st. anthony's & claddagh credit union

What st. anthony's & claddagh credit union does

Claddagh Credit Union Ltd., operating in Galway, Ireland, under the previous trade name St. Anthony's & Claddagh Credit Union, is a member-owned financial cooperative founded circa 1960 and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland (Registration No. 381CU). It provides retail banking products and services to local community members, including a current account with overdraft and student account, savings, mortgages up to €500,000, foreign exchange, nominations/beneficiary services, and a broad loan book spanning personal (10.5% APR), car (6.5% APR), education (5.5% APR), home improvement, green/solar (5% APR), health (6.5% APR), back-on-track (8% APR), consolidation (12% APR), switcher, and bike (5% APR) loans, alongside Peopl. life insurance and AXA car insurance distributed in-branch and online.

The technology stack is a conventional self-service platform: a web-based online banking front-end hosted at live.cuonline-ebanking.com, a downloadable mobile app, SEPA Instant real-time euro payments, and Account Information Services for open-banking read access, with Visa issued debit cards for card-based transactions. Back-office and decisioning are not described; the public signal of a 99% loan approval rate indicates broad, member-favored acceptance rather than automated model-driven decisioning.

The business model is the standard credit-union model: net interest margin on the loan book is the primary revenue engine, augmented by fee income from current-account services and overdrafts, plus commission from insurance referrals (Peopl. and AXA) and merchant-linked activity through the Connect Card loyalty program. Go-to-market is community-led and geography-bound: members join from the Galway catchment, sponsorships, the Schools Quiz, and the UniCash Bursary Draw drive top-of-funnel awareness, and the single-branch plus digital channels handle servicing. In 2025 the credit union reports €35 million borrowed across 5,981 approved loans.

Name

st. anthony's & claddagh credit union

Legal name

Claddagh Credit Union Ltd.

Website

https://sacu.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Claddagh Credit Union Ltd., formerly St. Anthony's & Claddagh Credit Union, is a member-owned Irish credit cooperative founded circa 1960 and headquartered in Galway, regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland (Registration No. 381CU), serving local Galway members with current accounts, savings, mortgages, a diversified loan book, insurance distribution, and digital banking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Banking

NAICS

Credit Unions (522130), Credit Unions (52213)

SIC

Personal Credit Institutions (6141)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Credit Unions (Retail/Consumer Focus) (FSABAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bank & Credit Union Personal Loans (Unsecured Installment) (FSAKAAAL), Payables & Disbursements (ACH/SEPA, wires, checks, virtual cards) (FSABAIAB)

Keywords

• Retail banking services
• Consumer lending
• Savings accounts
• Mortgage lending
• Community banking

Headquarters

HQ city

Galway

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Loan Interest Income: Interest income from personal loans, car loans, mortgages, home improvement loans, education loans, and other lending products. Interest rates vary by loan type from 5% to 12% APR.
2. Current Account Services: Fees and services related to current account offerings including debit cards, overdraft facilities, and transaction services
3. Insurance Products: Commission income from insurance products including Peopl Insurance and AXA Car Insurance offerings

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Claddagh Credit Union Ltd. (trading as St. Anthony's & Claddagh Credit Union) is a member-owned financial cooperative based in Galway, Ireland. It provides personal banking services including a wide range of consumer loans (personal, car, education, home improvement, green/solar, health, consolidation, switcher), current and savings accounts, mortgages up to €500,000, foreign exchange, insurance products (Peopl. Insurance, AXA Car Insurance), and digital banking via an online platform and mobile app. The credit union operates under a community-focused membership model regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

Product overview

Claddagh Credit Union offers a comprehensive suite of financial services as a single unified offering, combining traditional credit union products with modern digital banking capabilities. The core portfolio centers on loan products (Personal, Car, Education, Home Improvements, Green/Solar, Health, Consolidation, and Switcher loans with varying APR rates from 5% to 12%), current and savings accounts, and insurance products (Peopl. Insurance, AXA Car Insurance). Digital services include Online Banking platform, Mobile App, SEPA Instant payments, and Account Information Services (open banking). Additional offerings include Foreign Exchange, Mortgages (up to €500k), Connect Card loyalty program, and overdraft facilities. The product ecosystem is designed to serve members from basic savings through to full-service banking, with community focus as an underlying theme.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Personal Loan General-purpose personal loan for members at 10.5% APR for various personal needs.
• Car Loan Vehicle financing loan with special rates starting at 6.5% APR for purchasing new or used cars.
• Educate360 Loan Education-focused loan for third-level learning expenses at 5.5% APR.
• Renovate360 Loan Home improvement loan for major renovation projects at 6.5% APR.
• Revamp Loan Home improvement loan for smaller-scale home refresh projects at 8% APR.
• Green Solar Panels Loan Eco-friendly loan for solar panel installation at 5% APR.
• Green Renovations Loan Sustainable home improvement financing at 5% APR for environmentally focused renovations.
• Home Insulation Loan Energy efficiency loan for home insulation improvements at 5% APR.
• Switcher Loan Loan product designed for members switching from other financial institutions at 6.5% APR.
• Health Loan Specialized loan for medical and health-related expenses at 6.5% APR.
• Back On Track Loan Loan designed for members needing financial recovery support at 8% APR.
• Consolidation Loan Debt consolidation loan to combine multiple debts at 12% APR.
• Current Account Day-to-day banking account with overdraft, student account options, and Visa debit card services.
• Savings Accounts Savings and deposit products for members to store and grow their money securely.
• Mortgages Home mortgage products available up to €500,000 for property purchase and refinancing.
• Online Banking Web-based banking platform enabling members to access accounts, transfer funds, and manage finances remotely.
• Mobile App Smartphone application providing mobile access to banking services and account management.
• SEPA Instant Payments Real-time euro payment service enabling instant money transfers within the SEPA zone.
• Account Information Services (AIS) Open banking service allowing third-party providers to access account information with member consent.
• Foreign Exchange Currency exchange services for members requiring international currency transactions.
• Peopl. Insurance Life and protection insurance product offered through the credit union.
• AXA Car Insurance Motor vehicle insurance partnership with AXA for member car coverage.
• Connect Card Loyalty Program Loyalty card program providing rewards and benefits for credit union members at local businesses.
• Overdraft Facility Credit facility attached to current accounts allowing members to access funds beyond their balance.
• Student Account Specialized banking account designed for students with tailored features and benefits.
• Nominations Service Beneficiary nomination service allowing members to designate recipients for their savings upon death.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% loan approval rate
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VisacoreTechnology or IntegrationVisa provides debit card services for Claddagh Credit Union members. The credit union offers Visa debit cards that members can activate and use for transactions.
• AXAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAXA provides car insurance products that are offered to Claddagh Credit Union members through the credit union's insurance services.
• Peopl InsuranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPeopl Insurance is offered as a member insurance product through the credit union's service offerings.
• Connect CardminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorConnect Card is a loyalty card program partnered with the credit union for member benefits and discounts at local businesses.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Permanent TSB: Irish retail bank specializing in current accounts, mortgages, and personal lending. Competes directly with Claddagh for Galway-area consumer banking customers and mortgage borrowers up to the €500k range.
• Allied Irish Banks (AIB): One of Ireland's largest retail banks offering current accounts, mortgages, personal loans, and insurance. Directly competes with Claddagh Credit Union for Galway-area consumer deposits and lending, but at a national scale with a broader product portfolio.
• Bank of Ireland: Ireland's oldest and one of its largest banks, offering a full suite of personal banking, mortgage, and lending products. Overlaps with Claddagh Credit Union's lending and deposit franchise across the Galway catchment and beyond.

Emerging players

• N26: European mobile-only bank offering current accounts and consumer credit. Targets the same digitally native demographic that Claddagh's mobile app and online banking channels serve, putting pressure on younger-member deposit and lending share.
• Revolut: Digital-first neobank with a large Irish user base offering low-fee current accounts, consumer credit, and payments. Competes with Claddagh for digitally native Galway members and threatens traditional deposit and personal-loan share.

Regional players

• An Post: Ireland's national postal service, which provides basic financial services including current accounts and consumer credit via the post-office network. Operates a nationwide distribution footprint that complements or substitutes for credit-union branches in Galway.

Direct peers

• Synergy Credit Union: Large Irish credit union serving multiple communities with a comparable suite of savings, loans, mortgages, and digital banking. Closest direct peer to Claddagh in terms of cooperative model, lending-product breadth, and digital capabilities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 →

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