Better Health for All

Funding Circle's core business as an online lending platform has no direct positive or negative health impact. However, the company actively supports mental health through a partnership with Thrive Mental Wellbeing. This initiative provides existing Funding Circle borrowers with 12 months of free access to the NHS-trusted Thrive app, which offers meditation, cognitive behavioral therapy, and mood journals.

Free in-app therapy is also provided for the most vulnerable customers. This program addresses a significant need, as 88% of SMEs prioritize employee mental health, and 40% of SME leaders have considered exiting their business due to mental health impact. Additionally, Funding Circle's lending activities supported 87,500 jobs and contributed £7.2 billion to GDP in 2024, generating positive health externalities through economic stability. For other health-related KPIs, the company's operations do not involve direct health products or services, health-specific R&D, or the collection of health data, rendering them not applicable or lacking relevant quantitative evidence for scoring.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

Funding Circle's entire business model is lending to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), which are explicitly identified as an underserved segment in articles 5, 7, and 8. This means 100% of its loan book is aimed at an inclusion segment, meeting the 'Inclusion lending ≥ 40% of portfolio' threshold. Additionally, Funding Circle's finance supports SMEs 'in every corner of the UK'

and helped businesses 'in every one of the 650 parliamentary constituencies' in 2024, demonstrating 100% geographic coverage within the UK, which aligns with the '100% coverage of banking deserts' threshold.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

Funding Circle has been awarded Silver Fair Payment Code accreditation.

The company has established Board Diversity Targets, aiming for at least 40% female representation on the Board, at least one woman in a senior board position, and one or more Directors from a minority ethnic background. Funding Circle is also a signatory to the Women in Finance Charter, with an internal target to increase senior female representation to 40%. Total headcount decreased from 1,101 in December 2023 to 726 in December 2024, primarily due to the sale of its US business and cost-efficiency actions, which included £2.3 million in UK redundancy costs. Average salary per head increased by 5% in the year.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

As an online lending platform, Funding Circle Holdings PLC does not procure or trade physical commodities, rendering several sourcing-related KPIs not applicable. The company has reported zero substantiated forced or child labour incidents for the financial years ending 2022 and 2024.

It conducts proactive risk assessments, including maintaining a list of high-risk Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes to flag borrowers in industries susceptible to modern slavery risks, and re-assesses supplier risk annually.

Kind to Animals

Funding Circle Holdings PLC operates as an online lending platform, and its core business activities do not involve animals, animal products, or animal testing. As such, KPIs related to cruelty-free certification, alternative testing methods, humane certifications for animal operations, ethical input substitution, cage-free sourcing, animal testing policies, animal testing volume, innovation investment in animal-free technologies, animal agriculture ethics, animal-free R&D collaboration, and public policy engagement on animal welfare are not applicable to its operations and are scored as 0. Regarding wildlife_conservation_impact, Funding Circle co-funded two Tiny Forests with 1,200 trees planted in March 2023

and expanded this to co-fund six Tiny Forest projects in 2023-2024. The company also partners with GreenTheUK to support projects protecting temperate rainforests, restoring native oysters, and conducting crab and lobster survey studies. However, the provided articles do not contain measurable biodiversity impact, species recovery, or habitat restoration metrics for these initiatives, leading to the omission of this KPI. For supplier_audit_pct, while Funding Circle has a "Supplier Standard document" and "Supplier Code of Conduct" from December 2023, there is no evidence that the company has animal-related suppliers or that any suppliers are audited specifically for animal welfare compliance. Therefore, this KPI is omitted.

Planet-Friendly Business

Funding Circle states that its climate disclosures are consistent with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations

and are included in its annual report . However, the disclosures do not explicitly detail the completeness of this alignment or include climate scenario analysis. The company partners with GreenTheUK across 2024 and 2025 to support nature and wildlife projects across the UK . In 2023-2024, Funding Circle co-funded six Tiny Forest projects across the UK with Earthwatch Europe , demonstrating small-scale restoration efforts. Funding Circle also states a commitment to contributing to climate, nature, and biodiversity outcomes .

Respect for Cultures & Communities

Funding Circle Holdings PLC's business model as an online lending platform for SMEs means many cultural and community impact KPIs are not directly applicable. The company has two formal partnerships, with Thrive Mental Wellbeing and Hatch Enterprise

, the latter focused on empowering underrepresented entrepreneurs . Funding Circle donated £40,000 to Hatch Enterprise for its 2022-2023 program . The company provides customer complaint mechanisms via email, telephone, and post , with an aim to respond within 10 working days . Funding Circle is a participant in the UN Global Compact and a signatory to the Investing in Women Code . It also has a Human Rights Statement , Global Whistleblowing Policy , Supplier Code of Conduct , and Modern Slavery Statement .

Safe & Smart Tech

The company experienced multiple data exposures, including 13 million marketing email addresses, 6,000 social security numbers of American clients, and over 45,000 customer conversation notes.

Borrower and investor files are retained for six years after the relationship ends, and fraud prevention agencies can hold data for six years. In 2024, technical and governance frameworks were established for the ethical, secure, and effective use of Generative AI. Users have rights to access, correct, object to processing, request erasure, restrict processing, transfer data, and withdraw consent, with requests typically responded to within one month. Funding Circle is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and registered with the Information Commissioner, stating its compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

Funding Circle reported a recycling rate of 75%.

However, the company has retired its previous net zero stretch target for waste emissions, citing a need for further work to understand the drivers and scope for influence.