Tide is a UK fintech focused exclusively on small businesses and freelancers. George Bevis founded it in 2015 to solve a specific problem: opening a business bank account in Britain was painfully slow and bureaucratic. Tide cut the process to minutes.
The platform combines a business current account with invoicing, expense management, and accounting integrations. Small business owners can create and send invoices directly from the app, and payments are automatically matched when they arrive. Integration with accounting software like Xero, FreeAgent, QuickBooks, and Sage means transactions sync without manual data entry.
Tide doesn’t hold a banking license itself. It operates through partnerships with ClearBank and PrePay Solutions, which handle the regulated banking infrastructure. This partnership model lets Tide focus on the software layer and move faster than traditional banks in shipping new features.
The company serves over 500,000 small businesses in the UK and claims roughly 10% market share of new business account openings. Tide expanded into India in 2022 and Germany in 2023, adapting the product for each market’s regulatory and business environment. The India operation targets the country’s massive small business segment.
Revenue comes from subscription fees (plans range from free to £49.99/month), transaction fees, and credit products including business loans and invoice financing. Total funding exceeds $600 million, with investors including Apax Partners, SBI Holdings, and Augmentum Fintech. Tide’s long-term play is becoming the default financial operating system for small businesses.
