Shawbrook announces agreement to acquire ThinCats

We are pleased to share that Shawbrook Group plc today announces an agreement has been signed to acquire ThinCats Group Limited, a leading specialist lender with a strong track record in providing bespoke funding to established, growth-focused SMEs.

ThinCats was founded in 2011 and has since established itself as a leading alternative finance provider focused on the funding needs of mid-sized SMEs. The business has deployed over £2bn to date and offers £1-20m in long-term bespoke debt funding for a broad range of purposes, including acquisitions, management buyouts, refinancing and growth.

ThinCats’ has an established market position, proven origination capabilities and technology-enabled business model that is complementary to Shawbrook’s. On completion, the ThinCats brand will operate as part of the Group’s portfolio of brands, continuing to support owner-managed and sponsor-backed businesses with bespoke funding for event-driven needs.

The acquisition of ThinCats builds on Shawbrook’s proven track record of consolidation and represents a strategic investment in accelerating the growth of Shawbrook’s existing presence in the specialist SME lending market. As well as underlining the Group’s commitment to supporting UK SMEs with highly bespoke finance facilities and relationship-led service.

Shawbrook’s SME lending business supports ambitious growth-focused and established businesses with a targeted range of bespoke solutions to meet their specific and often complex funding needs. ThinCats operates a streamlined tech-stack that builds on Shawbrook’s technology infrastructure and platform. ThinCats brings an established distribution network and strong origination capabilities, delivered by an experienced team. The combination further strengthens Shawbrook’s position in an attractive market segment, where it has demonstrated a defensible competitive edge.