ThinCats Australia: an online marketplace for secured business loans

Most online business lenders are one company lending its own money. ThinCats Australia works differently. It is a marketplace: investors choose which secured business loans to fund, and the platform brings borrowers and investors together. If you are buying a business or expanding a franchise, that model is worth knowing about.

A note on sourcing. ThinCats’ website could not be reached by our tools when we prepared this page, so we rely on SmartCompany, Mozo and company profiles, which agree on the model and the purposes. Anything about amounts and fees comes from older reports and is flagged as such. Check with the lender before relying on it, as at October 2026.

How does the ThinCats model work?

Early coverage described a peer-to-business platform. Businesses applied through a licensed sponsor, often a finance broker, who vetted the application. Investors then chose how much to put in, and the loan was funded by those bids. That differs from a bank, where a credit committee decides, and it affects speed, fees and flexibility. Our page on peer-to-peer business loans explains the wider category.

The platform is part of the ThinCats group that began in the United Kingdom, and company profiles list Australian ownership changes in recent years. We haven’t verified those independently, so we don’t rely on them here.

What do borrowers use it for?

Descriptions of the platform list these purposes:

Purpose	Related guide
Buying a business	Business acquisition loans
Vendor finance	Vendor finance
Franchisee expansion or buy-out	Franchise finance
Capital expenditure	Equipment finance
Specific working capital needs	Working capital loans

These are larger, planned transactions more than a quick cash flow fix. Expect to show up-to-date financial information and a credible plan to repay.

What about size, security and cost?

Older reports gave a ceiling of about $2m per loan and described security over business assets, sometimes property, plus director guarantees. Mozo has also cited a one-off fee and a monthly fee on the balance, though that figure is undated third-party information and we won’t repeat it as current. The point to carry away: marketplace loans can carry setup fees on top of the lender’s return, so judge the offer by total dollars over the term.

Our loan cost comparison calculator is built for that comparison.

Weighing a purchase against different funding paths? Share the deal with us and a person will give you a clear view.

An illustration: buying a franchise outlet

Suppose a franchisee wants to buy out a neighbouring outlet for $850k. The franchisor’s lender offers part of it, the owner has 30% in cash, and there’s a gap. A secured marketplace loan can fill that gap, backed by the business being bought and a guarantee. What decides it is whether the combined repayments sit comfortably within the earnings of both outlets, so a lender will look hard at the seller’s recent figures.

Do that arithmetic first. Our business borrowing power calculator gives a quick sense of what the combined business can carry before you speak to anyone.

Who is it likely to suit?

• Established businesses with financials to show, rather than start-ups.
• Buyers of businesses and franchisees who need a secured loan alongside their own deposit.
• Owners who can offer security, including a guarantee.

It suits less well if you need money in a day or two, have no security, or are very early in trading. If a bank will fund the purchase, take it seriously; banks are often the cheapest source for a well-prepared, secured acquisition. A marketplace is for the times the bank’s policy doesn’t stretch to your deal.

What should you ask before applying?

1. What is the current maximum loan and minimum trading history?
2. Which assets are taken as security, and is it recorded on the PPSR?
3. What are the establishment and ongoing fees, in dollars?
4. Is a personal guarantee required?
5. How long from application to funding?

If ThinCats isn’t the right fit

For online lenders with short-term products, see Moula; for asset-backed deals, Grow Finance. If you are buying a business and your bank hesitates, read business loans for buying out a partner and declined by the bank.

Planning a purchase or expansion?

The funding structure of a purchase often decides whether it settles. We’d like to look at yours before a decline costs you time.

Tell us the deal in about a minute. There’s no credit check for asking, your details go to us rather than to a long list of lenders, and a real person reads them and calls you. Accurate numbers mean the first option we suggest is the one most likely to fit.

Map out your funding options →