Credit card interest rates are near historic highs, while everyday costs and seasonal spending are pushing more people into revolving debt. It's an environment where balances can quietly grow, and that's the gap Updraft is aiming to fill. Founded by former HSBC lending head Aseem Munshi, the London-based fintech is focused on making borrowing simpler, fairer and far less intimidating for consumers feeling the pressure.
It uses open banking and credit data to spot patterns of expensive borrowing across credit cards, overdraft, and buy-now-pay-later products, then steps in with a lower-cost loan to refinance that debt into one clear repayment. Its recent "In Too Deep" campaign, which features the UK's first "Financial Lifeguard", translated this idea into something human and relatable, showing just how small summer splurges can quickly tip budgets off balance.
And the company is gaining momentum too. Having raised £16M in funding, build a waitlist of more than 40,000 people and granted early access to thousands of users. With a leadership team spanning banking, data science and brand building, it's pairing strong financial fundamentals with smart storytelling, putting the company in a position for continued growth as more and more consumers look for better ways out of high-interest debt.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
