Tide

No. Tide is not a bank. It provides business current accounts through ClearBank, a UK-licensed bank, which means customer deposits are FSCS-protected up to £85,000. Tide operates as a technology platform and does not carry a banking license itself.

Tide generates revenue through interchange fees on card transactions, fees on certain payment services, interest margin on credit products, and subscription tiers for advanced features. It also earns commissions from the credit marketplace where it matches members with external lenders.

Dr. Oliver Prill, CEO since 2018, leads the company. He previously held leadership roles in financial services, banking, and insurance. The firm does not publicly disclose a separate CIO or investment committee, as it is an operating fintech rather than an asset manager or family office.

ClearBank is the licensed bank partner that holds customer deposits and provides the underlying account infrastructure. Tide builds the customer-facing software layer — mobile app, web dashboard, accounting tools, and credit marketplace — on top of ClearBank’s banking rails. The relationship is a commercial partnership, not a subsidiary structure.

No. Tide is a venture-backed financial technology company. It is not structured as a single-family or multi-family office, and does not manage private family wealth. The firm serves small and medium businesses as an operating fintech platform.

Tide runs a credit marketplace rather than lending off its own balance sheet. It connects business borrowers to over 80 external lenders, comparing loan offers and alternative finance options. Tide provides eligibility checks that do not affect the applicant’s credit score, but the underwriting and credit risk sit with the ultimate lender, not Tide.

Tide is headquartered in London and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority. It maintains offices in Sofia, Hyderabad, Delhi, Berlin, and Luxembourg. Its core banking services are UK-focused, though it claims a worldwide member base.