Specialist lenders recognised in Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2026 list

Specialist finance providers have been recognised in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2026 rankings, highlighting continued investment in workplace culture, employee engagement and people development across the UK lending sector.

Funding Circle, DF Capital and Reward Funding all secured places in this year’s list, which is based on employee feedback and workplace engagement data.

Funding Circle was recognised in the Big Organisation category for companies with more than 250 employees. The SME finance platform said the award follows the launch of its internal “People Pact”, designed to reinforce its mission-driven culture and employee values.

The business also reported a record employee engagement score of 74% in 2025, representing a 10-point year-on-year increase.

“Our success is testament to the hard work of our Circlers and we actively invest and nurture our culture to create a great environment such that everyone can do their best work in service of our important mission.”

Funding Circle said lending through its platform supported 117,000 jobs and contributed £7.9bn to UK GDP during 2025.

Meanwhile, specialist bank DF Capital was recognised in the Medium Organisations category following what it described as a standout year for colleague engagement and workplace culture.

The lender achieved a 96% employee survey response rate and an overall engagement score of 84%, placing the business in the “excellent” category and above both industry and global benchmarks.

Additional results showed that 90% of employees said they were proud to work at DF Capital, while the business reported a +55 employee Net Promoter Score, a 93% retention rate and just 3% employee flight risk.

” It celebrates the culture we’ve worked hard to build together and, above all, the incredible people across our business who bring it to life every day.”

The lender said the recognition reflected the role its employees play in delivering support to savers, SME borrowers and local communities, while also noting that customer experience metrics had remained strong alongside colleague engagement.

Alternative finance provider Reward Funding was also named in the Medium Organisations category, marking its third consecutive appearance in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work rankings.

The lender said the recognition reflects its continued focus on leadership development, employee wellbeing and collaboration as the business continues to expand nationally.

Over the past year, Reward has expanded its Empowering Leaders programme to support management development and is also introducing a new framework to support long-term leadership progression across the business.

The company has additionally invested in internal systems and employee engagement initiatives, including regular “talking lunches” hosted by CEO Nick Smith and monthly drop-in sessions aimed at encouraging feedback and open discussion.

“The people are what make Reward a truly great place to work. As we continue to grow nationally, maintaining that culture and continuing to invest in our people remains a major priority.”