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Funding Options

“Can a statutory-designated SME lending marketplace become the embedded finance layer for Tide's 600,000+ UK small business customers?”

Founded2011
HQLondon, UK (4th Floor, The Featherstone Building, 66 City Road, London, EC1Y 2AL)
IndustryFintech / SMB lending marketplace
The story

Founded in 2011 as an FCA-authorised credit broker providing a marketplace for UK SME business finance. Gained statutory designation as a 'designated finance platform' in 2015, giving it referral rights from major banks. Built the proprietary Funding Cloud platform to automate lender matching and integrate open banking data. Subsequently acquired by / integrated into Tide, the UK SMB neobank, and now operates as 'Funding Options by Tide', embedding its lending marketplace directly into Tide's banking platform for small businesses.

Last 12 months
2025-08-01
Product timeline
2011
Funding Options Limited incorporated in England & Wales (company number 07739337) as a credit broker for SME business finance.· lending
2015
Designated as a 'designated finance platform' under The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015, requiring certain banks to refer declined SME loan applications to the platform.· lending
2022
Launched Funding Cloud: Connect, a digital-first platform for accountants and advisors to manage and track finance offers for SME clients in real-time.· lending
2023
Acquired by / integrated into Tide's digital platform for small businesses; credit broking service now delivered through the Tide Platform.· acquisition
2025
Operating as 'Funding Options by Tide', connecting UK SMEs with 80+ lenders for loans up to £20m via Funding Cloud technology.· lending
Regulated entities
1
regulatory licence held by Funding Options
Licence types, jurisdictions and registered entities are in the Embedded Finance Index report.
The stack
1 layer disclosed in Funding Options’s embedded-finance stack
Lending
YoulendBusiness loansAsset financeInvoice financeMerchant cash advanceRevolving credit facilitiesWorking capital financeInvoice discountingInvoice factoringBridging loansProperty finance / commercial mortgageTrade financeGrowth Guarantee Scheme loansSecured business loansUnsecured business loansShort-term business loansBusiness loans for bad credit
Accounting gap: significant

Funding Options — frequently asked

Who provides Funding Options's lending?

Funding Options's lending and capital products are provided by Youlend.

Where is Funding Options headquartered?

Funding Options is founded in 2011 and headquartered in London, UK (4th Floor, The Featherstone Building, 66 City Road, London, EC1Y 2AL).

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