Digital banking platform Shawbrook has confirmed it is considering an initial public offering (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange following last week’s rumours of an IPO.
The Brentwood-based company intends to publish a registration document and is exploring an application for its shares to be admitted to the FCA’s Official List and to trading on the Main Market.
It uploaded a statement to the stock exchange today after it was reported that it was considering going public with an anticipated valuation of around £2 billion.
The Pollen Street Capital-owned FinTech’s flotation would be one of London’s biggest in recent history and there are hopes that, if the move is successful, it could open the floodgates to a batch of new listing candidates.
It comes amid a dire outlook for the London Stock Exchange after recent data revealed it had fallen as low as 23rd in the global ranking of IPO destinations.
A mere £184 million was raised on the LSE in the first nine months of the year – falling drastically short of the £17bn in 2021 and making 2025 the worst year for listings in over three decades.
Founded to serve parts of the economy underserved by traditional banks, the business has grown rapidly over the past decade, combining technology-driven efficiency with specialist lending expertise.
Its loan book has expanded from £1.4bn in 2013 to £17bn by June 2025, while maintaining a 30% compound annual growth rate in profit before tax.
The bank now serves a £296bn total addressable market across commercial, real estate and retail lending, including mortgages for professional landlords, SME finance and specialist motor lending.
“When Shawbrook was founded, we saw that large parts of the UK economy were unable to access the capital needed to grow,” said Shawbrook CEO, Marcelino Castrillo.
“Since then, we have created a scaled and diversified banking platform, combining next generation technology with deep human expertise, that makes us uniquely placed to provide our customers with the flexibility, speed and certainty they need.
“The strength of our platform has enabled us to deliver a long track record of sustainable, profitable growth through a wide variety of macro conditions.
“We have transformed the size of our loan book as we’ve won share, entered new markets and expanded our capabilities through strategic acquisitions; we have built a trusted and attractive savings proposition that provides us with a stable and scalable funding base; and the significant investment in our digital platform provides excellent risk management capabilities and strong operating leverage.
“Looking ahead, we are as excited as we have ever been. We have achieved real scale, and our current markets are large and growing, supported by attractive tailwinds.
“We also see a significant opportunity to bring Shawbrook’s offering to new types of customers.
“The entrepreneurial spirit that has driven our growth remains at the heart of how we operate and we have ambitious plans for the future. An IPO would mark an important milestone in our journey.”
Shawbrook has invested more than £260m in its technology capabilities since 2017, including £135m over the past three years, transforming it into a digitally enabled bank with scalable operations and strong cost efficiencies.
It also has a long track record of selective, value-accretive acquisitions, completing 24 M&A transactions since 2011.
Its most recent was the £180m purchase of specialist SME lender ThinCats in September 2025.
The group’s ambition is to almost double its loan book to £30bn by 2030, with annual profit growth in the mid-to-high teens percentage-wise and adjusted returns on tangible equity in the high teens.
If it proceeds with the IPO, the business expects to achieve a minimum free float of 10%, with shares offered to institutional and retail investors.
The company has appointed Ardea Partners as financial adviser; Goldman Sachs International and Barclays as joint global coordinators; and Stifel, Deutsche Bank, and UBS as joint bookrunners.
Shawbrook said floating would enhance its brand profile, broaden access to capital and help it retain and incentivise key employees.