From Love Finance to Lovey: A Rebrand Fueled by Explosive Growth

BIRMINGHAM, England – January 20, 2026 – In a move signaling both its remarkable ascent and future ambition, the UK’s fastest-growing SME lender and broker, Love Finance, has officially rebranded to Lovey. The name change, effective today, is more than a cosmetic update; it's a strategic repositioning for a fintech firm that has achieved explosive, bootstrapped growth in a fiercely competitive market.

A Story of Explosive, Bootstrapped Growth

Lovey's journey from a startup in 2016 to a major force in UK SME finance is a case study in aggressive, yet sustainable, scaling. The company's financial trajectory is staggering. After posting revenues of £4.7 million in 2023, the firm more than doubled its turnover to £9.3 million in 2024. This rapid acceleration continued into the most recent financial year, with preliminary 2025 figures showing another 106% year-on-year increase to approximately £19.1 million in revenue.

This revenue growth is mirrored in the volume of capital it has deployed to UK businesses. The total value of loans facilitated jumped from £48 million in 2023 to £195 million in 2025. To date, the company has provided over £400 million in funding to more than 10,000 SMEs across the United Kingdom.

What makes this performance particularly noteworthy is that it was achieved while remaining bootstrapped and profitable. Founded by Birmingham native Jack Smith, the company eschewed outside equity for years, funding its expansion entirely through its own profits. This disciplined approach has allowed it to scale its team from just 10 employees in 2021 to over 110 today, earning it recognition from Deloitte, The Sunday Times, and the Financial Times as one of the nation's fastest-growing companies.

A pivotal moment in this journey came in October 2025, when the company secured a £45 million debt financing package from Paragon Bank and LGB Capital Markets. This injection of capital marked a significant evolution in its business model, empowering Lovey to lend directly from its own balance sheet in addition to its brokerage services. This hybrid approach provides greater control over the lending process and enables even faster decision-making for its SME clients.

Navigating a Shifting SME Lending Landscape

Lovey's rebrand and growth story unfold against the backdrop of a dynamic UK SME finance market. The dominance of traditional high-street banks has waned, creating a fertile ground for agile, tech-forward lenders. According to British Business Bank data, challenger and specialist banks accounted for a record 60% of gross lending to smaller businesses in 2024, highlighting a decisive shift in the market.

While gross lending to SMEs saw a healthy 13% rise in 2024, the overall picture is complex. High borrowing costs and uncertain economic conditions have led to a state of negative net lending, where businesses are collectively repaying more debt than they are taking on. In this climate, the speed, flexibility, and accessibility offered by alternative lenders like Lovey have become critical differentiators.

The company's success is a testament to its ability to meet the market's demand for efficiency. By leveraging technology to streamline applications and underwriting, Lovey has carved out a niche for businesses that need capital quickly to seize opportunities or navigate challenges—a need often unmet by the slower, more bureaucratic processes of incumbent institutions.

'Lovey': A Bet on the Human Touch in Fintech

The decision to rename the company 'Lovey' is a deliberate strategic bet on brand identity and emotional connection. In an industry often perceived as cold and transactional, the new name aims to project warmth, care, and approachability.

"This change marks the start of a new chapter for the brand," said Jack Smith, Founder and CEO of Lovey, in a statement. "Lovey is a British term of endearment, and it captures the warmth and approachability that sit at the heart of how we work with our customers. The rename also reinforces our mission: making lending simple, fast, and beautiful, while preparing the business for growth ahead."

The name is shorter, sharper, and designed to be more memorable in a crowded marketplace. It's a move to humanize finance technology, aligning the brand's external image with its long-standing customer-centric philosophy, which is reflected in an industry-leading 5-star Trustpilot rating. The company assures existing customers and partners that while the name is new, the team, services, and commitment to a straightforward approach remain unchanged.

The Engine Room: Technology Meets Service

Underpinning the company's rapid growth and new brand identity is a robust operational engine that combines technology with a hybrid lending model. Lovey’s core value proposition is its ability to deliver on its promise of "simple, fast, and beautiful" lending.

The firm's platform allows businesses to complete an initial enquiry in just 60 seconds and, in many cases, receive funding in as little as four hours. This remarkable speed is achieved through a data-driven approach and the strategic integration of technology, including the use of APIs from other fintech players like iwoca to accelerate decision-making.

By operating as both a direct lender—thanks to its recent debt financing—and a broker, Lovey can offer a wider spectrum of tailored funding solutions. If a business doesn't fit its direct lending criteria, its brokerage arm can quickly match the applicant with another suitable lender from its network. This flexibility maximizes the chances of securing funding for the SME and solidifies Lovey's position as a comprehensive funding partner rather than just a single-product provider. This operational agility, combined with its impressive growth and a fresh, approachable brand, positions Lovey to continue its disruptive trajectory in the UK's evolving financial sector.