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Tide has launched an investment account for UK small and medium-sized businesses, adding business investing to a platform used by more than 900,000 UK SMEs.
The new account lets eligible customers open and fund an investment account within the Tide app using their existing business profile. It is aimed at businesses with surplus cash seeking returns beyond standard savings products.
The launch expands Tide's wealth offering following the earlier introduction of a cash ISA. It also marks the company's move into a market where smaller businesses have often faced manual processes and separate onboarding when trying to invest company funds.
Tide is offering two investment options at launch, both using Vanguard funds. One is a balanced option with 60% equities and 40% bonds, while the other is a full-equity growth option for customers willing to take more risk.
The balanced fund mirrors the Vanguard LifeStrategy 60% Equity fund, while the growth fund mirrors the Vanguard LifeStrategy 100% Equity fund. Tide cited historical returns of about 6.5% for the balanced strategy and about 11.4% for the growth strategy, while noting that past performance does not guarantee future results.
Platform partners
Seccl is providing the investment infrastructure and custody services, while Vanguard will supply the funds exclusively in the first year. Tide has also set up Tide Capital as an Appointed Representative of P1 Investment Services to support the launch.
The fee structure varies by Tide subscription plan. The annual platform fee is 0.6% for customers on the free plan, 0.5% on Smart, 0.4% on Pro and 0.3% on Max, with a separate 0.2% annual fund management charge paid to Vanguard.
Tide plans to add automated tax and reporting functions to reduce the administrative work linked to business investing. For many small companies, tax treatment, record-keeping, and documentation have been practical barriers to investing corporate cash in market-based products.
Dora Ziambra, SVP Payments & Wealth at Tide, set out the thinking behind the launch.
"For too long, small business owners have seen their hard-earned cash sit idle because business investing was simply too difficult, time-consuming and buried under a mountain of paperwork. Our members want a simple, trusted way to grow their wealth directly from their banking app. By partnering with market leaders like Seccl and Vanguard, we've built an all-in-one integrated platform where founders can manage their business finances completely while safeguarding their future growth," said Dora Ziambra, SVP Payments & Wealth at Tide.
Tide describes itself as the first SME-focused business finance platform in the UK to offer dedicated business investment accounts. The claim reflects a broader push by fintech groups to widen their product ranges for business customers beyond payments, current accounts and lending.
Broader strategy
Tide began as a provider of business accounts and administration tools, and has since expanded into invoicing, accounting links and other business services. The investment account adds to that strategy by targeting cash management and wealth building for company owners through the same app.
The move also gives Seccl another distribution channel for embedded investment services. James Holmes, Chief Product Officer at Seccl, said the partnership is designed to bring investing into a platform that small business owners already use for day-to-day finance.
"We're proud to be supporting Tide as it brings investment accounts to SMEs through a platform they already know and trust. For business owners, being able to access investing in a simple, familiar environment can make a real difference, especially when they are balancing long-term growth with the day-to-day demands of running a business. For time-poor founders, that kind of simplicity really matters. By making investing available alongside the tools businesses already use every day, Tide is removing the friction that has kept business investing out of reach for many SMEs. This launch is a great example of how embedded investing can open up new opportunities for underserved parts of the market, while giving ambitious platforms the tools to move quickly, safely and at scale," said James Holmes, Chief Product Officer at Seccl.
Vanguard's role gives the offering a limited initial range rather than an open investment marketplace. Benjamin Summers, Head of Vanguard UK, said the aim was to offer founders a straightforward route to invest business cash.
"We're delighted to support Tide in helping small businesses put their hard-earned money to work. For busy founders, it's about having a straightforward way to invest so they can spend less time worrying about their finances and more time building a successful business," said Benjamin Summers, Head of Vanguard UK.
Tide says it has 900,000 SME members in the UK, equal to around 15% market share, as well as more than 1.1 million SMEs in India and newer operations in Germany and France.