Swishfund
Our history
Swishfund was established in 2016 by two successful entrepreneurs in the Netherlands. Their vision was to prioritise three simple but crucial elements: flexibility, speed and customer service.
In 2018 we opened the UK branch of the business. Initially based in Cambridge, we moved to White City, London, in 2019 and are now based in Fitzrovia, north of Oxford Street.
In 2020 we became one of the first alternative lenders to be carbon neutral, and to achieve Customer Service Excellence accreditation (with Compliance Plus certificates). We found a purpose in building a brand based on fairness, transparency and responsibility (see “Values”).
We doubled our lending through 2020, whilst working in partnership with our existing portfolio to help customers through the lockdown period. Lending increased again in 2021 as we tailored our credit models to lend more to safer businesses at lower rates. 2022 has seen our revenue grow again, helped by new additions to our team through the Kickstarter program and general hiring strategy (send us your C.V. if you are interested with what you’ve seen here).
Our brand
We believe that all industries, including finance, needs to put ESG (environmental, social, governance) issues higher up their agendas. Responsible lending and helping society are what gets us up in the morning:
- Since May 2021, we have offset 3,610 tons of carbon on behalf of customers (10 tons per new loan), via tree planting in the UK and windfarms in India. We offer APR discounts to carbon neutral customers and the renewable energy industry.
- In September 2021, we teamed up with Funding Options to campaign for government-backed ESG-loans for small businesses. The aim was to make loans to carbon neutral businesses cheaper due to a 50% government guarantee, to encourage more small businesses to become carbon neutral. The campaign was timed to coincide with COP26, and involved Kevin Hollinrake MP and the APPG – Bankers For Net Zero.
- In May 2022, Swishfund and 4Most Risk Consultancy won a government grant through Innovate UK to build a prototype for Swishfund’s concept of a Green Credit Score for small businesses. The concept is to prove that environmentally responsible businesses are more creditworthy and should therefore receive cheaper credit.
- In June 2022, we announced our campaign to support more female business-owners, who are underserved by the financial sector. Swishfund is offering a 3% APR discount to all-female-owned businesses, as we believe that female business-owners have more to benefit from fast and affordable finance.
- Finally, we are not a social enterprise, although social issues are close to our hearts. If you have an offer from another alternative lender, then come to us and let us beat it. We are commercial in all respects, and determined to impress you. We are driven to create amazing customer experiences, so try out Swishfund.
