Unity Trust Bank’s record year of lending sees support for charities more than double
- Mar 24
- 3 min read
Unity Trust Bank’s charity banking customers benefitted from loans totalling £11.9million, with nearly half of sector lending committed to customers operating in areas of high deprivation.
Twenty-five loans to 14 charities helped support a range of services and activities for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups.
These included older people, people living in poverty and/or financial exclusion, vulnerable children, people with addiction issues and homelessness.
The social impact bank’s annual results show that Unity’s lending commitments to support its charity customers grew 113% from £5.6 million in 2024 to £11.9m in 2025.
Of total commitment in this sector, 47.1% went to areas most in need and 34.6% supported charity customers to expand their positive impact.
46.8% of this lending was classified as ‘C – Contribute to Solutions’* within Unity’s classifications for organisations that deliver dedicated service to vulnerable or marginalised communities.
A charity customer in South East London that offers respite services for unpaid carers was able to buy its first residential property thanks to funding from Unity.
Carers’ Support (Bexley) used a £250,000 loan from Unity to help it acquire a four-bedroom house in Belvedere.
With around 19,300 unpaid carers in Bexley, the accommodation is now home for young people on 12-month overseas volunteer placements who help look after loved ones when unpaid carers need a break.
Vikki Wilkinson, CEO, at Carers’ Support (Bexley) said: “We believe that in order to care for the carers, we have to care for each other first. We have around 50 volunteers, including up to nine every year from overseas, and we want to take care of them.
“We host them in a safe, supported environment and pay expenses and they reciprocate with free, full-time volunteering with around 10 families each.
“It’s a really special project and volunteers build up a lovely relationship and a sense of trust with the whole family.
“Thanks to a generous bequest, a brave decision by our trustees and support from Unity, we decided to invest in the service, the charity and the borough.
“This is quite historic for us and builds stability and security. It shows we’re here for long the term and how much we value our volunteers.
“Paul Wedderspoon from Unity has been incredible. He guided us through everything and made the process much less scary.
“We’re probably a small fish for Unity, but we never felt like that with Paul. He invested his time in us, and his knowledge of the charity sector was so important.
“Unity is a human and person-centred bank. We found the experience hugely positive, and I would recommend Unity to my sector colleagues.”
Colin Fyfe, CEO at Unity, said: “Unity Trust Bank is committed to supporting charities and social enterprises that make a positive difference to people’s lives and contribute to a better society for all.
“Unity’s ‘double bottom line’ strategy is to create positive social impact as well as sustainable returns. I’m proud to say that we deliver this year after year.”
In 2025 Unity’s overall lending grew by 12% to over £1.1 billion (2024: 1 billion).
New lending more than doubled to over £333 million (2024: £137 million).
A record £165 million of new lending (53.7%) went to customers delivering services in areas of high deprivation.
More organisations chose to bank with Unity and deposits rose by 8% to a record £1.9 billion (2024: £1.8 billion),
Unity also achieved a number of milestones in 2025.
• Unity was awarded an Investment Grade credit rating from Fitch Ratings. This landmark accreditation strengthens its position as a robust business bank.
• Unity became one of a small number of banks globally to be independently verified by the Good Economy as meeting the Global Impact Investing Network’s ‘Operating Principles for Impact Management’ standards. This underscores the bank’s drive for positive change and is a benchmark for quality impact management.
• Unity became the first UK bank to invest in Local Climate Bonds, supporting local councils to deliver on their Net Zero objectives. It committed an initial £15m towards councils’ environmental projects with more to come in 2026.
The bank’s values are also embedded in its culture.
A record £140,500 in grants and donations was distributed to good causes throughout the year from staff salary sacrifice and fundraising endeavours alongside the bank’s match-funding. This included £50,000 for the Unity Impact Grants programme and £35,000 support for the King’s Trust partnership.
Colin Fyfe added: “At the core of everything we do at Unity is our customers. They are at the fore of every decision we make.
“Our ambition is to be the bank of choice for all socially-minded organisations in the UK and I’m delighted that more than 11,300 values-aligned customers choose our business banking services.”
*This is an adaptation made by Unity Trust Bank based on the ABCs of Enterprise Impact: ABC of Enterprise Impact | Impact Frontiers
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