Assessment
YouLend is used by payment companies, marketplaces, and software platforms that want to offer cash advances and loans to their small-business merchants. Its partners include eBay, Shopify, Amazon, Etsy, Upwork, and Qonto, and merchants see the offer inside a platform they use every day. Merchants repay as a share of sales, and the total cost is fixed up front. It sits in the middle of the market on price, and its closest competitors are Liberis, Parafin, Wayflyer, and Uncapped.
YouLend was founded in London in 2016 and says it has funded more than 400,000 businesses in 10 markets. It reported revenue of $230M for its 2024/25 financial year and a profit of $12M. A 2024 securitization with J.P. Morgan and Castlelake lets it lend about $5.4B more, and Värde Partners agreed in 2026 to buy up to $225M of its US receivables.
It fits a platform with a large base of small merchants and steady sales data. It is a weaker fit for a single business shopping for the cheapest loan, since offers come through partners and prices are not published.
Rating by criterion
We score each of the eight criteria out of 100.
Sector criteria
Revenue-based advances and loans fit merchants with steady card or marketplace sales, and the model uses live trading data to decide.
Decisions come within minutes or hours, and funding typically arrives within 24 to 48 hours, through partners such as eBay, Shopify, and Planet.
Repayments rise and fall with sales. Some borrowers complain about changes to repayment schedules after signing.
APIs let partners offer funding in their own branding, and YouLend handles underwriting, funding, and servicing.
Vendor criteria
Revenue reached $230M with a $12M profit, and it opened a Berlin office in January 2026 and has a US headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
Repeat borrowers praise how simple renewals are, though others say support is slow to respond.
No merchant prices are published. The total cost is disclosed before a merchant signs, but a buyer cannot compare rates in advance.
Partner terms are private, and merchant agreements tie repayments to sales with fees fixed at signing.
Against its peers
These are the other companies in lending and credit infrastructure, with their ratings.
User comments
Brief quotes drawn from public reviews posted by users of YouLend. Each one links to the review where it appeared. We omit sites where vendors pay to be featured or pay for a review, plus any review the site flags as incentivized.
Fact file
| Legal entity | YouLend Limited, company 12576377 |
|---|---|
| Revenue, FY2024/25 | $230M |
| Profit, FY2024/25 | $12M |
| Businesses funded | More than 400,000 in 10 markets |
| Funding time | Typically 24 to 48 hours |
| Loan financing | About $5.4B from J.P. Morgan and Castlelake; up to $225M from Värde Partners |
Source pages
- Financial IT, YouLend reaches 370,000 businesses funded: https://financialit.net/news/infrastructure/youlend-reaches-370000-businesses-funded-delivering-profitable-growth-built-last (As of October 28, 2026)
- Värde Partners, YouLend forward flow facility: https://varde.com/youlend-secures-multi-year-forward-flow-facility-from-varde-partners-to-accelerate-u-s-growth/ (As of October 28, 2026)
- PR Newswire, YouLend and J.P. Morgan: https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/youlend-secures-deal-with-jp-morgan-to-extend-4-billion-in-additional-financing-to-smes-302045910.html (As of October 28, 2026)
- Planet and YouLend partnership: https://www.weareplanet.com/news/planet-youlend-flexible-sme-funding (As of October 28, 2026)
- YouLend Limited at Companies House: https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/12576377 (As of October 28, 2026)
- YouLend reviews on Trustpilot: https://www.trustpilot.com/review/youlend.com (As of October 28, 2026)
Competitive landscape
Embedded merchant funding providers a platform would compare with YouLend.
YouLend: 76
Comparisons
Key leadership
Mikkel Velin co-founded YouLend and is co-chief executive. Mark Ufland, his co-founder, is chief technology officer, and Anders Torpe Christoffersen is chief financial officer.
How this review was created
This profile gives our own assessment of YouLend to companies selecting a Lending & credit infrastructure provider. The Fintech Index receives nothing for featuring a firm, for sponsorship, or for advertising, and YouLend gave us no payment for the profile.
The rating equals the average of eight criteria, with every criterion running from 0 to 100. Four address buyer needs in this sector, and four address the company together with its commercial terms.
Ratings are our editorial judgment, made from public information: pricing and legal pages, product documentation, compliance disclosures, public reviews and filings. Fact-checking took place on October 28, 2026. Figures reported in pounds were converted to US dollars at the Federal Reserve H.10 rate of $1.3375 per pound on October 23, 2026.
Repeat borrower / Trustpilot / October 2026
Small-business borrower / Trustpilot / October 2026