment Loans (Non-payday) (FSAKAMAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Emergency & Short-Term Installment Personal Loans (Unsecured) (FSAKAAAH)
Keywords
Where Lending Stream is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Edgware
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Lending Stream business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Short-term Loan Interest: Lending Stream generates revenue primarily through interest charged on short-term loans. Interest is calculated daily (0.8% per day for 6-month loans, 0.42% per day for 12-month loans) and added to the loan balance. Customers repay in equal monthly installments over 6 or 12 months. The company charges no fees for application, account management, or early repayment. Late payment fees apply only if payments are missed, capped at £12 total over the loan lifetime.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | New Customer Loan Range: £50-£800, 6-12 month repayment period |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Returning Customer Loan Range: £100-£1500, 6-12 month repayment period |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Lending Stream product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lending Stream is an FCA-authorised UK direct lender providing short-term consumer loans as an alternative to payday loans. Customers apply online for amounts between £50-£800 (new) or £100-£1,500 (returning), receive instant decisions, and obtain funds in their bank account in under 90 seconds. Loans are repaid in 6 or 12 monthly instalments at fixed daily interest rates (0.8% or 0.42% per day), with no early repayment fees.
Product overview
Lending Stream is a single-product short-term lending platform offering FCA-regulated loans as an alternative to payday loans. The core product is short-term loans ranging from £50-£800 for new customers and £100-£1,500 for returning customers, with 6-month repayment periods. All loans feature instant decisions, 90-second fund transfers, fixed interest rates, no early repayment fees, and consideration for bad credit applicants. The company also operates Drafty as a separate sub-brand offering credit products with longer repayment terms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Lending Stream Short-Term Loans FCA-regulated short-term consumer loans offered as an alternative to payday loans. New customers can borrow £50-£800 and returning customers £100-£1,500, repaid over 6 or 12 monthly instalments. Features instant decisions, 90-second fund transfers, fixed daily interest rates (0.8% for 6-month, 0.42% for 12-month), no early repayment fees, and consideration of applicants with poor credit histories.
- Bad Credit Loans
Quantifiable outcome
- Cash sent to bank in under 90 seconds after approval
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Lending Stream
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Lending Stream technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability2 records
Feature2 records
Lending Stream partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights5 records
Lending Stream competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Amigo Loans: UK FCA-regulated consumer lender operating in the non-prime segment with guarantor-backed loans; a broader incumbent overlapping in target customer and credit profile but using a different underwriting model.
- Zopa: Established UK digital consumer lender with broader prime and near-prime installment loan products, representing where Lending Stream's product evolution and customer graduation could head.
Direct peers
- Tappily: UK FCA-authorised short-term installment lender also featured in Lending Stream's comparison pages, competing head-to-head on short-term, subprime, online installment credit.
- Oakam: UK FCA-regulated digital lender focused on small-sum installment loans to non-prime consumers, operating with similar product economics and customer targeting as Lending Stream.
- Cashfloat: UK-based FCA-authorised online short-term installment lender serving bad-credit borrowers with same-day funding, overlapping directly with Lending Stream's product and underwriting approach.
- Loans 2 Go: UK FCA-regulated short-term installment lender explicitly listed in Lending Stream's competitor comparison pages, serving overlapping subprime customers with similar loan sizes and terms.
- SafetyNet Credit: UK short-term installment lender (mentioned in Lending Stream's own comparison pages) serving similar subprime borrowers with comparable APR range and 6-month terms.
- Moneyboat: Active UK FCA-regulated direct lender offering short-term installment loans to subprime consumers, directly competing with Lending Stream on price, term and target customer.
- Drafty (GAIN Credit): Sibling sub-brand under the same GAIN Credit parent offering lines of credit and longer-term installment loans, sharing infrastructure, customers and capital with Lending Stream.
Emerging players
- WageStream: UK fintech offering earned-wage access and credit products to employed subprime consumers, an emerging alternative channel addressing the same short-term cash-flow pain point as Lending Stream.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Lending Stream social profiles
Digital presenceLending Stream compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Lending Stream financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lending Stream leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Lending Stream funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lending Stream 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 Lending Stream
What does Lending Stream do?
Lending Stream is an FCA-authorised UK direct lender providing short-term consumer loans as an alternative to payday loans. Customers apply online for amounts between £50-£800 (new) or £100-£1,500 (returning), receive instant decisions, and obtain funds in their bank account in under 90 seconds. Loans are repaid in 6 or 12 monthly instalments at fixed daily interest rates (0.8% or 0.42% per day), with no early repayment fees.
Is Lending Stream a public or private company?
Lending Stream is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Lending Stream founded?
Lending Stream was founded in 2008. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Lending Stream based?
Lending Stream is headquartered in Edgware, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Lending Stream make money?
One revenue line is on record: short-term Loan Interest.
Who are Lending Stream's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Amigo Loans and Zopa. Direct peers are Tappily, Oakam, Cashfloat, Loans 2 Go, SafetyNet Credit, Moneyboat and Drafty (GAIN Credit). WageStream is listed as an emerging player.
Does Lending Stream have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lending Stream.
What industry is Lending Stream in?
Lending Stream's product category is Consumer Lending. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAKAMAI, Small-Dollar Short-Term Installment Loans (Non-payday), with a secondary code of FSAKAAAH, Emergency & Short-Term Installment Personal Loans (Unsecured). Its NAICS code is 5222 and its SIC code is 6141.