The principle, in plain terms
Inclusive lending is not about lowering the bar. It is about removing the bars that have nothing to do with creditworthiness — your country of origin, your accent on a phone call, your self-employed status, your gap year for caring responsibilities, your sector-specific income volatility.
We make credit decisions based on your overall ability to repay the loan, not on whether you fit a tidy demographic profile. The result is that we end up lending — and lending profitably — to a lot of borrowers who other lenders systematically decline.
Three commitments of our inclusivity charter
1
Worldwide eligibility
UK residents and international applicants reviewed against the same fair criteria. We finance ambition in any country we are legally able to operate in — currently 28. Country of residence is not an underwriting factor.
2
Six-language service
Apply, sign, and manage your loan in English, German, Spanish, French, Chinese or Arabic. Our team supports you in your language — not via auto-translation. Native-speaker relationship managers in every supported language.
3
People-led decisions
Self-employed, recent migrant, returning to work, or running a non-traditional business model? We listen first, then assess. Real underwriters with sector experience — not opaque algorithms or off-the-shelf scoring grids.
Where this shows up
The charter is not aspirational. It produces measurable outcomes that we publish annually. The 2025 figures, by way of example:
— Self-employed —
94%
Acceptance rate (vs. 47% UK average)
— First-time int'l —
71%
Approval for new int'l applicants
— Languages —
6
Native-speaker support
— Countries —
28
Active lending jurisdictions
As an international applicant from Dubai, I expected friction. Instead I got a relationship manager who answered every question — in Arabic. Loan funded in 11 days.
Accessibility, by design
Inclusivity extends to how our service is built. Our digital application meets WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standards as a minimum, with ongoing testing for screen-reader compatibility, keyboard navigation, colour-contrast, and cognitive accessibility.
We also support paper applications for borrowers who prefer not to apply digitally — including a fully accessible large-print version, and braille on request. Phone-based application support is available in all six languages, with no IVR menu mazes.
For details of our accessibility commitment and a contact for accessibility-specific feedback, see our Accessibility page.
What we are working on
We are not finished. The charter is reviewed annually with external advisors, and there are committed targets for 2026:
- Expand language support to nine: adding Hindi, Portuguese, and Japanese in 2026
- Open four new lending jurisdictions: targeting Singapore, Brazil, India, and Kenya
- Publish a quarterly demographic transparency report on portfolio composition
- Expand our specialist underwriting team for non-traditional business models (creator economy, gig workers, fractional roles)
- Partner with three UK and three international community organisations to fund first-time-borrower outreach