Shawbrook has announced that all new unsecured business lending applications will now be originated through Playter, the fintech lending platform it acquired in December 2025.
Shawbrook’s existing unsecured business loan products, including its 'Professions Finance' range, will transition to Playter, which simultaneously expands its product suite to include term loans from three months to five years. The result is a single, specialist brand capable of serving the full spectrum of unsecured SME lending needs: from short-term cashflow solutions and VAT funding to business expansion loans and working capital facilities.
Built for established UK SMEs that need fast, flexible finance, Playter combines speed with data-led underwriting, delivering credit decisions within 24 hours across its full product range.
Central to Playter’s broker proposition is ‘Ari’, its AI-powered broker hub, which allows commercial finance brokers to assess their client’s credit profile and submit applications rapidly.
Amongst Shawbrook's other specialist brands, ThinCats offers lending for scaling SMEs — typically founder-led or independent sponsor-backed businesses pursuing rapid growth, acquisition strategies or reinvestment.
Shawbrook will remain the structured finance partner for larger, more established businesses, requiring senior facilities, blended asset and cashflow underwriting, and institutional-grade capital structures.
Together, the three brands provide coverage across the full £50,000–£50m+ lending spectrum, with clear brand differentiation and a natural migration pathway for businesses as they scale.
What this means for brokers
All new unsecured business lending applications, including Professions Finance, should be submitted through the Playter platform. Brokers already registered with Shawbrook for unsecured lending will receive direct communication with full details of the transition process.
Existing Shawbrook customers will continue to be fully serviced under current terms and contact channels. Cases already in the Shawbrook pipeline ahead of the cut-off will be completed on the terms agreed.
The expanded Playter platform will offer brokers access to:
• Short-term cashflow loans and credit lines — Playter’s proven core products,
• Term loans for business investment and growth, up to five years,
• Professions Finance for legal, accounting and medical sector professionals,
• AI-assisted credit assessment and application through the Ari broker hub,
• Fast decisions, transparent processes and a dedicated broker support team.
Neil Rudge (pictured), chief banking officer at Shawbrook, commented: "SMEs are the engine of UK growth, and they deserve a lending experience that matches their ambition. The lower mid-market, the ‘M’ in SME, is an enormously important and underserved segment, and Shawbrook has been building its capabilities here with real intent.
"Bringing all of our unsecured lending under the Playter brand is the natural next step. Playter’s technology and proposition are purpose-built for growth-focused businesses that need fast, flexible finance. With Shawbrook’s scale and expertise behind it, Playter can now deliver that experience consistently and more broadly than ever. Alongside ThinCats and Shawbrook, we now have the depth and breadth to support ambitious UK businesses across the full growth journey, from their first unsecured facility through to institutional-grade structured finance.”
Jamie Beaumont, founder and managing director at Playter, added: “Playter was built on a simple belief: that SMEs and their brokers deserve better access to finance, faster, simpler and more tailored to how businesses actually work. Today that belief is backed by the breadth and depth of Shawbrook’s capabilities, funding and reach.
"Consolidating Shawbrook’s unsecured lending into Playter means brokers now have one powerful, intelligent platform for the full range of their clients’ unsecured SME lending needs. We’ve got the means to give brokers and their clients the high-quality experience they’ve always enjoyed from Playter, now at scale and with consistency, certainty and confidence.”
