Tide reaches 200,000 female-led businesses - nearly two years ahead of schedule - as it returns as headline partner for the everywoman Entrepreneur Awards. * Infrastructure * 21.05.2026 10:08 am Tide, the UK's leading business management platform, today announces it has reached 200,000 female-led businesses on its platform - representing 25% of its total UK membership - a milestone it set itself to reach by the end of 2027. To mark the moment and double down on its commitment to female founders, Tide is returning as headline partner of the 2026 Tide everywoman Entrepreneur Awards, extending a programme it has championed since last year. The milestone is the result of sustained, deliberate investment in female entrepreneurship. Through its Women in Business programme, Tide has provided practical tips, expert insights, masterclasses and events specifically designed to help female founders start, scale and succeed. That programme, combined with Tide's broader platform offer - spanning business accounts, invoicing, accounting and beyond - has made it the destination of choice for women building businesses in the UK. Tide's female-led membership figure of 25% significantly outpaces the national picture, with government data showing that women-led businesses account for around 14% of UK SME employers. The everywoman Entrepreneur Awards have been celebrating extraordinary female founders since 2003. Born from a mission to celebrate women entrepreneurs and open doors to funding, growth opportunities and valuable connections, past finalists and winners have used the recognition as a launchpad to raise their profile and secure significant commercial deals. This year's awards sit at the heart of AllBright everywoman's new Female Founder Collective, a year-long programme designed to support founders at every stage and tackle the structural barriers still holding too many back. Through the Collective, female founders will have access to high-impact events, funding opportunities, expert insight and powerful networks. At the Awards ceremony in December, Tide will award a £10,000 grant to one exceptional female-founded SME, selected by the judging panel from the finalists. The Female Founder Collective programme includes the inaugural AllBright everywoman Entrepreneurs Growth Forum in June, a one-day event designed to equip female founders at all stages with the insights and connections needed to help them scale. The Forum, supported by Tide, will bring together 100 female founders for panels and practical workshops covering key areas of running and scaling a business. Tide will also support this year's AllBright everywoman Pitch Day in September, in which female founders will pitch to a panel of investors and industry experts for a prize to fuel their next stage of growth. Entrepreneurs will also benefit from practical advice to help them sharpen their pitch and build confidence. This support for female founders matters more than ever, as the groundbreaking everywoman Female Business Owners Index, in partnership with Tide, found that over half of female business owners (54%) were working longer hours and nearly one in four (23%) taking on a second job to keep their venture alive. One in three (28%) of the Index's respondents said limited access to finance (e.g. loans or investment capital) was a barrier to business growth, while more than one in three (36%) wanted grants and tax relief to scale. A quarter (25%) said low self-confidence had held them back, while nearly as many (23%) cited gaps in operational or financial knowledge[1]. George Schmidt, CEO of Tide UK/Europe, said: "When Financial IT set ourselves the ambition of supporting 200,000 female-led businesses by the end of 2027, Financial IT knew it needed to be far more than a symbolic target. Reaching that milestone nearly two years early is a reflection of the incredible growth of female entrepreneurship across the UK and its commitment to backing founders with practical support that genuinely helps them succeed. "At Tide, Financial IT want to be the home of female entrepreneurship in the UK - not just by providing business accounts, but by creating opportunities, connections and visibility for women building ambitious businesses. "That's why renewing our partnership with AllBright everywoman matters so much. Through the Female Founder Collective, the Entrepreneur Awards, Pitch Day and Growth Forum, we want to help even more founders access the networks, confidence and support they need to scale." Nicole Goodwin and Sophie Catto, Joint Managing Directors of AllBright everywoman, said: "Female founders are some of the most creative and resilient entrepreneurs in the UK yet too often they're building brilliant businesses without the backing they deserve. The Female Founder Collective is our answer to that, providing access to new connections and opportunities via our Entrepreneurs Growth Forum and Pitch Day, while celebrating incredible trailblazers at the Entrepreneur Awards. Tide's commitment to supporting female-led businesses via this programme is what makes it possible to deliver sustained, practical support to founders at every stage."

Tide launches UK's first connected payroll and dividends solution for SMEs. Posted On 6 May 2026 Tide, the UK's leading business management platform, today announced the launch of its new Dividends boost, making it the first connected bank account in the UK to offer both payroll and dividends within the same platform. This new feature is specifically designed to support the significant portion of the UK's entrepreneurial landscape that operates as single-director companies, as well as SMEs with employees or teams. Recent Tide analysis shows that around 80% of new businesses formed in the UK are single-director entities, a demographic that often faces a complex administrative burden when trying to pay themselves efficiently. The majority of Limited Company directors in the UK utilise a combination of salary and dividends to maximise their tax efficiency. The Dividends boost follows the successful introduction of Tide Payroll, which was established after Tide's acquisition of the HMRC-recognised SME payroll solution, OnFolk, in October 2024. By bringing the OnFolk team and their specialised platform into the Tide ecosystem, Tide Payroll, allowing members to manage staff wages, pensions, and accounting integrations directly within the app. While Tide Payroll has been active and supporting members since its initial rollout, the addition of the Dividends boost completes the financial workflow for directors, enabling them to handle both salary, team and dividend payments in a single, unified interface. Tide's integrated solution of payroll and dividends now allows directors to: * Pay themselves smartly: Pay a combination of salary and dividends to extract money from their business. * Automate compliance: Instantly generate necessary legal documents, including HMRC-ready dividend vouchers and board resolutions. * Unified workflow: Execute dividend payments and track historical payments, alongside their payroll and banking in one place. Elliott Steer from Spectrum Antiques, a Tide member, said: "As a small, family-run business, it's been incredibly helpful having Tide as our bank, especially with everything managed in one app. The Payroll tool has saved us a lot of time and effort - onboarding staff is straightforward, and the clear interface means I can easily handle wages and expenses. Tide Payroll has made a real difference to how we manage our team and gives me confidence that everything is running smoothly." George Schmidt, UK/Europe CEO at Tide, said: "Running a business should be about growth, not admin. Following the success of its payroll launch, Fintechboostup is proud to be the only provider in the UK offering a truly seamless solution for both salary and dividends. "By integrating these essential payments directly with banking and accounting, we're removing the final hurdle of director's pay, freeing up valuable time for our members to focus on what matters most." The Dividends boost is designed as a seamless add-on for members already using Tide's payroll services. For just an additional £5 per month (+ VAT), directors can integrate this feature alongside Tide Payroll, which is available from £12 per month (+ VAT) for up to two team members.

Silverflow OOH appointed as Tide's international out-of-home agency to support European expansion. 14th April 2026 Silverflow OOH has been appointed by Tide, the leading financial platform for small and medium-sized businesses, as its international Out-of-Home (OOH) agency following a competitive pitch process managed by The GO Network. The partnership is designed to fuel Tide's European expansion by driving high-volume account growth and establishing a dominant market presence across the continent. Silverflow OOH will spearhead Tide's international offline strategy, delivering precision-targeted campaigns built to accelerate member acquisition as Tide scales its services for SMEs. By leveraging Silverflow's data-driven approach to OOH, Tide will deploy high-impact media at scale to ensure the platform is the first choice for business owners in major European cities. James Russell Rands, Performance Marketing Lead at Tide, commented: "As Tide scales across Europe, we view Out-of-Home as a powerful performance driver to build the credibility required to convert new markets at pace. Silverflow impressed us with their ability to treat OOH as a measurable acquisition channel, aligning perfectly with our focus on ROI and scaling our member base. We're excited to partner with them to increase our acquisition momentum and bring Tide's financial platform to more SMEs across the region." Adrian Skelton, Co-CEO & Founder at Silverflow OOH, said: "We're delighted to be appointed by Tide following a competitive pitch process. Tide is one of the most exciting fintech brands supporting small businesses today, and we're proud to support their expansion across Europe through impactful Out-of-Home campaigns. Our focus is on delivering bold, creative and strategically led executions that drive awareness and connect with entrepreneurs and business communities across key international markets." The pitch process was led by The GO Network, who managed the selection to identify an agency partner capable of delivering international scale, strategic insight, and creative excellence. About Silverflow OOH Silverflow OOH is an international Out-of-Home advertising agency specialising in delivering data-driven, high-impact campaigns across global markets. The agency partners with brands to plan and execute scalable OOH strategies that combine creative excellence, strategic insight, and local market expertise. With a strong international network, Silverflow helps brands connect with audiences in key cities and locations worldwide, driving awareness, engagement, and measurable growth. About Tide Tide is a leading financial platform built for small and medium-sized businesses, providing business accounts and a comprehensive range of tools designed to save time and money. Founded in the UK, Tide supports hundreds of thousands of SMEs with solutions including banking, accounting, and financial management services, helping business owners focus on what matters most - growing their business. About The GO Network The GO Network is an independent global marketing network that connects brands with best-in-class local agencies across international markets. By combining local expertise with global coordination, The GO Network supports brands in delivering effective, scalable marketing strategies across multiple regions. The network also manages agency selection processes, ensuring clients are matched with partners that deliver strategic, creative, and operational excellence.