Tide gears up for new share sale as it eyes global growth

Tide, the fast-growing SME-focused banking services platform, is lining up a fresh share sale valued at more than £50m as it expands its presence in the UK and abroad.

Tide, the fast-growing SME-focused banking services platform, is lining up a fresh share sale valued at more than £50m as it expands its presence in the UK and abroad.

The company is understood to be in discussions with investment banks, including Morgan Stanley, about overseeing the primary fundraising in the coming months.

Sources say the latest round may involve issuing new stock as well as giving existing shareholders the opportunity to sell part of their stake. It remains unclear at what valuation the new capital will be raised.

Founded in 2015 by George Bevis and Errol Damelin, Tide began trading two years later. The company currently provides business current accounts and a suite of connected services – ranging from invoicing to accounting – to 650,000 small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) “members” in the UK, giving it an estimated 11% market share.

Tide, which employs roughly 2,000 people, has also been growing internationally. It now serves 400,000 SMEs in India, while May 2024 saw its launch in Germany. Its backers include Apax Partners, Augmentum Fintech and LocalGlobe, and it is chaired by City grandee Sir Donald Brydon.

A spokesperson for Tide declined to comment.


Jamie Young

Jamie Young

Jamie Young is Senior Reporter at Business Matters, covering SME finance, employment law and Westminster policy since 2016. He has reported on every Budget and Autumn Statement since 2018, helped make sense of the 'covid era' and the bounce-back loan scheme from launch through the fraud investigations, and broke the magazine's coverage of the 2024 late-payment reforms. He joined Business Matters straight from completing his BA in Administration from Exeter University and is NCTJ-qualified. Reach him at jyoung@cbmeg.co.uk
Jamie Young

https://muckrack.com/jamie-young-15

Jamie Young is Senior Reporter at Business Matters, covering SME finance, employment law and Westminster policy since 2016. He has reported on every Budget and Autumn Statement since 2018, helped make sense of the 'covid era' and the bounce-back loan scheme from launch through the fraud investigations, and broke the magazine's coverage of the 2024 late-payment reforms. He joined Business Matters straight from completing his BA in Administration from Exeter University and is NCTJ-qualified. Reach him at jyoung@cbmeg.co.uk