FinTech lender ThinCats is to be snapped up in a reported £180 million deal.
Challenger bank Shawbrook Group plc has agreed a deal for the specialist lender with a track record in providing bespoke funding to established, growth-focused SMEs.
The acquisition – reported by Sky News to be for around £180m – will include a projected loan book of £700m with corresponding risk weighted assets of approximately £600m. The transaction is expected to be earnings per share accretive in the first full financial year post completion.
The acquisition is intended to accelerate Shawbrook’s existing presence in the specialist SME lending market, providing tailored finance facilities. The SME segment accounted for 21% of the group’s total loan book as at 30th June 2025.
ThinCats’ technology-enabled business model is strategically aligned to that of Shawbrook, the latter said. On completion – expected to be later this year – the ThinCats brand will operate as part of the group’s portfolio of brands..
“ThinCats is a leading UK FinTech with an excellent track record for delivering bespoke funding to growth-focused SMEs, whose owners, management teams and sponsors value speed, flexibility and certainty,” said Marcelino Castrillo, CEO at Shawbrook.
“ThinCats’ approach is aligned to our own strategy of leveraging technology, credit excellence and an entrepreneurial culture to deliver a premium proposition to established UK SMEs.
“This acquisition will serve to further scale-up and deepen our presence in the very large and growing SME market. As part of the Shawbrook Group, the ThinCats proposition will benefit from our platform, including distribution channels, investment and funding structure, which will allow us to scale the brand more efficiently and serve even more UK SMEs with highly tailored funding solutions.”
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Amany Attia, CEO at ThinCats, said: “Becoming part of Shawbrook represents an exciting step for ThinCats and a strong endorsement of our model, supporting established and growth-focused SMEs.
“Underpinned by the significant technology, data and capital resources of the wider Shawbrook Group, ThinCats will continue to offer the high levels of coverage, innovation, service, and ongoing borrower relationships that business owners, professional advisers and financial sponsors have come to expect.”