Zempler Bank partners with iwoca
31 October 2025
- Zempler Bank and iwoca partner to offer business loans from £1,000 to £1 million through the Zempler marketplace
- Zempler research shows that almost half of SMEs cite access to lending as the biggest barrier to growth
- Businesses can apply within minutes without affecting their credit score
Zempler, a digital bank serving start-ups and microbusinesses, has today announced a new partnership with iwoca, one of Europe’s leading SME lenders, to expand its SME offering and make business lending more accessible.
Available through Zempler’s marketplace, the partnership will allow customers to borrow between £1,000 and £1 million with flexible repayment terms. iwoca’s business loans can be used to purchase stock, invest in growth plans, or simply smooth cash flow, helping to address challenges that many SMEs face on a daily basis.
The collaboration builds on Zempler and iwoca’s shared objective to support UK SMEs, particularly at a time when smaller businesses continue to struggle with limited lending options from traditional providers.
Zempler research shows that 44% of SMEs cite access to funding as the biggest barrier to launching their business. These concerns are unlikely to subside, with iwoca’s Q2 SME Expert Index finding that 76% of UK finance brokers predict that SMEs’ demand for finance will rise in the coming months.
By integrating iwoca into its marketplace, Zempler provides customers with a simple, trusted way to secure fast, flexible finance directly through its platform.
The service has been designed with speed and accessibility in mind. Businesses can apply in minutes without affecting their credit score. Customers also benefit from early repayment with no fees, alongside a dedicated account manager to guide them through the process.
Rich Wagner, CEO, Zempler Bank: “SMEs are a vital driver of jobs and growth within the UK economy, but many face unnecessary barriers when it comes to accessing the finance they need to grow. Our research shows that access to funding is one of the biggest barriers to small business growth. By adding iwoca to our marketplace and offering flexible funding options, we’re making it easier for our customers to unlock their growth potential.”
Colin Goldstein, Chief Commercial Officer, iwoca: “At iwoca, our mission is to help small businesses get the finance they need, when they need it. Partnering with Zempler means even more SMEs can benefit from quick decisions, flexible repayments, and a service designed around their needs — all within a banking platform they already trust.”
ENDS
About Zempler Bank
Zempler Bank was formerly known as Cashplus Bank and rebranded on 9th July 2024. Zempler is a leading business focused digital bank with a track record of product innovation, dedicated customer service and good financial performance. The company was granted a UK bank licence in February 2021. Zempler offers simple, smart digital banking services for the entrepreneurs, independent businesses and hard-working consumers that power the UK economy yet are too often overlooked by high street banks. Zempler has opened more than 2.2m accounts to help customers to pay, bank and borrow through a user-friendly digital platform, delivered a string of fintech firsts, and built a resilient, growing business providing more than 300 jobs in the UK with locations in London and Liverpool.
About iwoca
Fast, flexible finance empowers small businesses to manage their cash flow better and seize opportunities - making their business and the economy stronger as a whole. At iwoca, we do just that. We help businesses get the funds they need, when they need it, often within minutes. We’ve already made several billion in funding available to over 100,000 businesses since we launched in 2012, and positioned ourselves as a leading Fintech in Europe. Our mission is to finance one million businesses. We’ll get there by continuing to make our finance ever more relevant and accessible to more businesses by combining cutting-edge technology, data science and a 5-star customer service that’s consistently rated highly on Trustpilot and Glassdoor.
About the SME Expert Index
The SME Expert Index is taken from a survey carried out with brokers who’ve collectively submitted 2511 applications for unsecured finance on behalf of their SME clients across the UK over a four week period in July. The details of the Q2 2025 findings, as well as all previous quarterly findings starting from Q1 2023, can be found here.